JANAF Plc. has for the first time hosted the annual meeting of Mediterranean Oil Industry Group (MOIG), held from 12 till 15 November 2007. Mediterranean region oil companies joined together under MOIG in 1995, while JANAF Plc. became a permanent member in 2003. MOIG’s primary aims include the promotion of regional cooperation between the oil industry and Mediterranean region governmental representatives, the exchange of information, expertise and equipment in the case of a sudden incident, as well as members’ education and training according to the conditions of International Maritime Organization (IMO).
This year’s meeting took place at The Regent Esplanade Hotel in Zagreb, today, 13 November 2007 and was devoted to the issues of regional cooperation and risk assessment in the events of marine pollution. JANAF Plc. and Port of Rijeka Authority in cooperation with Primorsko-goranska County Operative Centre gave a joint presentation on risk assessment and the safety measures to be taken in a case of a sudden event of marine pollution. Also, other projects of MOIG members, related Ministries and partner institutions were presented. The participants of the conference were the representatives of leading oil companies and transport systems, as well as the representatives of Croatian energy sector and environmental protection companies and institutions. The meeting includes the visit to Omišalj Terminal where the exercise will take place on Wednesday, 14 November 2007.
In spite of the fact that the Mediterranean Sea by its size represents only 1% of the world’s marine surfaces, it is estimated that around 30% of the global sea traffic runs via its ports. It is also estimated that the annual crude oil and oil products transport via the Mediterranean Sea amounts to 400 million tons. Ridha Dhaoui, the president of MOIG, pointed out that the merit of the experts’ annual MOIG meetings was the possibility of open exchange of ideas, technologies and experiences.
The whole of the Mediterranean should be considered a high-risk area which is, along with the intensive marine traffic, also one of the world’s most visited tourist destinations. The oil reserves in the area are estimated up to 6000 million tones, and nearly 2/3 of the production is marketed to the EU, with the potential increase of almost 50% in the next 18 years. Although single incidents do represent a serious threat to the environment, the fact is that both marine and land pipeline transportation remain the safest possible crude oil and oil products models of transportation. Therefore, all our efforts are directed towards even better cooperation in between industries, experts and the member countries by creating a regional network of coordinators in charge of sudden crude oil spill incidents in the Mediterranean countries, said Mr. Dhaoui, the President of MOIG.