Egypt’s Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad chaired, on Wednesday, a meeting of the National Committee for the National Emergency Plan to Combat Marine Oil Pollution.
The meeting aimed to review roles and responsibilities, and develop a proposed roadmap for work to be completed as soon as possible in implementation of the cabinet directives.
Enas Abu Taleb, CEO of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), and many experts and specialists at the agency and relevant concerned authorities, attended the meeting.
Moreover, the meeting reviewed the efforts exerted by the Ministry of Environment with the concerned authorities, to confront accidents and crises that have occurred since the last meeting.
During the meeting, a detailed explanation of the qualitative and geographical scope of the national emergency plan to combat marine oil pollution, and its legal and institutional framework, was presented. The road map and procedures were also presented as well as the necessary actions to update the plan.
Fouad stressed the need to form a working group to develop a general strategic framework for the committee that includes the role of each party and the work mechanism in emergency cases, in preparation for presenting this framework to the cabinet for approval.
She also highlighted the need to continue work on updating the national emergency plan and setting a timetable that includes activities, outputs, and capabilities.
The meeting concluded with various recommendations, including the exchange of experiences in visits to inspect the control centres at ports and companies with the participation of members of the committee.
This would take place in addition to conducting a training programme at the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), to inform its committee members on the latest methods in managing pollution incidents using simulation programmes. Additionally, the committee members also agreed on the need to activate its technical secretariat.
