IOPC Funds promotes 2010 HNS Convention in Singapore and the Philippines

During the start of 2025, the IOPC Funds has continued to actively promote the 2010 Convention on the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) by sea and to provide training and support to those States considering accession to this important IMO Convention.

On 24 January 2024, IOPC Funds’ HNS Project Manager, Gillian Grant, delivered a presentation to officials of Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority, Ministry of Trade and Industry, National Environmental Agency, and the Singapore Chemical Industry Council in which she provided an overview and  explained the status of the Convention, how the HNS Fund will be financed, the practicalities of reporting HNS cargo and the IOPC Funds’ role in the lead up to its entry into force.

The following week, Ms Grant also contributed to a national workshop on liability and compensation conventions, organised by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in conjunction with the Philippine Coast Guard in Manila, the Philippines.  The HNS Project Manager provided a general overview of the role of the IOPC Funds and the international liability and compensation regime for ship-source oil pollution damage before returning to the subject of the 2010 HNS Convention.  Time was set aside in the workshop to specifically assist the Philippines with its understanding of the treaty and to help in any preparations to accede or implement the Convention.

The presentations were well received by both audiences.

Twelve States must accede to the HNS Protocol in order for the treaty to enter into force. Out of that number, eight States have ratified the Protocol, with commitments from many other States to do the same. It is expected that the 2010 HNS Convention will enter into force in 2027, some 18 months after the criteria have been fulfilled.