International maritime experts and participants from major oil and chemical companies, emergency response companies, ship owners and operators as well as port authorities will congregate in Singapore next week for the 1st ever conference on oil cum chemical pollution relating to marine incidents. Known as the International Chemical & Oil Pollution Conference & Exhibition or ICOPCE 2001, the event will be held from 3-4 September at the Shangri-La, Singapore.

Dr John Chen, the Minister-of-State for Communications & Information Technology and National Development, Singapore, will officiate as the Guest-of-Honour and give the Opening Address during the event's Opening Ceremony on 3 September 2001.

Organised by the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the theme for ICOPCE is " Marine Pollution & Liability - Challenges for the Oil & Chemical Industries". The 2-day conference will see international experts speaking on the latest international trends and developments in the areas of chemical and oil pollution liability and compensation. The conference aims to expand participants' knowledge on the prevention of and response to oil and chemical spills from tankers and terminals.

Highlights of the conference include the recent development in liability issues as well as the contingency planning and developments in response capability for oil and chemical spills. For the response initiatives, papers will be delivered on the Responsible Care (Safety) Programme for chemical terminals in Singapore, and the setting up of a regional chemical response centre and chemical emergency response services. A paper on the creation of a safe chemical hub on Jurong Island will also be presented.

On the operational front, papers will cover the responses to the Erika oil spill and the Ievoli Sun chemical spill. The MPA will also share its experience on combating the Natuna oil spill incident that occurred in October last year.

The keynote addresses will be delivered by Rear Admiral Ralph Utley, Commander, 14th Coast Guard District, US Coast Guard and Mr LM Pelser, Group Logistics Manager, Sasol Ltd on 3 and 4 September respectively. RADM Utley will be speaking on "Looking to the Future - Setting the Agenda for Oil & Chemical Spill Prevention, Preparedness and Response in the 21st century", while Mr Pelser will be addressing the topic of "Prevention of Chemical Incidents through Collaboration in the Supply Chain". The 2 keynote addresses will help set the stage for the presentations and discussions that follow for the two days.

In addition, ICOPCE delegates will have a chance to take part in a chemical spill exercise organised by the MPA as well as a visit to Jurong Island on 5 Sep.

ICOPCE has drawn great interest and participation from an international audience. To date, the Conference has attracted more than 300 participants from 20 countries, including Australia, Canada, China, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Philippines, Middle East, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, UK and USA.

Through the organisation of major international port and maritime-related conferences such as ICOPCE, the MPA aims to further raise Singapore's profile as a world-class port and leading international maritime centre (IMC).

End of release.