AFRICA ADOPT OIL SPILL CONTIGENCY PLAN, DAILY GRAPHIC, TUE, JUNE 28, 2011 (PAGE 49)

Story: Della Russel Ocloo

African ministers and delegates to the Ninth Conference of Parties (the COP 9 forum) have adopted a regional oil spill contingency plan for the Marine and Coastal environment of the Western, Central and Southern parts of the continent
The adoption follows a decision by the conference to revitalise the Abidjan Convention on marine spillage and the protection of port environments.
The event, put together by Ports Environmental Network Africa ((PENAf)), a non governmental organisation with interest in port environmental performance, drew participants from 19 of the organisation’s 22-member states.
Addressing the meeting, the Executive Co-ordinator of PENAf, Mr Harry Darban-Barnes, indicated that although the coastline of Western, Central and Southern Africa region was one of the world's most productive marine areas, rich in fishery resources and petroleum production, such resources were being over exploited with detrimental environmental impacts on the coastal and marine environment.
Those resources, he said, formed an important global region of marine biological diversity.
He noted that ports provided ocean-land interface for the handling of ships, adding that such an interface plays a key role in the international trade of goods and services.
According to him, the role of ports was crucial to the region’s economy since about 90 per cent of its foreign trade were conducted through the maritime route.
Similarly, Mr Darban-Barnes noted that exports and imports represented about a quarter of member countries’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and with the continuing programmes for export-led growth and the diversification of economies in the region, the share of foreign trade in their respective GDPs was expected to increase further.
"The region’s dependence on fuel importation to meet its energy needs also puts their ports at the risk of pollution arising from accidental, operational and deliberate discharges that have severe consequences on the environment", Mr Darban-Barnes explained.
He said shipping-related environment challenges such as ship generated wastes, ballast water, oil spill, air pollution from ships, dredging and disposal of dredged material would further compound environmental challenges as Ghana joins the rest of the world in oil production.
While calling for proactive measures to be taken by member countries towards addressing the challenges, Mr Barnes called for adequate safety management to address issues of air pollution, odour nuisance, energy use and soil contamination.