HNS Workshop – Rome, Italy, 10 October 2014

Posted: 10/10/2014

The Italian Government hosted a workshop on the HNS Convention in Rome on 10 October 2014. Supported by the IOPC Funds and lead by François Marier, the coordinator of the HNS Correspondence Group, the workshop was well attended by the Italian private sector and a number of participants from abroad. It became clear from the discussions that many States were advancing towards ratification but that both States and the industry required practical support to facilitate implementation. In addition,the workshop demonstrated that there was a need for increased coordination among interested States, internationally and regionally. Reference was made to the efforts recently deployed by the European Union to provide specific guidelines. The key conclusions drawn from the workshop and the presentations given are provided below.

• Conclusions from the workshop
• Overview of HNS-Risk and Incidents – ITOPF
• International Legal and Operational framework – IMO
• The HNS compensation regime – IOPC Funds
• The insurer’s perspective – International Group of P&I Associations
• Implementation – Canada
• Reporting of HNS contributing cargo – IOPC Funds
• Regulatory framework for pollution liability in Europe – European Commission