At the expert meeting held on 7-9 November 2006 in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the Russian Federation, participants from the NOWPAP member states discussed a draft Regional Oil and Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) Spill Contingency Plan in order to address the increasing regional concern of HNS spills in the marine environment.
The decision on the development of such contingency plan was made in June 2006 by the 9th Focal Points Meeting of the NOWPAP Marine Environmental Emergency Preparedness and Response Regional Activity Center (MERRAC). The development of such plan is being undertaken by adding HNS specific issues into the existing NOWPAP Regional Oil Spill Contingency Plan.
It is anticipated that the draft Oil and HNS Contingency Plan will be further reviewed at the next MERRAC Focal Points Meeting in 2007 before formal approval by the member states.
Implementation of NOWPAP contributes to the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA) in the Northwest Pacific region.