Upcoming events

The IOPC Funds will contribute to a two-day tabletop exercise on 3 and 4 September 2025 on the handling of claims and compensation for oil pollution damage, facilitated by TRIOX Environmental Emergencies and ITOPF.

The event will take place in Vancouver and is expected to bring together representatives from the four core organisations involved in maritime spill compensation, the Ship Fund of Ship and Rail Compensation Canada, the IOPC Funds, the International Group of P&I Clubs (International Group), and ITOPF.

Participants will work through a scenario involving a major oil spill resulting from a collision, allowing the paying parties to determine how they will interact and agree on a timeline for response and compensation.  To ensure transparency and broader knowledge sharing, each day will conclude with an open forum with additional participants from a wide range of Canadian authorities and agencies that would be involved in responding to a ship-source oil pollution incident.

The workshop will focus on establishing a coordinated and practical framework for how these organisations interact in the event of a maritime incident in Canada. Key themes will include collaborative claims handling, equitable compensation processes, and culturally informed engagement with coastal communities, including Indigenous Peoples.

The IOPC Funds will participate in the 4th Coast Guard Global Summit (CGGS), scheduled to take place in Rome, Italy, from 11 to 12 September 2025. The summit, which will be hosted by the Italian Coast Guard, is being held for the first time outside Japan and is expected to bring together representatives from coast guards and maritime agencies from all world regions.

The CGGS serves as a forum for global discussions and cooperation on a wide range of issues facing coast guards, including challenges in maritime safety, security, and environmental protection, as well as human resource development in related fields.

IOPC Funds’ HNS Project Manager, Gillian Grant, will deliver a keynote address which will provide an overview of the Convention and consider the benefits it provides, particularly in light of recent HNS incidents and the expected increase in the world-wide transportation of HNS cargoes as the shipping industry decarbonises. The presentation will place a special emphasis on funding available to cover Coast Guard response costs for HNS incidents.

The IOPC Funds will contribute to a regional symposium on marine pollution emergency response which has been organised by the Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). The event, which is being hosted by Fiji, will take place in Suva from 15 to 19 September 2025 and is expected to be attended by several Pacific Island States that are Members of the 1992 Fund.

The IOPC Funds will contribute to the 11th International Conference of Maritime Law, which will be held in Piraeus, Greece, from 2 to 4 October 2025. The event, which is taking place under the theme “Maritime Risks, Revisited”, will explore key legal, regulatory, and practical issues in the maritime sector, including the roles of coastal and flag States, environmental challenges, technological advances, and related international and EU regulations.

The IOPC Funds’ HNS Project Manager, Gillian Grant, will provide an overview of the organisation and the status of the 2010 HNS Convention. Her presentation will consider how recent HNS incidents, particularly the allision of the MV Stena Immaculate and the MV Solong in the North Sea in March 2025, have underlined gaps in the international liability and compensation framework that will be addressed once the 2010 HNS Convention enters into force.

The IOPC Funds will contribute to a workshop on the handling of claims and compensation for oil pollution damage, organised by the Copenhagen Agreement Legal Group.

The event, hosted by Mariehamn’s Department of Infrastructure, will take place in Åland from 7 to 9 October 2025.

The workshop is expected to attract representatives from the Copenhagen Agreement States and will provide training on the handling and administration of compensation claims. In collaboration with the International Group of P&I Associations and ITOPF, the IOPC Funds will deliver presentations and practical exercises to enhance participants’ understanding of the international liability and compensation regime for oil pollution damage, and to equip them with practical skills for preparing claims and documenting evidence.

The Copenhagen Agreement, signed by Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, is an international treaty aimed at strengthening cooperation to prevent and respond to marine pollution.

The next meeting of the IOPC Funds governing bodies will take place from 4 to 7 November 2025.  The invitation and provisional agenda, including a provisional timetable for the sessions, have been issued to all Member States, and States and organisations with observer status.

This will be the first IOPC Funds’ meeting to be held in person, complemented by remote-active participation (in hybrid format).  Delegations are encouraged to continue to attend in person, but it is hoped that the new format will enable additional representatives to join the meeting remotely. To register to participate in the meeting either in person or remotely, click here.