IOPC Funds attend Regional Meeting of Directors/Heads of Maritime Administrations (DIHMAR) in Antigua and Barbuda

The IOPC Funds’ Director, Gaute Sivertsen, attended the Regional Meeting of Directors/Heads of Maritime Administrations (DIHMAR) of the Caribbean, which was held in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, from 26 to 28 June 2023.

This annual event was jointly organised this year by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Antigua and Barbuda Department of Marine Services (ADOMS).  The objective of the meeting is to update Directors and Heads of Maritime Administrations on the latest regulations, trainings and other developments in the international and regional maritime sector. The meeting is designed to provide Caribbean maritime administrators with the latest information on current and future developments at IMO and to facilitate the exchange of information between Caribbean administrations and educators.

The large majority of States in the Caribbean region and in attendance at the meeting are 1992 Fund Member States.  Mr Sivertsen therefore focused primarily on the rights and obligations of existing Member States under the relevant Conventions. He also took the opportunity to highlight the benefits of the international liability and compensation regime for oil pollution damage for non-Member States.

Mr Sivertsen further highlighted the importance of the annual submission of oil reporting data by each State to the Secretariat as well as the payment of contributions by the State’s oil receiving entities.  He took the opportunity to urge the relevant national administrations to make sure these obligations were fulfilled. He also encouraged them to make use of the training and support services available via the Secretariat so that those responsible for matters relating to the IOPC Funds fully understand the requirements of the Conventions and indeed the consequences should those requirements be overlooked.