Cooperation Forum and Project Coordination Committee Meetings, Malaysia
14 October 2014
ITOPF was invited by the Malaysia Marine Department to attend two annual meetings under the Cooperative Mechanism on Safety of Navigation and Environment Protection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore from 22-24 September. The first of these meetings, the Cooperation Forum, is the main avenue for user States, the shipping industry and other stakeholders to meet and hold open discussion with the littoral States for the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS). It serves to promote dialogue and exchanges of views on issues of common interest in these busy straits. The forum also aims to facilitate practical cooperation between the littoral States and the shipping industry with respect to the protection of the environment in the region, including prevention and response to ship-sourced oil and chemical spills.
The meeting, which was held in Langkawi, received around 110 delegates from 14 different countries (including the three Littoral States for the SOMS), the IMO and several industry organisations including Intertanko, ICS and BIMCO. Alex Hunt attended on behalf of ITOPF and provided a presentation on worldwide trends in ship-sourced spills and how some of the global issues relate to the concerns of the Littoral States and users of the SOMS (both government and industry). Some key topics associated with maritime incidents, such as Places of Refuge, were discussed along with some of the common factors and issues associated with oil spills attended by ITOPF in the SOMS.
The second meeting, the Project Coordination Committee, provided an opportunity for a variety of initiatives focusing on prevention of maritime incidents and response preparedness to be discussed along with the planning and implementation of these projects. The meeting included discussion of a project coordinated by the Malaysia Marine Department focussing on improving preparedness for HNS incidents in the SOMS.
The 8th series of meetings under the Cooperative Mechanism are to be held in Singapore in 2015.
Category: Training & Education