IOPC Funds’ visit to New Zealand

The Director, Gaute Sivertsen, and Senior Claims Manager, Chiara Della Mea, travelled to New Zealand during the week of 4 September 2023, before travelling to Brisbane to participate at SpillCon2023.

Mr Sivertsen and Ms Della Mea met with government representatives and key stakeholders throughout the week, which began with a visit to the Marine Pollution Response Service (MPRS) Centre in Auckland. A subdivision of Maritime New Zealand (MNZ), staff at this facility are responsible for providing operational services, with the aim of minimising the impact of oil pollution on New Zealand’s marine environment through preparedness and response.

The Director and Ms Della Mea were delighted to learn about the role and experience of the MPRS Team from Manager, Mr Scott Read, before they delivered a short course on claims and compensation and the role of the IOPC Funds to a number of MPRS staff members involved in preparedness and response after spills.

From there, they travelled to Wellington where they met with Chief Executive and Director of Maritime New Zealand, Ms Kirstie Hewlett, and other senior government officials.

They also delivered a refresher course on claims and compensation under the international liability and compensation regime for staff across various MNZ Departments.  The Director and Ms Della Mea were delighted to be supported during the visit by New Zealand’s representative to IOPC Funds’ meetings, Rose Mein.

The Director noted the impressive level of commitment of New Zealand, which is both a 1992 Fund and Supplementary Fund Member State, to oil spill preparedness and response and expressed his appreciation to Ms Hewlett for hosting this latest visit by the IOPC Funds and for facilitating the delivery of such important ongoing training and cooperation.