Oil and shipping pollution threat on Oman coast ‘real’

Muscat, Nov 13 - With more than 5,000 oil tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz on the Omani coast alone every year, the “threat of oil pollution is real”, said Gus Mora, President of the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPC). Speaking at a two-day regional workshop on the International Liability for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, he said the strait is a major commercial route for the passage of a large proportion of oil produced in the region to the rest of the world. It facilitates one-third of the world’s oil transported by sea daily.

As a result, the strait is heavily exposed to shipping and marine pollution risks, said Mora. The workshop was held under the auspices of Najib al Rawas, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs. It aims to provide specialists with information on the preparation of claims and increasing knowledge on conventions and protocols governing the process of compensation for oil pollution damage.

“Eighty per cent of world’s trade is transported by sea and is handled by ports around the world,” said Mora.

These figures are provided by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The main task of IMO has been to develop a comprehensive regulatory framework for international shipping for protection of marine environment. The Oil Pollution Compensation System was created by the adoption of the first international agreement governing liability of tankers in case of oil pollution (Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution 1969), which made the IOPC provide additional compensation for victims of tanker leaks,” said Mora.

Since its full operation in 1978, the compensation system has evolved into a unique and effective system to protect individuals and nations from the harmful effects of oil pollution. It provides compensation to victims of pollution and costs of restoring the marine environment through friendly settlement. Amounts offered for each incident range from $127 million to $1.06 billion. As for the Sultanate, the region is considered high-risk due to the quantities of oil exported and transported near its coast.

Mai al Abria