A national training course in oil spill response has been delivered in Montenegro by REMPEC, the IMO-administered pollution emergency response centre in the Mediterranean (19-21 June). 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 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.