IOPC Funds at Interspill 2025 Conference

The IOPC Funds actively participated in Interspill 2025, Europe’s leading oil spill conference and exhibition, which took place at ExCeL London, in London, United Kingdom, from 8 to 10 April 2025.

Having supported Interspill for many years as a member of the Interspill Committee, the IOPC Funds’ Secretariat was involved in the organisation of the 2025 event and delivered a number of activities and presentations during the course of the week. Members of the Secretariat were also available to provide information and answer questions about the work of the organisation in the exhibition hall, where the IOPC Funds shared a stand with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Group of P&I Associations (International Group).

IOPC Funds’ Director, Gaute Sivertsen, delivered a presentation on the potential impact of sanctions and the ‘dark fleet’. This session included an interactive session where the Director joined speakers from the International Chamber of Shipping, NorthStandard and ITOPF for discussions on the increasing number of tankers attempting to circumvent sanctions and the risks this practice poses to the environment and the international liability and compensation regime for oil pollution damage.

Deputy Director and Head of Claims Department, Liliana Monsalve, delivered a presentation which emphasised the importance of cultural awareness, particularly in the context of handling oil pollution incidents. In an interactive session with representatives from ITOPF, Cranfield University and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) of the United Kingdom, the Deputy Director shared insights on how the IOPC Funds has managed incidents across various regions.

The IOPC Funds also delivered a presentation on the use of technology in incident management. Led by Head of Administration Robert Owen, the presentation highlighted the transformational impact of the IOPC Funds’ decision to deploy a claims management system and how this has enhanced efficiency in processing claims. Other speakers, including representatives from ExxonMobil, Chevron, and OSRL, addressed related aspects of incident and crisis management

HNS Project Manager Gillian Grant led a presentation on compensation in the context of oil pollution and HNS incidents. She provided an overview of the international liability and compensation regime for ship-source oil pollution, as well as the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea (the HNS 2010 Convention). She also highlighted the financing system that applies to the international regime and explained how the future HNS system will be funded, given the anticipated entry into force of the HNS Convention.

This year’s event included a dedicated session on case histories, focusing on Trinidad and Tobago, where the Gulfstream incident occurred in February 2024. Claims Manager, Mark Homan, delivered a presentation examining the complexities of the incident, with other speakers from ITOPF, Tetra Tech, and QT Environmental presenting case studies on spill response in the Caribbean region. The session also featured an interactive discussion, where these experts shared insights on handling complex oil pollution incidents, the risks uninsured vessels pose to coastal States, the role of the international regimes and key lessons learned.  The Claims Manager also delivered a presentation at the 6th Pollution Response in Emergencies: Monitoring and Impact Assessment (Premiam) Conference which ran in parallel to Interspill. His presentation focused on the criteria applied for environmental monitoring and the difficulties faced in challenging compensation scenarios.

External Relations and Conference Manager, Victoria Turner, chaired a conference session on Outreach and Communications which covered a range of topics, including sustaining education for sustainable development, a case study on the inclusion of Indigenous peoples in oil spill response efforts, the role of indigenous sea rangers in supporting oil spill response in remote areas, and how regional cooperation and overseas partnerships are improving preparedness to major pollution events.

Interspill 2025, which marked the 10th edition and the 25th anniversary year of the conference, was a resounding success. It provided the IOPC Funds with a valuable platform to discuss current developments, raise awareness, and engage directly with stakeholders from around the world on the international liability and compensation regime.