IOPC Funds participates in EMSA workshop for Irish Coast Guard

At the invitation of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), the IOPC Funds contributed to a workshop on Places of Refuge, organised for the Irish Coast Guard in Dublin, Ireland, from 15 to 16 October 2025.

The event, held within the framework of the European Union’s Operational Guidelines on Places of Refuge, aimed to provide information and guidance to EU Member States on the management and response to ships in need of assistance within waters or coastal zones that could affect the jurisdiction of one or more States.

IOPC Funds’ Claims Manager, Mark Homan, joined another expert from the International Group of P&I Associations to deliver the workshop, which included a scenario involving a sanctioned oil tanker in distress within Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Zone. The simulation enabled participants to understand how a State might assist such a vessel suspected of breaching EU sanctions, which prohibit cooperation with sanctioned entities.

Mr Homan also outlined how sanctions interact with the international liability and compensation framework for oil pollution damage.

The IOPC Funds Secretariat and EMSA, established in 2002 and headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal, have a longstanding record of cooperation across a wide range of projects, training activities, and the handling of oil pollution incidents.