Northwest Pacific Action Plan
Marine Environmental Emergency Preparedness and Response
Regional Activity Centre
The Marine Environmental Emergency
Dr. Chang-Gu Kang, Director
Preparedness and Response Regional Activity
Mr. Tae-Byung Chun, Senior Consultant
Centre (MER/RAC) is one of four Regional
Dr. Seong-Gil Kang, Senior Consultant
Activity Centres of the Northwest Pacific Action
Ms. Hyun-Jin Lee, Secretary
What is MER/RAC and who works there?
Plan (NOWPAP). It is responsible for regional co-
operation in the field of marine pollution
preparedness and response in the Northwest Pacific
region and is supported by the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) and the
International Maritime Organization (IMO).
G r
MeERt/ingAs Cf,romh taneg -DGireucKtaonr g
As the Director of
MER/RAC, with
responsibility for
developing effective f
The Centre was established on 22 March 2000
within the Korea Research Institute of Ships and
Ocean Engineering (KRISO) / Korea Ocean
measures for regional co-
Research and Development Institute (KORDI) in
operation in marine
Taejon, Republic of Korea, following the decision
pollution preparedness
of the Fourth Intergovernmental Meeting on
and response under the
NOWPAP (April 1999). The Memorandum of
Northwest Pacific Action
Understanding relating to the establishment and
Plan (NOWPAP) framework, I am very pleased to
operation of MER/RAC was duly signed between
address you through this first Issue of the NOWPAP
UNEP, IMO, and KRISO/KORDI in July 2000.
MER/RAC Newsletter. I believe that the Newsletter
MER/RAC was established to co-ordinate the
will serve as a contact between MER/RAC and all
relevant activities on prevention and response to
persons who are directly concerned with marine
major pollution incidents occurring in the region
pollution preparedness and response in the
which fall under one of the priority projects of
NOWPAP region. We will disseminate relevant
NOWPAP entitled, "Development of Effective
information periodically to the public via this
Measures for Regional Cooperation in Marine
newsletter and the NOWPAP MER/RAC homepage
Pollution" or in short, "NOWPAP/4.
which is at present being developed.
The Centre is currently functioning as secretariat
The semi-closed Northwest Pacific region is
for the NOWPAP MER/RAC Focal Points
frequently subjected to major marine pollution
Meetings, Experts Meetings, and the NOWPAP
accidents, as was the case with the Sea Prince and
Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan, with
the Nakhodka oil spills that resulted in serious
assistance from UNEP and IMO. The Centre will
environmental and economic damages. MER/RAC
also manage the NOWPAP MER/RAC Homepage
is coordinating various regional activities relevant
which is at present being developed. This
to marine pollution preparedness and response,
Homepage will include the results of the
including the development of the NOWPAP
NOWPAP/4 activities as well as other relevant
Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan and the
i n f o r m a t i o n .
associated Memorandum of Understanding, in
The operation of MER/RAC is financially
order to assist in ensuring fast and effective
supported by the Government of the Republic of
response to marine pollution accidents on regional
Korea. This support includes operational costs such
level. I believe that these efforts will assist in
as personal salaries, travel expenses and other
making our NOWPAP Sea cleaner and more
miscellaneous costs, except in cases where these
sustainable. I look forward to continuous support
are budgeted for by specific projects, funded from
and suggestions from the NOWPAP member
the NOWPAP Trust Fund. The following four staff
States, UNEP and IMO in implementing our
A u g u s tNo. 1 members are currently employed at MER/RAC: activities. Thank you. NOWPA MER/AC 1
2 0 0 1
Who ar
Programme Officer
N O W PeA PtheM ENRa/tioAnCa?l Focal Points for Department of Ship Safety and Pollution Prevention
Maritime Safety Administration
To facilitate the implementation of MER/RAC's functions, a
People's Republic of China
network of National Focal Points for MER/RAC was established
Republic of Korea:
in January 2001, which is composed of one person from each
Mr. Wan-Sub Lee
NOWPAP member State with responsibility for oil spill
D i r e c t o r
preparedness and response issues in their country. The National
Maritime Pollution Division
Focal Points for NOWPAP MER/RAC are as follows:
National Maritime Police Agency
Japan:
Republic of Korea
Mr. Takao Masui
Russian Federation:
Director
Mr. Vladimir Karev
Ocean Division, Policy Bureau
Director
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Japan
State Marine Pollution Control Salvage & Rescue Administration
People's Republic of China:
(MPCSA), Ministry of Transport
Mr. E Hailiang
Russia Federation
NOWPAP as one of UNEP's Regional Seas Pr
NOWP by Ellik Adler, Regional Seas promotes the parallel development of legally binding instruments
Programme Coordinator,
such as conventions and specific protocols, addressing different
Division of Environmental Conventions,
environmental problems. Overall implementation of the Action
UNEP, Nairobi
Plan and its activities is carried out by a Regional Coordinating
Unit (RCU) and in some cases Regional Activity Centres (RACs)
UNEP's Regional Seas Programme,
to ensure integrated and organized execution of the activities.
