Project Western Mediterranean Region Marine Oil and HNS Pollution Cooperation

The final event of the Project Western Mediterranean Region Marine Oil and HNS Pollution Cooperation (West MOPoCo) was held online on 14 April 2021 with the participation of the project beneficiaries and stakeholders.

This 2 year project (2019-2020), coordinated by the SGMer (FR) and co-funded by DG ECHO (EU), aimed to enhance emergency decision-making capabilities, assess contingency planning and strengthen cooperation and national emergency procedures. The deliverables under these objectives were presented as well as the remarkable achievements and the possible ways forward. Although the project had focused on Alegria, France, Italy, Malta, Morocco, Spain, and Tunisia, its outcomes could also be beneficial for the rest of the Mediterranean countries and at inter-regional level.

All partners of the project expressed their content with the results and thanked SGMer for their coordinating role. The European Union (DG ECHO) requested all participants to share and disseminate the deliverables of the project.

As decisions support material, the inter-regional HNS Response Manual and the update of the Maritime Integrated Decision Support Information System on Transport of Chemical Substances (MIDSIS TRCOS) were introduced by Cedre and REMPEC respectively.

The Inter-regional HNS Response Manual had been prepared by experts from Cedre, ITOPF and ISPRA and agreed jointly by the Bonn Agreement, REMPEC and HELCOM. The Manual included a methodological approach, operational information, and regional specifications; and is available in English and French. A word version has been produced to be updated by the regional agreements if necessary.

The Bonn Agreement Secretariat referred to the Correspondence Group established under OTSOPA in July 2019 to provide feedback on the structure, content, and layout of the Manual, as well as on the regional specifications.

Once the Manual is officially adopted by the Contracting Parties by written procedure, it will be published in the Bonn Agreement webpage as part of the Counter Pollution Manual. The Manual is a very comprehensive document to be used in HNS pollution exercises and incidents under the Bonn Agreement.