Introduction to Part I: The International Context

This book (Part 1 of a volume on Oil Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea) presents a review of knowledge on oil pollution in the Mediterranean Sea, through a series of chapters at an international level. The chapters consider various sources of oil entering the marine environment, activities such as numerical modeling of oil pollution in the Eastern and Western Mediterranean Basins, oil spill beaching probability assessment, and oil spill intervention activities. They also examine legislative measures in place to protect the marine environment of the Mediterranean from oil pollution, including the role of the Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution (Barcelona Convention, 1976) and its various protocols, in providing a framework under which nations across the region can work together to cooperate in preventing pollution from ships and from offshore exploration and exploitation activities or in the event of an emergency. The work of the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC), established under the Barcelona Convention to enhance collaboration and cooperation between national contracting parties, is also examined, including its role in national contingency planning and oil pollution preparedness and response activities. The International Maritime Organization has a role in protecting the Mediterranean Sea and its various regions through the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships and its Protocols (MARPOL 73/78 Convention) and sets limits on discharges of oil from ships, while the European Maritime Safety Agency supports oil spill detection activities through satellite surveillance across the region. This book brings together the work of scientists, legal and policy experts, academic researchers and specialists in various fields relating to marine environmental protection, satellite monitoring, oil pollution, and the Mediterranean Sea.