REMPEC and Sea Alarm MoU signed – May 04, 2011

Sea Alarm has entered a new phase of cooperation with Mediterranean coastal states via an MoU with the Regional Emergency Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC). The MoU was signed on 4th May 2011 during the 10th REMPEC Focal Points meeting.Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention for Protection of the Mediterranean Sea meet every two years to discuss their strategy and activities in marine environmental protection and oil spill preparedness and response.

A separate joint Mediterranean industry and government workshop in 2009 concluded that there was a general lack of consideration for wildlife protection in Mediterranean countries’ oil spill contingency plans, so REMPEC had invited Sea Alarm to discuss the possibility of collaborating to fill this gap.

The MoU allows Contracting Parties to call in Sea Alarm to provide wildlife response assistance during an emergency as part of the REMPEC Mediterranean Assistance Unit (an expert advice team). It also allows for Sea Alarm to assist Contracting Parties with their wildlife response training and response planning activities. Website links have been made between the Sea Alarm Country Wildlife Response Profiles and the REMPEC Country Profiles, so that each Mediterranean country’s arrangements for wildlife response and overall oil spill response are consolidated in one place.

REMPEC is welcoming Sea Alarm within its Mediterranean Assistance Unit and looks forward to this collaboration as a way of developing better wildlife preparedness in the Mediterranean region.