National workshop on liability and compensation, Nigeria

At the invitation of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), and in collaboration with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Global Initiative for West, Central and Southern Africa (GI WACAF) Project, the IOPC Funds held a workshop on the international liability and compensation regime for oil pollution in Lagos, Nigeria, from 10 to 12 September 2019.

Claims Manager, Mark Homan, jointly with representatives from the International Group of P&I Associations and ITOPF, ran the workshop which involved some 50 participants from various government agencies including NOSDRA and NIMASA as well as academic institutions.  The main objective of the workshop was to provide training to the relevant non the scope and implementation of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Conventions related to liability and compensation.  It gave participants with different levels of experience and expertise an opportunity to share their knowledge and respond, in groups, to a theoretical oil spill incident. Each group then presented a claim for compensation related to the costs incurred for their clean-up operations.  This exercise gave rise to interesting discussions on the claims submission process and criteria for admissibility.

The GI WACAF Project launched in 2006. Covering 22 countries, it is a partnership between IMO and seven oil companies (BP, Chevron, ENI, ExxonMobil, Shell, Total and Woodside), through IPIECA, the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues. Visit www.giwacaf.org for further information.