Meeting our Members and raising awareness in South Korea

Richard Johnson was invited by Britannia P&I Club to attend their annual Asian Forum in Seoul on 19th November. Richard presented on ITOPF’s role in responding to oil and chemical spills worldwide to the invited audience of 70 shipowners and correspondents. This provided an excellent opportunity to meet some of our local Members and Associates, as well as networking with staff from Britannia’s claims team.

Whilst in Korea, Richard took the opportunity to visit other key partners in the region to raise awareness of our activities and strengthen important relationships. South Korea has long been a country of particular focus for ITOPF, as it has suffered from a relatively high incidence of oil spills (we have attended over 60 incidents here since 1980) and, with its extensive fisheries and aquaculture sector, is highly vulnerable to the effects of oil contamination.

Richard made visits to our long-standing colleagues at KOMOS, marine surveyors and adjusters; the Korea Coast Guard, with whom we’ve collaborated on many major incidents; KOEM (Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation); the Korea P&I Club; and the Korea Shipping Association, a non-profit making corporation of shipowners and operators.

 The whistle-stop tour proved a highly successful way to cement existing relations and build new ones, and to promote collaboration in responding effectively to spills in the region.

Photos: At the Britannia Asian Forum, Meeting with the Korea Coast Guard, Meeting with KOEM, Meeting with Korea P&I, Meeting with KSA

Category: Training & Education