40th Anniversary Celebration


On 16 October 1978, the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, 1971 (1971 Fund Convention) entered into force with 14 Member States. A few weeks later, the very first 1971 Fund Assembly was held, and a new organisation, the IOPC Fund, was established.

To mark this special anniversary, a special session was held at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) during the afternoon of 30 October 2018, during which the three former Directors, Dr Reinhard Ganten, Mr Måns Jacobsson and Mr Willem Oosterveen, were each presented with a special award in recognition of their valuable contribution to the work of the IOPC Funds.

The session was attended by the Secretary-General of IMO, Mr Kitack Lim, Secretaries-General Emeriti, Mr William O’Neil and Mr Efthymios E. Mitropoulos and other eminent persons from the maritime and shipping industry, State representatives, organisations and companies with whom the IOPC Funds has worked closely over years, as well as a large number of former members of the Secretariat.

In opening the session, the then Director, Mr José Maura, referred to the IOPC Funds and the international liability and compensation regime as one of the big successes of IMO and thanked Dr Ganten, Mr Jacobsson and Mr Oosterveen personally for all that they had done for the organisation.

The Secretary-General of IMO, Mr Kitack Lim, the Chair of the 1992 Fund Assembly at the time, Mr Gaute Sivertsen, and the Chair of the Supplementary Fund Assembly, Mr Sungbum Kim, presented the awards to the former Directors, each recalling the significant roles they had played in shaping the organisation into the truly international body it has become today.

Photographs of both the session and the reception which followed are available via the following two links:

Session photographs

Reception photographs

The speeches given, including the acceptance words by the former Directors and congratulatory statements by a number of delegations, are available to view and read in the interactive timeline below.

4.35 pm

A message on behalf of all staff of the Secretariat, by Mr Modesto Zotti, Office Manager, IOPC Funds. A transcript of the speech is available here.

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4.50 pm

Award presented to Mr Måns Jacobsson, Director of the 1971, 1992 and Supplementary Funds (1984–2006), by Mr Gaute Sivertsen, Chair of the 1992 Fund Assembly.  A transcript of both of their speeches is available here.

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5.10 pm

Open floor for interventions.

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5.30 pm

Celebratory session closes.

4.30 pm

Introductory remarks by Mr José Maura, Director, IOPC Funds.  A transcript of the speech is available here.

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4.40 pm

Award presented to Dr Reinhard Ganten, Director of the 1971 Fund (1978–1984), by Mr Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization.  A transcript of both of their speeches is available here.

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5.00 pm

Award presented to Mr Willem Oosterveen, Director of the 1971, 1992 and Supplementary Funds (2006–2011), by Mr Sungbum Kim, Chairman of the Supplementary Fund Assembly.  A transcript of both of their speeches is available here.

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5.25 pm

Closing remarks by Mr José Maura.