The International Maritime Organization (IMO) presented strategies for addressing marine pollution incidents at INTERSPILL 2025, held in London, United Kingdom, from 8-10 April, according to IMO's release.
The conference convened hundreds of professionals from the international spill response community, private sector, government, and non-governmental organizations to discuss challenges, innovation, and expertise in spill preparedness and response.
Topics included alternative fuels for decarbonizing maritime transport, maintaining preparedness in an evolving pollution risk landscape, innovations in surveillance, monitoring, and visualization, and oiled wildlife management.
Patricia Charlebois, Deputy Director, Subdivision for Ocean Policy, Marine Environment Division, chaired a panel session on recent Red Sea incidents, emphasizing the role of regional and international cooperation in emergency response.
The IMO supported United Nations efforts to prevent oil spills from the FSO Safer, MV Rubymar, MV Sounion, and ASL Bauhinia.
Chiara Della Mea, Head of Pollution Preparedness and Response Section, led a session on regional frameworks for preparedness and response, focusing on multilateral cooperation and capacity-building. In another session, Ms. Della Mea discussed challenges of alternative fuel spills and outlined how IMO’s regulatory framework is adapting to low sulphur and alternative fuels in marine transportation.
A poster on IMO’s Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) activities was displayed, highlighting integration of DEI principles in spill response organizations.
The IMO, alongside IOPC Funds, Ipieca, ITOPF, and OSRL, co-organized a DEI working lunch on 9 April, attended by over 80 delegates.
Following a panel discussion with presentations from IMO, ITOPF, and CEFAS, table-top discussions focused on fostering a diverse workforce and inclusive culture.
Outcomes emphasized the need for an industry-wide DEI framework and leadership-driven equitable environments, building on discussions from INTERSPILL 2022.
The IMO’s Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP) funded participation for five delegates from Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, and Ukraine.
These delegates attended short courses on optimizing spill response, hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) spill response, and response strategy development using net environmental benefit analysis (NEBA).
Since 2000, the IMO has contributed to the triennial oil pollution prevention, preparedness, and response Conference Series, including IOSC (Americas), INTERSPILL (Europe), and SPILLCON (Asia).
The next conference, SPILLCON, will occur in Australia in 2026, co-sponsored by the IMO through its ITCP.
The IMO is a United Nations specialized agency responsible for the safety and security of international shipping and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by ships. Established in 1959, it sets global standards for maritime regulations, including conventions like MARPOL and OPRC, to ensure safe, secure, and environmentally sustainable shipping.