IRA-MAR, 2022
Strengthening cooperation in the response to pollution at sea and chemical risks in ports
-> Contribute to online surveys <-
Deadline to respond: February 28
Dates | Budget | Funding | Coordinator | Partners |
2022-2024 | €622,951 of which €500,000 (European Union/DG-ECHO) |
| SGMer (France) | Agence Nationale de Protection de l’Environnement - ANPE (Tunisia) Cedre (France) Direccao General Da Autoridade Maritima (Portugal) ISPRA (Italy) Ministerio de Transportes, Movilidad y Agenda Urbana (Spain) Ministère de la Transition Énergétique et du Développement Durable (Morocco) Stichting Sea Alarm (Belgium) Transport Malta (Malta) |
Objectives and expected results: An integrated approach to response resources at sea, on the coast and in ports.
Experience shows that in terms of civil protection, cross-border cooperation contributes to more effective prevention and preparation for disasters related to pollution risks.
Moreover, pollution response preparedness must, by its very nature, be constantly adapted to the evolution of threats and response techniques, taking into account the organizations involved. This is the purpose of the IRA-MAR project "Improving the Integrated Response to pollution Accident at sea & chemical risk in port", which aims to support the countries bordering the western Mediterranean basin and the Atlantic (Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Morocco, Portugal and Tunisia) in order to improve preparedness and response to pollution risks (including risks related to the traffic of hazardous and noxious substances in ports) through an integrated approach to response capabilities at sea, on the coast and in ports.
Learning from previous accidents:
Indeed, ports are the entry and exit points of chemicals, which are handled there but also of gas carriers and are particularly exposed to chemical risks including chemical clouds, as demonstrated by the accident in the port of Beirut where 2 explosions occurred in 2020. Although it did not produce any marine pollution, the second explosion, of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a shed in the port area, caused considerable human and material damage not only among the ships anchored in the port or offshore but also throughout the city of Beirut.
Continuity of the WESTMoPoCo project: capitalizing on established regional cooperation
The project is a continuation of a previous WESTMoPoCo project (Western Mediterranean Region Marine Oil and HNS Pollution Cooperation) which aimed to support cooperation between the beneficiary countries in the field of preparedness and response to marine pollution by oil and hazardous and noxious substances (HNS), leading to the development of the HNS Response Manual which brings together operational recommendations on the preparedness and response phases in the event of a pollution incident at sea involving HNS.
The main work areas of the project:
In addition to the coordination and communication mission entrusted to the SGMer, the project includes 4 work areas:
The IRA-MAR project contributes :
- The WestMED Initiative and whose countries have committed to work together to strengthen maritime safety and the fight against marine pollution (priority 1 of the roadmap);
- The action plan published by EMSA in 2007, for the preparation and response to potentially harmful and dangerous substances;
- The updating of all the national emergency measures of the beneficiary countries (revision of the POLMAR instruction in France).
Online surveys:
In order to properly conduct their analyses of the emergency response systems in ports, the leads of work packages have prepared 3 surveys:
- Preparedness and response to accidental pollution: this survey (organised by Cedre, Arnaud Guéna) is addressed to port authorities (and is being circulated via national authorities exercising supervision over ports). The objective is to gain insight of spill preparedness and response arrangements in ports, and to identify interesting experiences to share but also improvement opportunities which could be developed in future projects. Please note that Arnaud Guena, from Cedre, is particularly interested in the contribution of port authorities of the countries members of HELCOM.
- Marine emergency preparedness: this second survey (organised by Sea Alarm) is addressed to national authorities and will gather information on what maritime and ports/harbours authorities identify as challenges for marine emergency preparedness. This survey will support a study on the collaboration of multiple authorities, experts and hands-on resources in case of fuel oil or HNS spills.
The survey is available in English and French.
- The usage of drones in emergency response scenarios (organised by ISPRA): this third survey targets institutions having teams specialized in the use of drones in environmental emergencies in their organization (European Civil Protection Services, Maritime authorities, Port authorities and private entities as oil and gas companies and contractors operating offshore).
The survey is available in English and French.
Deadline to respond to surveys: February 28
For more information, please contact Julie Rigaud, project coordinator: julie.rigaud-marechal@pm.gouv.fr