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Bonn Agreement Counter
Pollution Manual
Chapter 19 – Zones
of Joint Responsibility
Three areas in the North Sea Area have been made the joint responsibility of two or more Contracting Parties. This chapter (when available) will explain how these joint responsibilities will be handled.
The three joint plans are:
MANCHEPLAN
– Anglo-French Joint Maritime Contingency Plan - Executive Summary
1 Background
1.1 A large
number of shipping accidents which might occur in the
1.2 MANCHEPLAN
determines in advance of any incident :
·
the authority and State which will be charged with coordinating the joint
action; and
·
the principles and procedures of co-operation in maritime search and
rescue (SAR) operations and action to deal with pollution and salvage of any
kind.
1.3 In the event of joint operations, the
participating forces will continue to act in accordance with their standing
instructions and national procedures. The success of the joint action depends
largely on:
· a good knowledge and understanding by each State of the instructions and procedures of the other, and MANCHEPLAN sets out these procedures; and
·
the effective use made of international procedures applicable to the
situation.
1.4 MANCHEPLAN only applies in peacetime. In
times of tension or war, co-operation may be effected within the ambit of the
Atlantic Alliance.
2 Purpose
2.1 The main
purpose of the MANCHEPLAN document is to provide guidance on joint operations for
major SAR and pollution control incidents. However MANCHEPLAN is not restricted
to such operations and may be activated whenever the French or
3 Contents
3.1 MANCHEPLAN
details the procedures and principles of co-ordination. Initiating action in
joint operations rests with the State in whose jurisdication the incident
occurs.
3.2 MANCHEPLAN
sets out the demarcation lines for each State including those for the
3.3 Outside
the limits of the Bonn Agreement,
3.4 The
MANCHEPLAN sets out the circumstances under which each nation can enter the
others territorial waters for the purpose of SAR or pollution control
operations.
3.5. The
MANCHEPLAN
allows for exchange of information relating to national laws and regulations,
national organisations, clearance resources and facilities, communications and
the use of common formats for messages and command procedures.
3.6 Further
details of SAR and pollution control assets available from each State are
contained within the Plan.
3.7 The use
of a MANCHEGRID can be provided at the discretion of the On Scene Commander to
report the position and extent of oil slicks during large scale pollution
clearance operations.
3.8 SAR
operations required for MOD forces in distress are transferred to the Navy or
Air Force. In these circumstances the MANCHEPLAN includes details of the
co-ordination centres for each State.
3.9 Details
of when, and how, high level or government intervention may be considered are
provided in MANCHEPLAN for guidance purposes.
3.10 All major incidents
attract media interest and a section of the Plan is devoted to guidance on
relationships with the news media.
3.11 In addition, the
MANCHEPLAN allows for one joint exercise per year to be undertaken.
4. Amendments
4.1 All amendments to the Plan are agreed by both States before implementation.
DenGerNeth Plan - Executive Summary:
Joint Danish-German-Dutch Response Plan to maritime incidents involving
Oil and other Harmful Substances and Co-operation in Aerial Surveillance, in
short: DENGERNETH Plan (North Sea Area).
1. Being
aware of the continuous threat of pollution to their coasts bilateral Agreements
have been concluded between the Netherlands and Germany (NETHGER, 1991) on the
one hand and between Denmark and Germany (DENGER, 1993) on the other hand to
establish close co-operation in response to pollution of the sea by such
substances.
2. The competent Parties i.e. the
Defence Command Denmark, the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water
Management of the Netherlands and the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building
and Urban Affairs of Germany, (referred to as the Parties), agree to extend their
existing co-operation to include information exchange on the threat of marine
pollution and aerial surveillance for the prevention and detection of pollution.
3. Bearing in mind the respective provisions of:
-
The Agreement for co-operation in dealing with pollution of the North Sea
by oil and other harmful substances, 1983 (Bonn-Agreement); and
- All endeavours of the three countries to control and minimize pollution and its effects;
The Parties to this DENGERNETH Plan recognise the obligation to
exchange information on casualties, the threat of pollution and to respond to
pollution within the DENGERNETH Region, also in those cases where their own
territory is not threatened by the pollution in question.
4. The Plan includes all joint operations involving co-operation, of whatever nature, between Denmark, Germany and The Netherlands pursuant to the objective of this Plan and it applies as necessary and appropriate to any marine pollution or threat of pollution within the DENGERNETH Response Region, which is or could become of sufficient severity to initiate joint action. Even when an incident provides for no imminent threat (as defined under point 2 below) of pollution this Plan will initiate an information exchange. The exchange of information must not necessarily mean an activation of the DENGERNETH Plan.
5. Authorities recognize national response areas, but also around their national border (EEZ boundaries) a specific zone of common interest, the “Quick Response Zone”. The meaning of that zone is that immediate actions must take place in maritime accidents and each Party has the right to start response actions immediately regardless in whose national response zone (NRZ) the pollution has occurred.
6. The
DENGERNETH Plan also applies to the Wadden Sea and the Eems-Dollard region.
Regional sub-plans for Wadden Sea areas may be concluded within the framework of
this DENGERNETH Plan. The agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and
the Kingdom of the Netherlands concerning the arrangement of cooperation in the
Ems Estuary of 8 April 1960 is not affected by this plan.
7. The DENGERNETH Plan is activated:
v if one country asks the other Parties for assistance (call for assistance) in response to pollution of the sea by oil or other harmful substances. The other Parties are to acknowledge the activation of the Plan
v if one Party takes response measures in another Party’s NRZ
v in case of pollution or serious threat of pollution outside the Response Region, if the situation calls for an urgent activation of the Plan in a case where the pollution or the threat of pollution could affect the Response Region. In this case the national response authorities (NRAs) of the Parties should in due course decide whether or not joint response actions are required.
8. With regard to operational procedures such as surveillance flights, response measures and reporting parties agreed to maintain the general Bonn Agreement procedures.
9. Any of the three parties can initiate amendments of the Plan however, the German authority has the function of keeping the plan up to date.

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