launched in 1974, is an action-
The structure of the Action Plans consist of 5 basic
oriented programme, aiming at the
c o m p o n e n t s :
sustainable management, on a regional
- Environmental Assessment - as a tool to assist policy makers
level, of the marine and coastal environments. Coastal and marine
ogrammes
- Sustainable Environmental Management
environmental problems were for long treated as purely local or
- Environmental Legislation - from regional or global to
national issues. With the rise of environmental awareness in the
national level
last decades, it was clearly understood that new global and
- Institutional Arrangements - RCU, RACs, governing bodies
regional perspectives have to be adopted, as pollution and
- Financial Arrangements - contributions, trust fund.
environmental problems do nor recognize political borders. In
Within this framework of the Regional Seas programme,
1975, the first Regional Seas Convention, the Barcelona
UNEP has assisted the States in the Northwest Pacific region
Convention for the Mediterranean region was adopted. The
(Japan, People's Republic of China, Republic of Korea and the
Barcelona Convention brings together the 21 riparian countries,
Russian Federation), in establishing and implementing the
in a mutual commitment to protect their common asset - the
Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP).
Mediterranean Sea.
NOWPAP, or, in full, "Action Plan for the Protection,
Since then, 14 regional Action Plans have been established
Management of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the
under UNEP's auspice all around the world: the Black Sea,
Northwest Pacific Region" was adopted at the First
Caribbean, East Africa, West and Central Africa, the Kuwait
Intergovernmental Meeting in 1994, following a series of
region, North West Pacific, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, South
meetings of experts and National Focal Points that started as early
Asia, South East pacific, North East pacific, South Pacific and
as 1991. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has not yet
three independent agreements in the Baltic, North East Atlantic
participated in NOWPAP activities but has been invited to join
and the Arctic. Altogether more then 140 countries participate in
the Action Plan. The overall goal of the adopted Action Plan is
at least one regional Action Plan.
`the wise use, development and management of the coastal and
The Action Plans are adopted by member governments in order
marine environment so as to obtain the utmost long-term benefits
to establish a comprehensive strategy of sustainable management
for the human populations of the region's, while regions
of resources through integrated management of the coastal and
sustainability for future generation'.
marine environments. They focus not only on the mitigation and
In order to achieve this important goal the NOWPAP member
elimination of the consequences, but also on the sources of
states have adopted seven areas of priority activities:
environmental degradation. Each individual Action Plan is
NOWPAP 1 - establishment of a comprehensive database and
designed to link assessment of the quality of the marine
information management;
environment and the causes of its degradation, with response
NOWPAP 2 - survey of national environmental legislation,
actions for the management and the sustainable development of
objectives, strategies and polices;
the marine and coastal environments. The regional Action Plan
NOWPAP 3 - establishment of a collaborative, regional
2 NOWPA MER/AC
monitoring programme;
UNEP, are cooperating in assisting NOWPAP member States, to
NOWPAP 4 - development of effective measures for regional
develop the "NOWPAP Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan"
co-operation in marine pollution preparedness and
as well as other activities which fall under the NOWPAP/4
r e s p o n s e ;
a c t i v i t y .
