Esas ag 19. 8 19th Meeting of the bsc advisory Group on Environmental Safety Aspects of Shipping November 30th December 2nd, 2010, Istanbul, Turkey Draft Minutes

R: It was also recommended to initiate the RCP updating with places of refuge and custom emergency procedures specified.

During the next ESAS AG meeting, the CBD AG will be invited to report on its work in relation to invasive species (incl. identification of non-native species, biological impacts assessment, low risk scenarios).
R: The minutes of a meeting should not be left for a final approval during next meeting of the group. They should be approved after collection of all comments soon after the meeting (until the ESAS members remember still the discussions).

Decisions and Reminders of the 19^th ESAS AG annual meeting
D 19.1: The BS regional Alpha exercise will be carried out in 2011 during the next ESAS AG meeting (tentative November 2011).
D 19.2: The BSC PS is not requested by the ESAS AG to prepare and submit information on amendments of IMO conventions.
D 19.3: Annex 4 will be updated where necessary by all states. Recommended – all Focal Points to check which of the equipment (governmental) in Annex 4 cannot cross the borders.
D 19.4: RO will organize regional BRAVO exercise in December 2010 (till 20^th of December).
D 19.5: The next regional Delta exercise will be named Black Sea DELTA-Georgia. It will take place in Batumi, Georgia. Tentative date: 1-10^th Sept. 2011.
Plan for further actions in the BS DELTA-Georgia preparation was agreed as follows:

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  January 2011 – invitations will be sent;
  
• 
  End of February 2011– response from states about equipment is expected (who will participate and what equipment is proposed);
  
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  First planning meeting – first week of March 2011;
  
• 
  Second planning meeting – tentative June 2011, back to back with a TU national Delta exercise.
  

The invitees for the planning meetings will be decided by GE.

When and who should apply for an EMSA vessel will be decided during the planning phase.

Budget checklist example, comments on the scenario, coordination, and financial support are expected from the ESAS AG and BSC PS by Georgia.

D 19.6: MONINFO staff will initiate a ‘dispersants project’ (overview of available guidelines and new developments) and contact experts in RU and TU (given the contacted details are provided by the TU and RU focal points) to elaborate jointly a BS regional ‘Guideline on the use of dispersants for oil spills response’.
D: 19.7: The BSC PS will summarize all ESAS AG comments on the draft Guideline for oil spill exercises under the Black Sea RCP, and will forward them to Mr. Ostergaard, who will amend the proposed document. A budgetary check list will be submitted to the next ESAS AG meeting to be discussed before the Guideline is presented to the BSC. When finalized and approved by the ESAS AG, the Guideline will be submitted to the BSC for adoption. The ESAS AG will propose to include the Guideline as Annex X to the RCP.
D 19.8: Development of a similar to EMSA/CSN alerts mechanism will be developed for all BS states. A procedure to inform and spread information received from satellite pictures will be agreed. An annex to the RCP for alerts will be considered. Annex 1-3 will be supplemented with relevant contact points, tel, fax, E-mails specified for alerts communication.
D 19.9: The priorities of the ESAS AG for future work based on the BS SAP 2009 targets were agreed as follows:
A. Implementation of the BS Regional Contingency Plan (RCP)

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  Maintenance and update of the operational information for the implementation of the Contingency Plan
  
• 
  Alpha Exercise (GE)
  
• 
  Regular Bravo exercises (RU, TU, UA)
  
• 
  Delta exercise (GE)
  
• 
  Guideline on Oil spill exercises
  
• 
  Facilitation of the RCP adoption by RU and UA
  
• 
  ESI maps update (PMA)
  

B. Facilitate MONINFO project implementation (AIS regional server, satellite monitoring, oil spill modeling, dispersants, etc.)
C. Oil Spill Alerts, development of mechanism for communication/cooperation
D. Enhancing cooperation with different international, private organizations and projects
E. Facilitation of the BW Convention ratification – road map, guideline, strategy (upon financial assistance available)
F. BSC BSIS support (provision of data and information, preparation of annual report)
G. Upon availability of financial assistance and capacity - an update of the RCP

Reminders of the 19^th ESAS AG meeting
R 19.1: GE will provide updated of Annex 1-3.
R 19.2: Information on non-compliant ships in UA with the national BW regulations is expected on a regular basis (during ESAS AG meetings).
R 19.3: GE will send the ESAS national report for 2009/2010 in the frames of one week after the meeting.
R 19.4: The document ‘BS as a Special Area under MARPOL Annex V’ is pending for approval by Georgia and Russia. One of the BS states should be mandated to submit the document to IMO.
R 19.5: There is no need to declare areas of BW exchange in RU, the depths are more than 2000 m between Turkish straits and RU coast. There are problems for those vessels, which go to the northwest ports of the Black Sea only, therefore the Guidelines for BW exchange in the BS should primarily address the specifics of these areas.
R 19.6: The involvement of private companies should be widely considered in scenarios of BS Delta exercises. Recovery, storage, disposal of wastes should be also addressed.
R 19.7: For the Delta-Georgia the following recommendations arrived:

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  available tanker storage vessel to be included in the scenario;
  
• 
  private companies to be involved;
  
• 
  recovery, storage, disposal of wastes to be addressed.
  

R 19.8: Areas of response during accidents need to be agreed for the Black Sea.

