Oil pollution preparedness in the ROPME Sea Area

Abstract

ROPME/MEMAC comprises the eight member states Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE. These countries share the ROPME Sea Area (RSA) and its rich marine resources. The Convention for the establishment of ROPME is the Kuwait Regional Convention for Co-operation on the Protection of the Marine Environment (1979) and it’s Protocol which resulted in the establishment of MEMAC in 1982. The main objectives of MEMAC are: formation of the Regional Contingency Plan, provision of technical assistance to contracting states, report of marine pollution incidents, damage assessment and compensation action, transboundary movement of personnel equipment and materials in case of marine emergencies, exchange of technical information with the member states, assistance in laws and regulations and different international conventions, surveillance of ROPME Sea Area for marine pollution, trajectory modelling and training of national cadres of its member states as well as publication of relevant materials i.e. the “Marine Environment Protection Legislation” which provides legal information of its Member States.