OPRC Convention: Oil Pollution Preparedness

• Lecture 7 explores the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC) 1990.

Background of OPRC

• OPRC is an international maritime convention that establishes measures for dealing with marine oil pollution incidents nationally and through cooperation.
• As of November 2018, 112 state parties adhered to the convention.
• The OPRC Convention was drafted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and adopted in 1990, consisting of 19 articles.
• The Convention came into force on March 7, 1995, three months after ratification.
• A protocol to the Convention related to hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) which was adopted in 2000 is known as the OPRC-HNS Protocol.

Objectives of OPRC

• OPRC aims to facilitate international cooperation and assistance for preparing for and responding to marine pollution incidents.
• It encourages states to develop and maintain adequate capabilities for dealing with oil pollution emergencies.
• States-Parties to the 1990 Convention are required to undertake appropriate measures, individually or jointly, to prepare for and respond to oil pollution incidents.

Importance of OPRC 90 and ORPC-HNS 2000

• The protocols implement national response systems and promote cooperation through bilateral and multilateral national-level agreements for increased response capacity.
• They provide a mechanism for Parties to request assistance from other State Parties when facing major pollution incidents.

Convention Applications

• OPRC applies vessels operating in marine environments of any type, including hydrofoil boats, air-cushion vehicles, submersibles, and floating craft.
• It also applies to offshore installations or structures involved in gas or oil exploration, exploitation, production, loading or unloading.
• This also applies to sea ports and oil handling facilities presenting an oil pollution incident risk, including sea ports, oil terminals, and pipelines.
• Warships, naval auxiliary or other ships owned/ operated and used by a State for non-commercial government service are not applicable.
• Parties to the Convention should ensure those ships act in a manner consistent with the Convention.

Oil Pollution Reporting Procedures

• Masters or persons in charge of ships flying a Party's flag and those in charge of offshore units under a Party's jurisdiction must immediately report events involving oil discharge.
• Ships must report to the nearest coastal State.
• Offshore units must report to the coastal State to whose jurisdiction they are subjected.

Oil Pollution Emergency Plans

• Ships must carry a shipboard oil pollution emergency plan that aligns with IMO provisions. These plans are subject to inspection while in port or at an offshore terminal.
• Operators of offshore units must have oil pollution emergency plans coordinated with the national response system that are approved by the national authority.
• Seaport and oil handling facilities operators must have coordinated oil pollution emergency plans with the national oil pollution response system.

National and Regional Systems for Preparedness and Response

• Each Party must establish a national system for effectively responding to oil pollution incidents.
• This includes a preparedness and response plan, using IMO guidelines, outlining the organizational relationship of involved public and private bodies.
• The system includes a designated national authority for preparedness and response, a national contact point for receiving pollution reports, and an authority to request or offer assistance.
• Each Party must have pre-positioned oil spill equipment and programs, training for response organizations, detailed plans and communication capabilities, and a mechanism to coordinate the response of an oil pollution incident.

OPRC-HNS Protocol (2000)

• It is formally know as, The Protocol on Preparedness, Response and Co-operation to Pollution Incidents by Hazardous and Noxious Substances.
• This protocol follows the original OPRC Convention principles and was adopted in London in March 2000.
• The OPRC-HNS Protocol became effective on June 14, 2007.
• It establishes national systems for preparedness and response and offers a global cooperation framework in major marine pollution incidents.
• Hazardous and Noxious Substance (HNS) is any substance other than oil that, if introduced into the marine environment, could create hazards to human health, marine life, or other uses of the sea.

Key aspects of the Protocol

• The Protocol ensures that ships carrying hazardous and noxious substances are covered by similar preparedness and response regimes to existing oil incident protocols.
• Parties to the Protocol must establish pollution incident measures.
• Ships are required to have a specific shipboard pollution emergency plan for incidents involving hazardous/noxious substances.

OPRC 1990

• The the equipment used for oil spill combatting relies on two responses.
• One is a Chemical Response: Applying dispersant from vessels and/or aircrafts.
• Also there is Mechanical Response: including booms and skimmers deployed and operated from vessels.
• Restrictions or bans are in place in multiple countries against the use of dispersants.

Explore the OPRC Convention, its objectives, and applications in addressing oil pollution incidents. Learn about international cooperation, national response capacities, and the roles of various parties involved. Understand the OPRC-HNS Protocol and the obligations of states in maintaining preparedness.