NOWPAP 5 - establishment of Regional Activity Centers and
NOWPAP is currently engaged in the process of establishing
their network;
its Regional Coordinating Unit. Following the decision of the 6t h
NOWPAP 6 - public awareness raising on the marine, coastal
Intergovernmental Meeting (Tokyo, 5-6 December 2000), the
and associated freshwater environment; and -
RCU will be co-hosted by Japan and the Republic of Korea. The
NOWPAP 7 - assessment and management of land-based
RCU will have two offices, with an equal status, in Toyama and
activities.
Pusan. The position of the Coordinator of NOWPAP will rotate
Activity NOWPAP 6 was almost completed by the
every four years between these offices, and the Deputy
establishment of the four Regional Activity Centers in the region:
Coordinator will be posted in the other office respectively. For the
D I N / R A C , Beijing - Data and Information Network Regional
first four years, the Coordinator will be posted in Toyama and the
Activity Center, to support the implementation of NOWPAP 1;
Deputy in Pusan.
P O M / R A C , Vladivostok - Pollution Monitoring Regional
UNEP has been requested by the member states to function as
Activity Center, to support the implementation of NOWPAP 3;
interim secretariat for NOWPAP until the establishment of a
CEA/RAC, Toyama, Japan - Special Monitoring and Coastal
Regional Coordinating Unit, hopefully in 2002.
Environmental Assessment Regional Activity Center, to support
As the Coordinator of the Regional Seas programme in UNEP,
the implementation of NOWPAP 3;
Nairobi, I am pleased and honored to act as the interim
M E R / R A C , Taejon, R. Korea - Marine Environmental
coordinator for NOWPAP. I am extremely impressed by the
Emergency Preparedness and R Response Regional Activity
professional, collegial and friendly atmosphere prevailing
Center, to support the implementation of NOWPAP 4;
between all the people who are responsible for the
MER/RAC, based in Taejon Republic of Korea, is the most
implementation of NOWPAP in the four countries. I hope that, in
advanced and established RAC among NOWPAP Activity
a mutual effort of all member states, we shall be able to finalize
Centers. MER/RAC is based in KRISO/KORDI which is the
the process of hiring the stall for the two offices and the
Korean Research Institute of Ships and Ocean
negotiations regarding the establishment of the two RCU offices
Engineering/KORDI, an institute that provides excellent facilities
as soon as possible.
and infra-structure for the development of regional activities
It is my pleasure and honor to send greetings to you through
related to Oil Spill Emergencies, Preparedness and Response.
the first issue of the NOWPAP MER/RAC Newsletter. I hope
MER/RAC has successfully organized several regional activities
that MER/RAC will be a dynamic, productive and efficient
in NOWPAP for several years, and I have no doubt that it will
Regional Activity Centre (RAC) that will contribute much to
continue to do so with efficiency and reliability.
NOWPAP success. I can promise that on our side, here in UNEP
At present, IMO (International Maritime Organization), being
Nairobi, we shall do everything we can to assist in this very
the secretariat for the International Oil Pollution Preparedness and
important mission.
Response and Cooperation Convention (OPRC, 1990), and
4thMeeting of NOWP
Prepar AP Forum on Marine Pollution
edness and Response, Qingdao, People's
Republic of China, 15-18 May 2001
4thMeeting of NOWP
The Fourth Meeting of the Northwest Pacific Action Plan
The main achievements of the Fourth Forum Meeting were as
(NOWPAP) Forum on Marine Pollution Preparedness and
follows:
Response was held in Qingdao, the People's Republic of China
(i) The meeting decided that a NOWPAP MER/RAC Focal
from 15 to 18 May 2001. The Forum Meetings are held in order
Points Meeting should be periodically organized at MER/RAC
to implement the NOWPAP/4 project activities, more specifically
(Taejon, Republic of Korea) each year in May. The Fifth Meeting
to: (i) exchange information on marine pollution preparedness
will therefore be held at MER/RAC in May 2002.
and response; (ii) develop a NOWPAP Regional Oil Spill
(ii) The meeting agreed to hold an Experts Meeting in Japan
Contingency Plan; and (iii) develop a regional Memorandum of
(or alternatively at MER/RAC) later this year, in order to finalize
Understanding (MOU) on preparedness and response.
the draft NOWPAP Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan and the
The Forum Meetings have been held periodically from 1997,
related draft MOU.
with participation from the following States in the Northwest
(iii) The meeting also agreed on the modified MER/RAC
Pacific region : Japan, the People's Republic of China, the
workplan, activities, budget and timetable for the 2002/2003
Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation. The United
biennium. These will now be put forward for approval to the
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International
Seventh NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting to be held late in
Maritime Organization (IMO), and the Marine Environmental
2 0 0 1 .
