REGIONAL
MARINE POLLUTION EMERGENCY
RESPONSE CENTRE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA (REMPEC)
MEDITERRANEAN ACTION PLAN
Guidelines for the use of
dispersants for combating oil
pollution at sea in the
Mediterranean region
Part II: Basic information on dispersants
and their application
Regional Information System – Part D, Section 2 (RIS/D/2)
www.rempec.org
May 2011 Edition
Note
This document is aimed at fac
ilitating the implementation of the “Protocol concerning Co
-
operation in Combating Pollution of the Mediterranean Sea by Oil and Other Harmful
Substances in Cases of Emergency” of the Barcelona Convention (Emergency Protocol,
1976) and the “
Protocol concerning Co-operation in Preventing Pollution from Ships and, in
Cases of Emergency, Combating Pollution of the Mediterranean Sea”
(Prevention and
Emergency Protocol, 2002) by the Contracting Parties of the Barcelona Convention.
These "Guidelines", which are advisory, do not affect in any way already existing or planned
national laws and regulations related to matters covered by it. REMPEC assumes no liability
whatsoever for any potentially damaging consequences which could result from the
interpretation and use of information presented in this document.
The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this document do not
imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IMO, UNEP, MAP and
REMPEC concerning the legal status of any State, Territory, city or area, or of its authorities,
or concerning the delimitation of their frontiers or boundaries.
Cover photos: © Cedre
1. Helicopter mounted spraying system
2. Airborne treatment
3. Aerial monitoring operation
4. Ship mounted spraying system
5. Airborne treatment
6. Shipborne treatment
7.
The Guidelines are downloadable from REMPEC‟s website (
www.rempec.org
) in the section
“Information resources/Regional Guidelines/Preparedness & Response”.
For bibliographic purposes this document should be cited as follows:
IMO/UNEP: Regional Information System; Part D
–
Operational Guidelines and Technical
Documents, Section 2, Guidelines for the use of dispersants for combating oil pollution at
sea in the Mediterranean region, REMPEC, May 2011 edition.
Foreword
In a large part of the Mediterranean coastal States, the use of dispersants as a response
method for combating accidental oil spills at sea has not as yet been covered by specific
national regulations.
Controlled and appropriate use of selected dispersants on types of oil amenable to chemical
dispersion, is widely recognized as one of the useful methods for combating accidental oil
spills, and in particular the massive ones. Moreover, under certain sea and weather
conditions the use of dispersants might be the only applicable response method for
protecting sensitive natural resources, coastal installations or amenities.
However, the opportunistic attitude regarding the use of dispersants is hardly acceptable.
Selection of products which might be used, definition of zones in which their use is either
allowed or prohibited and their place in the general strategy of pollution response need to be
adequately regulated if the use of dispersants is expected to produce desired results without
creating additional risks for the environment.
Considering the developments in the field of dispersants since the October 1998 edition of
the “Guidelines for the Use of Dispersants for Combating Oil Pollution at Sea in the
Mediterrane
an Region”, the Ninth Meeting of the Focal Points of the Regional Marine
Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC), Malta, 21-24
April 2009, tasked the Mediterranean Technical Working Group (MTWG) to review their
content.
This new edition of the Guidelines, endorsed by the Tenth Meeting of the Focal Points of
REMPEC, Malta, 3 to 5 May 2011, has been prepared with the technical support of the
„Centre of Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution‟
(CEDRE) and reviewed by the Centre in collaboration with the MTWG.
They aim at assisting the Mediterranean coastal States in developing and harmonizing
national laws and regulations regarding the use of dispersants in response to oil spills at
sea. It does not refer to the use of dispersants on shore.
The Guidelines are divided into four independent parts addressing different issues. Each
part has been developed with a specific objective and is aimed at different end-users:
PART I
REGIONAL APPROVAL
Part I which remains unchanged when compared to the version adopted by the Eighth
Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention (UNEP
(OCA)/MED IG.3/5, Appendix I, Antalya, Turkey 15 October 1993), provides regionally
approved guidance for the development of national laws and regulation on the use of
dispersants.
PART II
BASIC
INFORMATION
ON
DISPERSANTS
AND
THEIR
APPLICATION
Part II provides theoretical information on dispersants and their application. It is aimed at
providing background information on the matter to any person interested in the subject.