Self-Assessment Tool used by OTSOPA

In cooperation with the Swedish Coast Guard, Sea Alarm facilitated the use of the Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) by the Contracting Parties of the Bonn Agreement. The SAT was developed by Sea Alarm as a reporting instrument under the Helsinki Convention to provide a method for assessing a country’s relative preparedness for integrated oiled wildlife response. It is based on the principles presented in the Good Practice Guide for Oiled Wildlife Preparedness (IPIECA, 2014). At their meeting last May in Malmö, Sweden, the Bonn Agreement Working Group on Operational, Technical and Scientific Questions Concerning Counter Pollution Activities (OTSOPA) discussed regional preparedness for oiled wildlife response. Most countries had completed the SAT and sent them to Sea Alarm for compilation. The outcome of this exercise indicated that preparedness in most countries is low. Only the Netherlands and Germany reported a “good basis” for oiled wildlife response. In those countries there have been authority-driven investments in a preparedness programme consisting of training and exercises, and the development of effective authority-NGO relationships which allow oiled wildlife response to be integrated into the overall response structure. Sea Alarm is in the process of completing an overview of all member countries and reporting back to the Bonn Agreement. Following the discussions, OTSOPA decided to review and update the wildlife chapter in its Counter Pollution Manual.