MEDITERRANEAN OIL POLLUTION MONITORING AND CONTROL: TECHNICAL AND POLICY ISSUES1

ABSTRACT An ambitious intergovernmental program of oil spill contingency and response planning is underway in the Mediterranean Sea region under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Inter-governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO). This paper assesses technical and institutional problems of bringing national needs and capabilities into line with international obligations of Mediterranean coastal states in keeping with the recently ratified 1976 Barcelona Convention. Problems include: definition of the coordinating role of the Malta-based UNEP-supported and IMCO-administered Regional Oil Combating Center for the Mediterranean Sea (ROCC); difficulties in applying the results of oil and petroleum hydrocarbon monitoring in regional spill prevention and contingency planning; jurisdictional questions relating to coastal state regulation and enforcement rights; and lack of consensus on technical aspects of planning and response due to diverse national standards and po...