2012 Sea Alarm oiled wildlife preparedness activities
Sea Alarm is a partner in the launch of new oil spill preparedness website for the Mediterranean and in updating oiled wildlife guidelines to reflect knowledge gained over the last 10 years.
Sea Alarm presentations and workshops at international conferences in 2012
In 2012 Sea Alarm attended conferences in various countries, presenting on the organisation’s activities and learning about advances in oiled wildlife response around the world.
Other 2012 Sea Alarm news
2012 saw changes to the Sea Alarm Board of Directors, while regular meetings with Oil Spill Response Limited, a key Sea Alarm partner, enhanced the two organisations’ cooperative efforts.
NGO Networking in Turkey
While in Istanbul attending the Black Sea Commission ESAS AG meeting, Sea Alarm took the opportunity to organise a Turkish national NGO meeting hosted at MEKE Marine premises. The main aim of the meeting, held on 4 November 2009, was to bring Turkish NGOs together and to have a look at past experiences, exploring each other’s specific expertise and interest in the matter and the contributions that each could bring to an integrated oiled wildlife response.
Sea Alarm at the Black Sea Commission
Sea Alarm attended the 18th Meeting of the Environmental Safety Aspects of Shipping Advisory Group of the Black Sea Commission that took place in Istanbul, Turkey on the 4 and 5 of November 2009. The ESAS AG Group, an integral part of the Black Sea Commission institutional structure, coordinates the regional approach to emergency response, particularly international response to accidents involving extraction, maritime transport, handling and storage of oil and hazardous chemicals.
Helcom moving swiftly to integrate oiled wildlife
Sea Alarm attended the HELCOM Response meeting that took place from 23-25 September in Stockholm, Sweden. An important agenda item was the discussion of a paper prepared by Estonia, Sea Alarm and WWF that seeks to include oiled wildlife response in the HELCOM Response Manual.
At least 1,500 birds thought to be affected by Full City spill
The Norwegian Ornithological Society (NOF) has observed 34 species of birds affected by the Full City spill, which occurred in southern Norway on 31 July. While NOF representatives have to date observed over 1,500 oiled birds in the field, the total number of birds affected by the spill is predicted to be far higher.
The Norwegian Oiled Wildlife Response Network (NOW) is leading the organisation and coordination of the response. Sea Alarm’s Roser Gasol has been on-site since 2 August, providing assistance together with Sea Alarm’s other on-site team members Claude Velter (Wildlife Rescue Centre Ostend), Sascha Regmann (Project Blue Sea, Germany) and Tania Regmann (Project Blue Sea, Germany). Three RSPCA experts will be joining the international response team on 10 August.
Effects of Oil on Wildlife (EOW) Conference Programme
Sea Alarm is pleased to announce that the preliminary programme for the 10th International Effects of Oil on Wildlife (EOW) Conference has been published. Please visit the EOW website for further details.
New Sea Alarm Office
Sea Alarm recently moved into a new office. Located in the same building as the previous office, the new office is much larger and looks directly out onto the Place du Beguinage, one of the nicest little squares in the…
Bonn Agreement Parties to include Oiled Wildlife Response in Counter-Pollution Manual
Sea Alarm’s Hugo Nijkamp was present at the OTSOPA meeting, held in Rotterdam from 26-28 May. He reported on recent developments in the European scene of oiled wildlife response and preparedness, including the EMPOWER initiative, the decision by Helcom Response to include oiled wildlife response in the Response Manual, and the upcoming Effects of Oil on Wildlife (EOW) Conference. OTSOPA is the technical committee of the Bonn Agreement, the regional agreement for mutual oil pollution response cooperation between coastal states in the North East Atlantic.
Following this presentation, OTSOPA decided to include a chapter on oiled wildlife response in the Bonn Agreement Counter-Pollution Manual, which is a significant step towards the further recognition of integrated oiled wildlife response.
EMSA and DG Environment Workshop
Sea Alarm attended an international meeting jointly organised by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and DG Environment on 30 June at EMSA’s new headquarters in Lisbon. The meeting’s overarching objective was to discuss integrated issues of oil spill response in Europe by exploring how aspects of civil protection (shoreline response) and marine rescue and oil spill combat at sea could be better integrated at both national and European levels. Representatives from civil protection agencies and oil spill response authorities of most European coastal states participated, as well as representatives from the secretariats of some of the regional conventions.
Meeting of Focal Points for Specially Protected Areas in the Mediterranean
In order to develop a better understanding of current nature conservation and protection issues in the Mediterranean, Sea Alarm’s Roser Gasol attended the Ninth Meeting of Focal Points for Specially Protected Areas (SPAs) in Malta on the 3-6 June 2009. This biennial meeting is organised by the Tunisian-based Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA), whose primary role is to assist the Contracting Parties in the implementation of the Protocol on Specially Protected Areas and Biodiversity within the framework of the Barcelona Convention.