Marine responses to hazardous and noxious substances: dealing with the difficulties of the distressed cargo on the container ship MSC 'Napoli'
Published 2008-11-12
Keywords
- hazardous and noxious substances,
- marine pollution,
- IMO,
- MARPOL 73/78,
- pollution clean-up costs
- pollution response,
- International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC),
- oil pollution,
- marine environment,
- IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC),
- Protocol on Preparedness, Response and Co-operation to Pollution Incidents by Hazardous and Noxious Substances 2000,
- HNS Convention 1996,
- International Maritime Dangerous Code,
- Code of Safe Practise of Solid Bulk Cargoes,
- marine safety ...More
Abstract
Rickaby opens his paper with the statement that, to understand what are Hazardous and Noxious Substances and how did an HNS Protocol get to Australia, it is necessary to go back to the beginning of the various conventions that have been enacted at the IMO. Rickaby begins therefore with a history of the IMO conventions that apply to marine pollution, starting with MARPOL 73/78 and the Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response Co-operation Convention of 1990. Rickaby proceeds to define 'hazardous and noxious substances', discuss historical examples of HNS spills and incidents, and to consider the fate and effects of HNS incidents. In the last portion of the paper, Rickaby discusses the case of the MSC Napoli and how his company, Braemar Howells, dealt with the matter.