Visit by Canadian Minister of Transport and High Commissioner

On 17 July 2018, the Minister of Transport, Marc Garneau, and High Commissioner of Canada to the United Kingdom, H.E. Janice Charette, together with a number of other senior representatives, visited the IOPC Funds’ offices and met with the Director and members of the Management Team. The Director took the opportunity to refer to the ongoing excellent cooperation and regular engagement between the Secretariat and Canada, with the 1992 and Supplementary Fund Member State having provided a strong presence at meetings of the governing bodies for many years, as well as an elected Chairman on the Audit Body, and previously a longstanding Chairman of the 1992 Fund Assembly.
A large importer and therefore significant contributor to the Funds, Canada is also the only Member State, other than China, which has established a national pollution fund (the Ship-source Oil Pollution Fund (SOPF)) with which the IOPC Funds is in regular contact. During the meeting, Minister Garneau assured the Director of Canada’s support in protecting oceans from oil pollution damage resulting from tanker spills. He also noted the Director’s growing confidence that the 2010 HNS Protocol would enter into force in the near future following the recent ratifications by Canada and others.