Regional On-Scene Commanders Courses in Russia

The Novorossiysk State Maritime Academy

Kevin O'Connell co-ordinated two further IMO Level 2 Courses for On-Scene Commanders in Astrakhan and Novorossiysk, Russia in June 2004. The five day events were kindly hosted by the State Marine Pollution Control, Salvage and Rescue Administration of the Russian Federation and organized and funded by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) under the auspices of the Bucharest Convention.

The Astrakhan course was held at the Port Administration building and was attended by participants from Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia and Turkmenistan while the Novorossiysk course was held at the State Maritime Academy and was attended by participants from Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and the Ukraine. Participants enjoyed practical demonstrations and syndicate exercises, which were used to reinforce the knowledge gained from the full programme of lectures from a variety of speakers. John Ostergaard and Kevin O'Connell represented the IMO with assistance in Astrakhan from Claire Wood who represented the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA) whilst Alexander Nicolau who represented the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) and Mat Simmons who represented IPIECA gave assistance in Novorossiysk.

Course participants in Astrakhan