Conclusions for Part I: The International Context

Abstract

This book (Part 1 of a volume on “Oil Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea”) has presented a review of knowledge on oil pollution in the Mediterranean Sea, through a series of chapters presented at the international level. Those chapters consider the history, sources and volumes of oil pollution entering the Mediterranean Sea, including data presented in Part II of the volume in national case studies. It also examines oil inputs from specific sources including shipping and oil transportation and oil and gas production. Chapters in Part I also examine the role of international and regional bodies including the International Maritime Organization and European Maritime Safety Agency, together with activities undertaken for oil spill prevention and intervention under the Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution (Barcelona Convention, 1976) and its Protocols, for example. The role of the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Region (REMPEC) is considered through its work on a regional strategy for oil pollution prevention and response. Numerical modelling of oil pollution in the eastern and western Mediterranean and oil spill forecasting and beaching probability are also discussed at an international level, complementing the national case studies presented in Part II. By bringing together the work of scientists, legal and policy experts, academic researchers and specialists in various fields relating to marine environmental protection, satellite monitoring, oil pollution and the Mediterranean Sea, these chapters present a picture of oil pollution from a range of sources (shipping – accidental, operational and illegal), offshore oil and gas exploration and exploitation, and coastal refineries, and the roles of the various agencies in preparedness and prevention activities, to present a picture of the current situation in the Mediterranean Sea.