EMPOLLEX Exchange

On October 6, Sea Alarm hosted a half day training session for a German oil spill expert at its headquarters in Brussels. The expert, Rudolf Gade, who is Head of Unit for surface and coastal water affairs in the federal state of Lower Saxony, was participating in the European Maritime Safety Agency’s (EMSA) EMPOLLEX exchange programme and had indicated an interest in wildlife response.

EMSA had requested Sea Alarm to host Mr Gade, who was accompanied during his visit by Mr. Lothar Nolte, of the Lower Saxony Permanent Representation in Brussels. The training, provided by Hugo Nijkamp and Saskia Sessions included a few introductory lectures into the issues of wildlife response, management and preparedness. Mr Gade made a presentation on German oil spill preparedness and the state of preparedness for oiled wildlife incidents in Lower Saxony.