ITOPF tours South Africa stakeholders
16 December 2025
South Africa’s strategic location has turned it into a critical chokepoint for global traffic during the Red Sea crisis. The combination of geopolitical instability, extreme weather events, port congestion and environmental sensitivities increase the risks and potential for impacts of marine pollution incidents.
As part of ITOPF's continued efforts to develop understanding, foster relationships and support spill response efficiency in the region, it met with several key stakeholders during a visit to South Africa over the last two weeks, where it made stops in Durban, Gqeberha / Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.
During the trip ITOPF dived into the response capabilities of various marine pollution response organisations and their available resources, with tours of storage warehouses where discussions were led around the deployment of equipment and how it can be most effectively used in large scale marine pollution incidents. This included tours of the seabird rehabilitation facilities that could support an oiled wildlife response, as well as discussions with ITOPF’s Member AMSOL.
ITOPF extends its thanks to all stakeholders it met with during its time in country:
▪️AMSOL - African Marine Solutions Group
▪️East Coast Marine Services
▪️InnoVenton - Downstream Chemical Technology Station
▪️Nelson Mandela University (NMU)
▪️Oceans and Coastal Information Management System (OCIMS)
▪️SAEON
▪️Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB)
▪️2opic