Regional Workshop on Cooperation Arrangements in the Field of Preparedness and Response to Oil and Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) Spills (MEDEXPOL 2016) – Dec 14, 2016

    Regional Workshop on Cooperation Arrangements in the Field of Preparedness and Response to Oil and Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) Spills (MEDEXPOL 2016)

    The Regional Workshop on Cooperation Arrangements in the Field of Preparedness for and Response to Oil and HNS Spills (MEDEXPOL 2016) was held at the Le Méridien St. Julians Hotel & Spa, St Julian’s, Malta between 14 and 15 December 2016. The Meeting was convened pursuant to the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP)’s Programme of Work for 2016-2017 adopted by the Nineteenth Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention) and its Protocols (COP19), which was held in Athens, Greece from 9 to 12 February 2016.

    This Meeting, which has been organised by the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC), was co-financed by the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP), the Mediterranean Trust Fund (MTF) and The global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues (IPIECA).

    Twenty-nine (29) participants representing fourteen (14) Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols (Albania, Algeria, Croatia, European Union, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain and Tunisia) as well as Regional and International Organisations: IMO, the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF), FEDERCHIMICA, Mediterranean Oil Industry Group (MOIG), the Mediterranean Operational Network for the Global Ocean Observing System (MONGOOS) and Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL)) participated in this meeting to review the ‘’Draft Mediterranean Guide on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Responding to Marine Pollution Incidents’’, prior to its submission for review and adoption to the twelfth Meeting of the Focal Points of REMPEC which will held from 23 to 25 May 2017 in Malta.

    The Meeting agreed on a set of Conclusions and Recommendations which are available in the document REMPEC/40/WP.2.

    The outcome of the Meeting and the practical information and guidance material provided by the Guide will reinforce the relationship and the coordination of means and services in the field of cooperation and mutual assistance in case of pollution incident between the main stakeholders and will strengthen the regional capacities to face major oil spill accidents.

    The Meeting documents are available here.