Winner of 3rd ITOPF R&D Award Announced

We are pleased to announce that the beneficiary of the 3rd annual ITOPF R&D Award is the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) in the UK. The project is called 'Factors Affecting Marine Emergency and Response Research' (FAMERR).

The aim of the project is to determine realistic spill profiles for two chemicals, aniline and butyl acrylate, so as to improve decision-making for spills in different geographic areas and seasons. These chemicals have been chosen because they are transported in significant volume and have hazardous properties that could vary in different environmental conditions. The chemicals are also included as they build on prior work carried out as part of a larger, EU financed project called ARCOPOLplus and will strongly link to a complementary project called MERR (Marine Emergency Response Research) being funded by the UK government (Defra). The project is being undertaken by a UK scientific organisation working in partnership with the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Kuwait University in order to gain a better understanding of the way in which salinity and temperature in UK waters and Persian Gulf waters affect the fate, behaviour and toxicity of spilled chemicals.

Dave Sheahan, Senior Chemical Risk Assessor (Cefas) commented, "This is a great opportunity for Cefas to work more closely with ITOPF. When marine spills occur they affect many stakeholders so the opportunity to link industry research funds with those of national and overseas governments towards a common goal is very welcome."

More information on the ITOPF's 2015 R&D Award can be found on our website:<link internal-link internal link in current>www.itopf.com/RD-Award. Potential candidates should not hesitate to contact us if they have any questions regarding the award or if you are unsure that your project will qualify by emailing us to <link>rdaward@itopf.com.