Emergency Preparedness and Response Regional Activity Centre
The meeting also reviewed the progress made to date and
(MER/RAC) have jointly acted as secretariat for these Meetings.
identified the need for on-going work, which includes the
NOWPA MER/AC 3
gathering of information in the field of marine pollution
preparedness, response and cooperation in the NOWPAP region,
such as (1) Focal Points, (2) information systems on relevant
equipment and expertise, (3) joint training and exercise, (4)
An Experts Meeting will be held in Japan in November of this
identification of source of existing fate and effects of oil
Ex
Npoevrts Mmber itngJ atopbne hld thiscoming
year in order to finalize the draft NOWPAP Regional Oil Spill
Contingency Plan and the related draft Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU). This meeting will bring together two
pollution, (5) environmental sensitivity maps, (6) oil spill
prediction models, (7) oil dispersants, (8) bioremediation and
other clean-up technologies, and (9) others.
experts from each of the NOWPAP member States (one technical
Mr. Darko Domovic, Technical Expert of the Regional Marine
expert and another legal expert) along with relevant experts from
Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea
non-governmental organizations The main purpose of the
(REMPEC), was invited to introduce the regional cooperation
Regional Plan is to establish operational procedures for
system which exists in the Mediterranean Sea region, as this
facilitating cooperation between countries when faced with a
could serve as a good example for MER/RAC.
major oil spill in the NOWPAP region. A MOU is needed for
formally establishing the
regional co-operation
between NOWPAP member
States in accordance with the
OPRC 90 Convention.
The Experts Meeting will
finalize the draft of the
Regional Plan taking into
account the comments and
proposed amendments
received from the member
States during and after the
Fourth Forum Meeting.
The draft regional MOU is
also expected to be finalized
at the Experts Meeting based
on a single draft MOU which
takes into account the two
existing draft documents
submitted by Japan and
Prior to the meeting, on 14 May 2001, a field demonstration on
Korea and taking into account the comments made by the other
marine oil spill response equipment, crude oil terminals, among
NOWPAP member States.
others was held near Jiaozhou Bay by the Shandong Maritime
The final draft Plan and draft MOU as modified by the Experts
Safety Administration and Qingdao Port Authority, People's
Meeting will be submitted to the next NOWPAP MER/RAC
Republic of China.
Focal Points Meeting (May 2002) for approval and the
The working atmosphere during the meeting was productive,
NOWPAP Intergovernmental Meeting (in late 2002) for
professional and friendly and a spirit of co-operation and
a d o p t i o n .
collaboration between the countries prevailed. All participants
expressed their satisfaction regarding the achievements of the
meeting, and viewed this as an important step towards
establishing a mechanism for preparedness, response and co-
operation in the NOWPAP region.
Welcome to the first issue of the NOWPAP MER/RAC
Newsletter! This newsletter will be published twice a year, and is
distributed free of charge. For additional copies of this Newsletter
or if you would like to be placed on the mailing list for this
N
Announcement frOWPAP MER/om MER/RAC
established at
AC
Northwest Pacific Action Plan
Marine Environmental Emergency Preparedness and Response
Regional Activity Centre
Newsletter please contact MER/RAC at the following address:
nowpap@kriso.re.kr. Alternatively, should you wish to have
more information about our activities or have information that
you would like to disseminate to the experts and relevant
authorities of the NOWPAP countries, please contact MER/RAC.
K R I S O / K O R D I
P.O. Box 23, Yusung, Taejon, 305-600, Republic of Korea.
Tel : +82 2 868 7260, Fax : +82 2 868 7738
Suggestions are also welcome, simply e-mail us.
E-mail : nowpap@kriso.re.kr
4 NOWPA MER/AC