In principle, all coastal countries with maritime activities are at risk of an oiled wildlife incident and should seek to establish an appropriate level of preparedness proportionate to that risk. Sea Alarm dedicates a considerable amount of time making authorities and other stakeholders aware of this message and assisting them to develop international instruments to be better prepared. This has led to many positive changes at the national and international level. In Europe, it has encouraged and inspired international processes which are increasing stakeholder awareness of the need to prepare for oiled wildlife incidents.
- European Commission
- Secretariats and executive bodies of the European regional conventions
- International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds)
- International Petroleum Industry Environment Conservation Association (IPIECA)
- Maritime Insurers (Protection and Indemnity, or P&I Clubs)
- International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF)
- Oil industry via Oil Spill Response Limited.
- International experts in pollution (e.g. Cedre)
- Wildlife responders (scientists, rehabilitators) with international experience and high professional standards
- International NGO’s such as the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
- Authorities from several EU countries.
Regional Agreements
In Europe, countries bordering three different regional seas have established regional agreements, e.g.:
- Bonn Agreement (North Sea States)
- HELCOM (Baltic Sea States)
- Barcelona Convention (Mediterranean Sea States).
European Commission
International meetings and conferences
Handbooks and Guidelines
Sea Alarm has been the main initiator and driving force in the development of many technical guidance documents which are instrumental in Sea Alarm’s advocacy mission. All are available under Resources.
Sea Alarm has worked with leading oiled wildife response groups in Europe to develop a range of technical guidance documents and a portfolio of training and exercises for oiled wildlife responders and response managers, through the EU co-funded EUROWA initiative.
One of Sea Alarm’s most effective and practical preparedness actions has been the development of Country Wildlife Response Profiles, which provide immediate access to comprehensive information on oiled wildlife response preparedness in coastal countries When an oil spill occurs, this database provides Sea Alarm with instant information regarding key players and the level of preparedness of national stakeholders. Using this data, Sea Alarm can advise on strategies, stakeholder engagement, equipment needs and personnel priorities for the response.