Conference on oil pollution

A conference on the establishment of a Supplementary Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage organised by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has ended in London.

Ghana’s 8-member delegation to the conference was led by H.E. Mr. Isaac Osei, Ghana’s High Commissioner to the UK. The other members of the delegation were Hon. P.C. Appiah-Ofori, MP for Asikuma/Odoben/Brakwa, and member of the Parliamentary Committee on Roads and Transport, Mr. I.P. Azuma, Shipping Commissioner and Mr. Kwame Taiwah, Shipping Superintendent, Ministry of Ports, Harbour and Railways.

The others were Mr. Emmanuel Martey, Freight Manager, Ghana’s Shippers Council, Mr. A.A. Akanteyam, Chief Ship Surveyor, Ministry of Ports, Harbour and Railways, Mr. Freddie Sowah, Director, Thermal Convention Department, Volta River Authority and Ms. Catherine Asante-Poku, Environment Officer, Tema Oil Refinery – Tema.

The conference considered for adoption a draft protocol to the 1992 Fund Convention in order to provide the supplementary fund to ensure that sufficient funds were made available to cover claims arising from major oil pollution damage in contracting states.

Speaking to newsmen after the conference, Mr. Isaac Osei, Ghana’s High Commissioner to the UK said the deliberations were conducted in a healthy and pragmatic manner.

He called for prompt action by the Shipping Commissioner and the Sector Ministry to ensure the early ratification by Ghana of the protocol to the 1992 Convention as adopted by IMO member states.

High Commissioner commended Parliament for enacting within two years the Ghana Maritime Authority Law to ensure the establishment of a maritime regulatory body with the requisite administrative muscle to implement, among other things, the various IMO conventions ratified by Ghana.

According to the Shipping Commissioner, the IMO in 1971 adopted the International Convention for the establishment of a fund to provide compensation for ships’ source pollution damage commonly called the 1971 Fund Conventions. This convention was ratified by Ghana which became become a member state of IMO in 1959.

Ghana took this action in view of her position as a coastal state with two major commercial seaports which increases her vulnerability to ships’ source oil pollution damage.

In 1992, the IMO adopted the 1992 Fund Convention to provide a second tier of compensation with higher coverage for oil pollution damage. Ghana, however, delayed in ratifying the 1992 Fund Convention until 2002 despite its significance and relevance to the country in terms of risk management on matters of ships’ source marine pollution damage.