R 19.9: The Novorossiysk methodological procedure was recommended to detain vessels identified by satellite service as potential oil polluters in addition to more comprehensive measures and additional pollution control instruments to be developed and implemented in BSC member states.
R 19.10: To increase the efficiency of satellite based monitoring of oil spills in the BS region and regional coverage, it was recommended to use jointly EMSA CSN+SCANEX +ITU systems.
R 19.11: In enhancing cooperation between the BSC and the BS PSC MOU, the BSC needs to clearly specify in a formal agreement which data/information would be exchanged and how they would be used. The agreement should be presented to the attention of the BS MoU Committee for discussion. The BS MOU Secretariat does not have the mandate to enter discussions, draft agreements without instruction given by the BS MoU Committee.
R 19.12: The next meeting of the BS MoU on PSC Committee will be held in Batumi, Georgia, from 29 to 31 March, the BSC should not forget about its observers status.
R 19.13: In the REMPEC Guideline (‘General Guidance on BW Exchange between Mediterranean Sea and the North-East Atlantic/Baltic area’) there is a para saying that all ships coming to the Med from the BS should exchange BW waters in the BS. The latter should have been communicated and agreed with the BS states.
R 19.14: The ESAS AG is invited to follow the BSC rules, in finding the way to attend the BW issues at the regional level as soon as possible, conforming to IMO recommendations and prompting the BS states to ratify and implement the BW Convention.
R 19.15: GE will send a copy of its national CP o the ESAS members.
R 19.16: For the RCP (if update is agreed), RO proposed ports of refuge around the Black Sea to be included.
R 19.17: At MRCCs electronic maps are needed to coordinate activities in oil spill response (for MONINFO recommended to deal with).
R 19.18: In June 2011 TU organizes a national Delta exercise in Istanbul. The ESAS group is invited to join and to possibly have back to back a second planning meeting for Delta-Georgia.
R 19.19: To raise public awareness a meeting with custom authorities is recommended. It would be supported by OSPRI. The objective of the meeting: communicate with customs the importance of simplifying their procedures in times of exercises and especially for real accidents.
R 19.20: OSPRI will contact OSR Ltd in Southampton as they have long-term experience with custom procedures. OSPRI will ask for information on their experience with customs and share these with the ESAS group prior to the next meeting (tentatively November 2011).
R 19.21: The official letter with MONINFO tasks will be sent to the ESAS AG members and MONINFO Focal Points, in the case of UA – to the Commissioner and in cc to UA ESAS members. 2 weeks for a response were given after distribution.
R 19.22: The simplified ToR of the RIP will be finalized and distributed to the ESAS AG for a national opinion. 1 month for a response was given after distribution.
R 19.23: Ms Casiade and Ms Pisheva will communicate with the ESAS AG the changes in the EMSA/CSN alert system.
R 19.24: Dedicated workshop could be organized to enhance the cooperation in satellite surveillance: SCANEX&EMSA&ITU. SCANEX volunteered to host it.
R 19.25: Proposal is expected from SCANEX&ITU to supplement the CSN services in the BS and to assure a full regional coverage.
R 19.26: Composite maps for oil pollution will be useful to produce, based on analyses of archive data for the period 2005-2010 and thus areas of maximal oil pollution will be identified (similar to JRC work in BS, task for MONINFO in cooperation with SCANEX and ITU).
R 19.27: All delegations agreed that instead of RIP (MONINFO Regional Information Platform), the name ‘MONINFO System’ can be adopted.
R 19.28: Recommendation for the MONINFO staff was given: information about the project implementation to be regularly communicated with the ESAS AG.
R 19.29: During the next ESAS AG meeting, the CBD AG will be invited to report on its work in relation to invasive species (incl. identification of non-native species, biological impacts assessment, low risk scenarios).
R 19.30: The minutes of an ESAS AG meeting should not be left for a final approval during next meeting of the group. They should be approved after collection of all comments soon after the meeting (until the ESAS members remember still the discussions).
R 19.31: GE will submit information on PRF to IMO and BSC PS.
R: 19.32: The Sensitivity maps of TU have been prepared under a large scale TUBITAK project. Detailed information can be submitted upon request.

1 Note: One of the BS states should be mandated to submit the document to IMO.

2 Inspections data will be received from the Secretariat of the PSC Memorandum. You may wish to send to us your reports for 2010 prepared for IMO, based on the Formats published in MEPC/Circ. 318.

3 Note: The Figure – density of BW/number of ships needs to be amended.

4 On the Figure regarding National Emergency Response Centers of TU (see the presentation of Turkey), the colours on the circles mean time for response and areas which could be reached.

5 Note: The structures are schematically given in the TU presentation.

6 Note: However, Georgia is signatory to CLC 92 and Fund 92, therefore any entity (government or private) can respond to an oil spill, or contract a responder and then submit a claim for compensation direct to the P & I Club / IOPC Fund. The criteria for payment is whether the response was technically reasonable, not who was contracted to whom.

7 The Ministry for Civil Defenses, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Disasters (EMERCOM of Russian Federation).

8 According to legislation of BS states – satellite image is not a proof in the court, sampling in situ from the oil spill is needed. Based on a satellite image only, PSC cannot write illegal discharge in report, but for an oily separator malfunction PSC can detain the ship (after a detailed inspection). RU stated that staying for 2-3 days in the port with a cargo is an enough punishment even without further fining.

9 Unfortunately, AIS ‘sees’ only 40-miles offshore. LRIT, satellite based AIS are solutions for the future. A regional AIS server could help extending the controlled distance due to expanding coverage area with increased number of land stations and ships participation.

10 Note: The existing tools given in the RCP (e.g. POLREP, etc.) have not been used in the Kerch case.

11Note: Currently sampling is necessary but after publication of related modified regulation soon, photo will be enough.

12 INF papers were not presented at the Plenary.

13 Note: Clearly one meeting per year of the AGs is not enough and the members of the AGs often forget previous decisions.

14 Note: Phare programs contracts, as mentioned above, do not allow to rent equipment to another country (for assistance requested cases).

15 Ways to simplify the procedures in case of needed assistance during accidents and exercises.