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

    • When Dec 14, 2016 to Dec 15, 2016
    • Where San Julians (Malta)
    • Add event to calendar iCal

    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 below.

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    Working documents  

    REMPEC/WG.40/1 Provisional agenda
    REMPEC/WG.40/1/Rev.1 Provisional agenda
    REMPEC/WG.40/1/1 Annotated provisional agenda and draft timetable
    REMPEC/WG.40/2 Draft Mediterranean Guide on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Responding to Marine Pollution Incidents
    REMPEC/WG.40/3 General and specific comments on the draft Mediterranean Guide on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Responding to Marine Pollution Incidents
    REMPEC/WG.40/WP.1

    Draft Mediterranean Guide on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Responding to Marine Pollution Incidents
    REMPEC/WG.40/WP.2 Conclusions and Recommendations resulting from the meeting discussions
    REMPEC/WG.40/6 Report of the Meeting

    Information documents 

    REMPEC/WG.40/INF.1 List of documents
    REMPEC/WG.40/J/1 Provisional list of participants
    REMPEC/WG.40/INF.2 List of participants

    Reference documents

    UNEP/IG.74/5 Guidelines for co‑operation in combating marine oil pollution in the Mediterranean adopted, by the Fifth Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, Athens 11 September 1987
    UNEP(OCA)/MED IG.2/4,
    Annex IV, Appendices I-VI 

    Principles and guidelines concerning cooperation and mutual assistance adopted, by the Seventh Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, Cairo, 11 October 1991
    UNEP(OCA)/MED IG.5/16,
    Annex XII, Appendix IV    		 Guidelines concerning the exchange of liaison officers between the contracting parties in case of response operations involving several states”, adopted by the he Ninth Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, Barcelona, 5 - 8 June 1995
      Guidelines concerning arrangements which might be made with a view to ensuring, in case of an accident, liaison between the Governmental Authorities and other interested parties, adopted by the Ninth Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, Barcelona, 5 - 8 June 1995

    UNEP(OCA)/MED IG.3/5,
    Appendix II, pages 1-6 

    		 The decision to establish a Mediterranean Assistance Unit to combat accidental marine pollution, by the eighth Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, Antalya, 12-15 October 1993
    EUROPEAN COMMISSION
    SWD(2012) 169 final 

    Commission Staff Working Document
    The host nation support guidelines of the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism
    REMPEC/WG.28/9/2  REMPEC's involvement in the marine pollution incident in the eastern Mediterranean during the summer of 2006
    REMPEC/WG.28/9/3 Lessons learnt from the marine pollution incident in the eastern Mediterranean during the summer of 2006
    REMPEC/WG.37/12  Cooperation between REMPEC and the European Commission as well as the European Maritime Safety Agency