National workshop on claims and compensation for Estonia

At the invitation of the Ministry of Environment for Estonia, the IOPC Funds took part remotely in a two-day workshop on oil pollution claims and compensation on 16 and 17 August 2021.

Estonia is Party to both the 1992 Fund Convention and the Supplementary Fund Protocol, which together provide the maximum amount of compensation to victims in the event of a tanker spill under the international liability and compensation regime for oil pollution damage.  Mark Homan, Claims Manager, introduced the legal framework behind the international regime and presented on the claims submission and assessment process.

Aimed at representatives from a range of governmental institutions involved in oil spills, the workshop included presentations by the Ministry of Environment on the relevant national legal framework and their recent experience of spills.  It also included presentations by ITOPF, who were on site in Talinn, as well as remote presentations from the International Group of P&I Associations.

The workshop focused on response strategies and claims for clean-up operations and included a number of practical exercises, led by ITOPF, to provide participants with a better understanding of the strategies and procedures which should be followed in the event of an oil spill.