MEETING | Barcelona Convention Offshore Oil and Gas Group (OFOG) 2023 – May 26, 2023
The Fourth Meeting of the Barcelona Convention Offshore Oil and Gas Group (OFOG) Sub-Group on Environmental Impact (23rd - 24th May 2023)
The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) has held the Fourth Meeting of the Barcelona Convention Offshore Oil and Gas Group (OFOG) Sub-Group on Environmental Impact from Tuesday 23rd to Wednesday 24th May 2023.
Organized by REMPEC, the Meeting was financed with the support of the Mediterranean Trust Fund (MTF), pursuant to the Programme of Work and Budget for 2022-2023 of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The Meeting was an opportunity for government officials involved in the implementation and enforcement of the Protocol for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution Resulting from Exploration and Exploitation of the Continental Shelf and the Seabed and its Subsoil (Offshore Protocol) as well as other representatives from Contracting Party to the Barcelona Convention and observer organizations/Mediterranean Action Plan partners (IOGP, Sea Alarm) to physically meet face-to-face for the first time since the last OFOG Meeting, which was held online due to the Covid-19.
|
What are the Offshore Protocol and the MOAP? Conscious that possible significant accidents caused by offshore activities could have long term adverse consequences for the fragile ecosystems and biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea due to its enclosed nature and special hydrodynamics as well as negative consequences on the economies of the Mediterranean coastal States especially in relation to tourism and fisheries, the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention adopted in 1994 the Protocol for the protection of the Mediterranean Sea against pollution resulting from the exploration and exploitation of the continental shelf, the seabed and its subsoil ("Offshore Protocol”), which entered into force from 2011 counting seven (7) Contracting Parties, and eight (8) Contracting Parties since 2018. Furthermore, the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention adopted in 2016 the Mediterranean Offshore Action Plan (MOAP) (Decision IG .22/3), within the framework of the Offshore Protocol. The MOAP aims to define measures which, if applied at regional level and by each Contracting Party within their jurisdiction, will ensure the safety of offshore activities and reduce their potential impact on the marine environment and its ecosystem. |
The event aimed at reviewing and providing guidance on key outcomes related to the implementation of the MOAP in the current biennium while identifying the priorities for the next implementation period. The identification of IMAP Common Indicators to be monitored under the Offshore Protocol was on the agenda as well as the drafted regional offshore standards and guidelines on the removal (decommissioning) of installations and the related financial aspects, and the technical review of the Annexes to the Offshore Protocol. As eleven (11) Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention have signed the Protocol, but only eight (8) ratified it, an agenda item was also dedicated to progress of the ratification of the Offshore Protocol.
The dynamism of the Meeting, and the involvement of the participants, was crucial in reaching the Meeting’s objectives. Notably the approval of 5 IMAP Common Indicators (CI) to be monitored as key monitoring indicators for the oil and gas operations and a draft decision providing for an extension of one year of the current MOAP for it to expire at the end of 2025 and mandating the Secretariat to prepare a reviewed Offshore Action Plan. It was also concluded to set Intersessional Correspondence Groups (ICGs) to further the work on the development of the guidelines on “Removal (decommissioning) of installations and the related financial aspects” and on the “Technical review of annexes”. Yet the Conclusions and Recommendations will be submitted for consideration by the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) Focal Points Meeting and the 23rd Meeting of the Contracting Parties (COP 23).
The next OFOG meeting is due to take place in 2025 and in the meantime specific trainings and activities will support the work undertaken, notably, on the Disposal of Oil and Oily Mixtures and Use and Disposal of Drilling Fluids and Cuttings, as well as on the Use and Discharge of Harmful or Noxious Substances and Materials, keeping the two topics addressed under separate guidelines guidelines, in accordance with the adopted recommendations.
 |
 |
 |
 |
More information about Offshore Protocol :