Regional Priorities
Regional Priorities
The Bonn Agreement Contracting Parties have agreed to identify and annually review a list of Regional Priorities in the field of marine pollution by oil or other harmful substances. The list of identified Regional Priorities is maintained through a Bonn Agreement expert consultation mechanism, by considering the Bonn Agreement Strategic Action Plan 2019 - 2025 and its implementation, lessons learnt from incidents and exercises, knowledge gaps, and/or issues raised by Contracting Parties.
Priority | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| RP2 | Promotion and establishment of efficient emergency preparedness, taking into account the obligations under the Marine Strategy Framework and the Water Framework Directives. | Development of a common (sub-)regional approach to MSFD-Descriptor 8 ‘Significant acute pollution’, in particular with regard to spill impact / effect monitoring and assessment, and how significant effects can feed the assessment of good environmental status under the MSFD Directive. |
| RP3 | Perform R&D and information exchange regarding new generation fuels. | Follow-up of the IMAROS pilot project (Improving response capacities and understanding the environmental impacts of new generation low sulphur MARine fuel Oil Spills; see https://www.bonnagreement.org/activities/projects/imaros), with the aim to address pending tasks: Update on the fuel markets’ adaption to the 2020 Sulphur Cap (in a long-term perspective); further research on response technology, and / or development of new technologies and innovation involving spill response industry (including shoreline response); field verification and testing of concepts identified within the IMAROS pilot project; and acquire further knowledge of environmental impacts of ULSFO/VLSFO spills. |
| RP5 | Improvement of the effectiveness of surveillance and recovery operations for floating objects. | Development of a system(s) for (semi-automatic) detection of floating objects such as containers, wood or plastic pellets, which are difficult to detect - in particular in bad weather conditions, or because they can be submerged or subsurface (partly or entirely), or because of their spreading behaviour. Improvement of existing operational drift models used by competent authorities, by improving the drift modelling for floating objects, including cargo released from containers. |
| RP7 | Continue ongoing research on HNS behaviour and response (incl. sea trials and exercises). | Following the ongoing HNS-project MANIFESTS, to continue R&D on HNS pollution with the aim to improve the knowledge and understanding of HNS behaviour, hazards and risks, and to improve detection and response methods; by experimentation, small-scale trials and at-sea trials; and improve existing models by integration of the results. |