BfR-Wissenschaft
69
11 Operational experience worldwide
Alex Hunt
ITOPF, London, UK
Background to ITOPF
ITOPF is a not-for-profit organisation that was established in 1968 in the wake of the TOR-
REY CANYON oil spill in the UK. The main role of its small London-based team is to attend
on site at ship-sourced spills of oil, chemicals and other hazardous substances, to provide
objective technical advice to all parties, including government authorities, clean-up contrac
tors, claimants, the shipowner and their insurer. This service is normally performed, without
charge, at the request of the P&l Club for the vessel or the International Oil Pollution Com
pensation Funds (IOPC Funds) who rely on the technical expertise provided by ITOPF. Our
role on site varies according to the circumstances of the incident, but it is always advisory
and based on a consistent scientific approach.
Over the past 48 years ITOPF’s technical staff have responded to over 750 incidents in 99
countries in order to give objective advice on clean-up measures, environmental and eco
nomic effects, and compensation. While many of these incidents involved crude oil spilled
from tankers, ITOPF staff are also increasingly called upon to respond to spills of bunker
fuel, chemicals and bulk cargoes from all types of ship. Advice is also occasionally given in
relation to oil spills from pipelines and offshore installations, and physical damage to sensi
tive marine habitats resulting from ship groundings.
Over 90 % of ITOPF’s income derives from subscriptions paid by P&l insurers on behalf of
their shipowner members. ITOPF Membership comprises over 6,970 tanker owners and
bareboat charterers, who between them own or operate about 11,700 tankers, barges and
combination carriers with a total gross tonnage of about 357 million GT. This represents vir
tually all the world’s bulk oil, chemical and gas carrier tonnage, and so it is extremely rare for
the owner of any such ship engaged in international trade not to be a Member of ITOPF.
ITOPF Associates comprise the owners and bareboat charterers of all other types of ship,
currently totalling some 717 million GT. This reflects ITOPF’s increasingly important role in
responding to bunker spills from non-tankers.
ITOPF’s activities are overseen by an international Board of Directors representing the or
ganisation’s independent and oil company tanker owner Members, its Associates and P&l
insurers. Since its establishment in 1968, ITOPF has evolved into the maritime industry’s
primary source of objective technical advice, expertise and information on effective response
to ship-sourced pollution.
ITOPF has observer status at both the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the
International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds), and regularly contributes to
discussions on matters relating to ship-sourced pollution.
The first-hand experience gained by our staff through direct involvement in pollution incidents
is also utilised during contingency planning and training assignments for governments and
industry, as well as in the production of technical publications that are freely available in a
wide range of languages.
Further information on the work of ITOPF can be found on our website at www.itopf.com.
