As part of on-going efforts to protect and preserve the marine environment from pollution, the Maritime Administration, in association with the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO), hosted a workshop on Oil Spill Response and Cooperation from Tuesday, February 24th, to Thursday, February 26, 2009, at the NEMO Headquarters Conference Room.{{more}}

Support and facilitators for the workshop were provided by the International Maritime Organisation/United Nations Environmental Programme (IMO / UNEP) Regional Activity Centre / Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Information and Training Center for the Wider Caribbean (RAC/REMPEITC-Carib), based in Curacao.

The opening ceremony heard brief remarks from Commander Jeff Ramos, IMO Consultant to RAC/REMPEITC-Carib, Commander David Robin, Director of Maritime Administration and Howie Prince, Director of NEMO.

The Workshop was designed to provide training for personnel from government agencies and from the oil industry who are principally responsible for oil spill contingency planning and response. Participants were drawn from the Office of the Attorney General, Agency for Public Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Customs and Excise Department, Immigration Department, Airports Department, SVG Coast Guard Service, Fire Service Department, Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, SVG Port Authority, National Parks Authority, Tobago Keys Marine Park, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Health and the Environment, Ministry of Transport and Works, Physical Planning Department, Fisheries Division, the General Equipment and Services Cooperation (GESCO), St. Vincent and the Grenadines Electricity Services, SOL EC Limited and CHEVRON W.I. Limited.

This workshop was a follow-up to a workshop held at the NEMO Headquarters in November 2007 to develop a Draft National Oil Spill Contingency Plan. The objective of the workshop was to strengthen national oil spill response and cooperation and included a table exercise to test the Draft National Oil Spill Contingency Plan.