Guidelines on International Offers of Assistance (IOA) in Response to a Marine Oil Pollution Incident (I558E) - 2016 Edition

This guide to international offers of assistance (IOA) in response to marine oil pollution incidents is designed to be consulted during large, complex or significant oil spills within inland areas as well as marine or coastal environments. Topics covered include:

• Recommended considerations for parties involved in IOA
• IOA coordination system
• communications between parties
• customs, legal and financial issues
• advanced planning
• response equipment categories, stockpiles and source considerations.

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MO DU) spill incident in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 highlighted the importance of international stakeholder planning and coordination to ensure maximum resource availability and utilization during a catastrophic oil spill or hazardous substance event. Several nations stepped forward to assist the United States during the DWH incident. These offers included equipment, technical expertise and general assistance. The extensive support from the international partners of the United States cannot be overstated; however, the event highlighted the need for guidelines for procedures for requesting and receiving emergency assistance in events of this scale including a common lexicon of equipment terminology and an international equipment inventory.

The Guidelines on international offers of assistance (IOA ) in response to a marine oil pollution incident was considered at the OPRC-HNS Technical Group, a subsidiary body of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (ME PC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO ), finalized at the second session of the Sub-Committee on Pollution Preparedness and Response (PPR), and approved at the sixty-eighth session of the ME PC in May 2015.