Marine pollution incidents and the role of ITOPF

In this IIL marine webinar, Andrew Le Masurier talks about marine pollution incidents and the role of ITOPF as a not-for-profit scientific advisory funded by the global shipping industry. The speaker discusses ITOPF’s core services, provides examples of case studies such as the Gulfstream incident and the 2019 Brazil mystery spill. Andrew also presents on recent trends in marine pollution and looks to what the future may hold for ITOPF and the wider industry.

In the wake of the Torrey Canyon supertanker incident, ITOPF was founded in 1968 to administer a voluntary scheme for those affected by oil tanker spills. Over the years, ITOPF has expanded its technical services and has gained widespread experience attending oil spills around the world. 57 years after its inception, ITOPF has attended more than 850 pollution incidents in some 100 countries. ITOPF is a not-for-profit organisation funded by the global shipping industry. Over 90% of ITOPF’s income comes from subscriptions paid by P&I insurers on behalf of their shipowner members, who have access to the organisation’s full range of technical and information services, usually for no fee. For the majority of pollution incidents, a shipowner and their insurer are available to pay for clean-up and the effects of pollution damage. However, an important component of two recent case studies was the absence of a shipowner and insurer and the inability of the responding organisations to recover their costs. In 2019, thousands of kilometres of Brazilian coastline were impacted by a significant oil pollution event. On the back of ongoing training and wider engagement in the region, ITOPF proactively mobilised to site and worked closely with the Brazilian maritime authorities to assist in promoting effective clean-up. The other case study occurred in 2024 when the towed barge Gulfstream spilled a significant quantity of oil on the island of Tobago. With no shipowner available, the Trinidad and Tobago authorities were required to fund a significant clean-up operation. ITOPF, proactively mobilised by the IOPC Funds, and alongside other international organisations, provided technical advice and support to the maritime authorities to assist in clean-up measures. Member states of the IOPC Funds subsequently agreed to compensate the organisations involved in the response and ITOPF is undertaking associated claims assessments.

As the shipping industry evolves with both geopolitical and regulatory pressures, ITOPF continues to assess recent trends in marine pollution incidents, the increased carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) by sea and the increasing uptake of alternative marine fuels, such as LNG (liquefied natural gas), ammonia, methanol and many more.

Learning objectives:

• ITOPF’s role in marine pollution response, claims assessment and preparedness
• Case studies of significant marine pollution incidents
• Recent trends in global marine pollution incidents and a look to the future

Chair: Nick Shaw, CEO, International Group of P&I Clubs

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