Sea Alarm meets with the RSPCA
Hugo Nijkamp and Saskia Sessions travelled to the RSPCA’s Headquarters in West Sussex, UK for a meeting in November last year.
Oiled Wildlife Response comes to West and Central Africa
Sea Alarm achieved two firsts last year: attending a regional conference of the Global Initiative for West and Central Africa (GI WACAF) and teaming up with SANCCOB to make a joint presentation on oiled wildlife preparedness and response at this event.
Oil industry recognises the need for oiled wildlife response planning
Sea Alarm has seen a growing recognition in 2011 by the oil industry of the need to take oiled wildlife response seriously and to devote it the same attention as traditional oil spill response.
Oiled wildlife preparedness for Black Sea Countries
Sea Alarm has prepared guidelines for Black Sea Countries on oiled wildlife impact assessment. These guidelines were provided at the request of the Black Sea Commission Permanent Secretariat in the framework of the EU-funded MONINFO project.
Sea Alarm at the BRISK seminar in Poland
Hugo Nijkamp was invited to act as the chair of a one day seminar in Poland where the first results of the Brisk project were presented.
The ITOPF R&D Award
ITOPF has launched a new new oil spill response R&D initiative, funded by the world’s shipowners and their 
P&I insurers. The ITOPF R&D Award will provide some £50,000 each year to encourage innovative thinking and provide realistic solutions to some of the challenges faced when responding to accidental oil and chemical spills and undertaking environmental monitoring.
REMPEC and Sea Alarm MoU signed
Sea Alarm has entered a new phase of cooperation with Mediterranean coastal states via an MoU with the Regional Emergency Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC). The MoU was signed on 4th May 2011 during the 10th REMPEC Focal Points meeting.
Oiled wildlife incident on Tristan da Cunha islands
Probably the worst “worst case” scenario that you could imagine: on 16th March the bulk carrier MS Oliva ran aground off the Tristan da Cunha Islands, a UK territory dubbed one of the remotest places on earth.
Oil Spill incident in Norway
Sea Alarm assisted in a small-scale wildlife rehabilitation operation in Norway, following the grounding of the containership Godafoss on 17th February. The vessel ran aground at the mouth of the Oslo Fjord near to the Ytre Havel marine park.
Oil spill incident in Amsterdam
Sea Alarm is assisting with cost recovery procedures for a small oiled wildlife incident in the Netherlands. In early January, a collision between two oil tankers caused a leak of approximately 1000m3 of fuel oil into Mercury Harbour, Amsterdam.
Arctic oiled wildlife response
Sea Alarm presented a paper on Arctic oiled wildlife response at the International Maritime Organisation/World Maritime University Conference on Oil Spill Risk Management, which took place in Malmö, Sweden in March 2011.
Research grants available from the Oiled Wildlife Care Network
The Californian Oiled Wildlife Care Network has published its 2011-2012 call for research proposals from wildlife professionals interested in improving oiled wildlife response and gaining a better understanding of the effects of oil on wildlife. The OWCN sponsors up to $250,000 a year to support research and technology development.