OSPRI promoting Caspian regional cooperation

Peter represented OSPRI at an Oil Spill Preparedness Workshop for the Caspian Region, held in Baku, Azerbaijan. The meeting was sponsored by OSPRI and attended by 30 persons, with representatives of all five Caspian littoral States, the Caspian Environment Programme (CEP), IMO, BP, the Global Alliance and local oil spill service contractors.

A tier 2 response facility in Baku

The first two days were spent examining the draft 'Caspian Sea Plan Concerning Regional Cooperation in Combating Oil Pollution in Cases of Emergency' from an operational perspective. Peter was closely involved in the organization of the event and he facilitated sessions that used a table-top scenario to increase regional understanding of the operational use and value of the draft Plan. These sessions represented another step forward towards practical cooperation mechanisms in the region in case of a major incident.

The final day was dedicated to re-visiting the 'Emergency Protocol to the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea'. This Protocol will be the tool to formalize the regional Plan and it is hoped to be one of the first protocols to be signed following entry into force of the Framework Convention, anticipated in the near future.

All participants were given a Responder Companion CD at the close of the workshop which included workshop materials and the IPIECA Report Series for reference, as well as useful electronic operational tools (the Responder Toolkits and the NOAA's ADIOS oil fate model)