Oil Spill Response Training at Montenegro

The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC),  the IMO-administered pollution emergency response centre in the Mediterranean, has delivered a national training course in oil spill response in Montenegro.

International Maritime Organization (IMO) said in a press release that the course was designed to prepare the competent national authorities to co-ordinate and manage responses and make decisions on strategies and tactics to be used in clean-up operations.

It was aimed at supervisors and on-scene commanders, the release said.

The training course will help Montenegro implement the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC 90), which specifically calls for states to establish relevant oil-spill training programmes.

IMO has developed a range of "model" training courses to address all aspects of oil spill planning, response and management.

This particular activity was part of a comprehensive plan to protect Montenegro and the Adriatic Sea against the effects of oil spills. In 2011, Montenegro adopted a national contingency plan which REMPEC helped to draft.

This will be complemented by the Adriatic Sub Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan (ASOSCoP)to be developed within a broader EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region (EUSAIR).

These, in turn, are encompassed in a wider approach (supported by IMO and REMPEC) in which Montenegro will prepare a national action plan to implement the 2016-2021 regional strategy for prevention of, and response to, marine pollution from ships.