Fostering Black Sea regional cooperation

The Black Sea Commission (BSC) is the coordinating body for regional cooperation in the case of a major oil spill. A legal framework for cooperation has been put in place under the Bucharest Convention and its Emergency Protocol and the six countries around the Black Sea are in final stages of approving the Black Sea Contingency Plan. Peter represented OSPRI at a meeting in Istanbul of the BSC's Advisory Group on Environmental Safety Aspects of Shipping (AG ESAS), under which oil spill preparedness and response issues are coordinated and discussed.

Peter is honoured with a front row position during a group photograph

OSPRI is looking to promote effective contingency planning in the region and anticipates a fruitful partnership with the BSC. There are discussions underway for a major oil spill exercise in the region within the next couple of years. Peter will be working very closely with BSC at the technical and organizational levels to investigate where OSPRI might provide support to the development of capacity to hold such an exercise.