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Over the past decade a substantial amount of research has been carried out into how authorities can prepare and respond to oil spills. However, with such a large number of projects being run, it is not always easy to get a full picture of the research and development (R&D) projects that have been carried out.

In an effort to add more clarity to the issue, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has released a new inventory dealing with Research and Development in the area of marine pollution preparedness, detection and response.

The inventory, named EMSA Inventory of R&D projects relevant to marine pollution preparedness, detection and response" lists 255 ongoing or completed projects from the period 2000 to 2009. 112 of these projects were funded nationally by Spain from 2003 to 2007, related to the Prestige oil spill.

The Portugal-based agency said it believes the inventory will help those working in the field of R&D on oil pollution to cooperate and better disseminate results.

EMSA aims to collect, collate and disseminate, to the Member States and the general public, brief yet comprehensive information regarding two topics:

* Research and development (R&D) projects/programmes/studies/technologies linked to marine pollution preparedness, detection and response. Information provided (where available) includes the project’s acronym and title, duration, coordinator, main objectives, outcomes and results, funding sources and direct links to the project’s webpage(s), where interested parties can find more information on a specific project.

* European Community financial instruments that provide funding opportunities for R&D projects and activities linked to marine pollution preparedness, detection and response. Brief information is provided on the scope of the financial instrument, together with a link to the dedicated webpage, where more detailed information can be found. It should be noted that EMSA does not directly finance R&D activities.

In developing this inventory, EMSA collected data from the following sources:

* The relevant Directorates of the European Commission which either fund or coordinate R&D projects (e.g. DG Research, DG Environment, the JRC, DG Regio).

* The European Regional Agreements (e.g. HELCOM, Bonn Agreement, REMPEC).

* The EU Member States, the EU Candidate Countries, and the coastal EFTA States, through the Agency’s Consultative Technical Group for Marine Pollution Preparedness and Response (CTG MPPR).

* A variety of sources based on internet and literature research conducted by EMSA.

Please visit the webpage below to find a link to the EMSA report.

https://extranet.emsa.europa.eu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=205&Itemid=215