HNS Training Course, Malta, 12-13 December 2012

Mr Thomas Liebert, Head, External Relations and Conference Department and Ms Katrin Park, External Relations Officer, participated in a Training Course on the Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) pollution compensation regime in Malta on 12 and 13 December 2012. It was organized by the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) with the IOPC Funds and ITOPF providing support for its delivery.
Benefiting the non-European States of the Mediterranean region, the objectives of this training were:

• to familiarise the participants with the HNS Convention, as amended by the 2010 Protocol and to facilitate preparations for the ratification of the 2010 HNS Protocol; and
• to identify best practices on implementation, including national legislation and ratification/transitional provisions.

Twenty-two technical and administrative officials from ten countries participated in the course and had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the Convention’s tier-system of compensation and reporting requirements, as amended by the 2010 Protocol. It was also an occasion to exchange views on best practices regarding national legislation provisions.
The input by the IOPC Funds covered the functioning of the future HNS compensation regime and the recent development of a number of tools available to States, particularly for the reporting of HNS contributing cargo in each State Party, in order to facilitate the early entry into force of this important Convention.
It was the first regional training dedicated entirely to the topic since the adoption of the 2010 Protocol and it followed the workshop organised in November 2012 by the IMO, in cooperation with the IOPC Funds, where delegates adopted a set of guidelines for the reporting of HNS contributing cargo.
The training was funded by the European Union’s regional transport project SAFEMED II.