Agreement to tackle pollution more efficiently

Vice-Prime Minister and Minister for the North Sea Vincent Van Quickenborne, Minister of the Interior Annelies Verlinden and Torhout mayor Kristof Audenaert signed an agreement on 13 July to cooperate better in the fight against pollution in ports and inland waterways and at sea. 

There are currently three services dealing with this issue: the Civil Protection, the Department for the Marine Environment of FPS Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment and the Intervention Zone 1. Through this agreement, the three parties commit to cooperating better by sharing expertise and resources.

A crucial element is that, in practice, a single institution will be created with a clear plan of action to tackle cases of pollution. This will ensure that the services involved will always have the right resources quickly and be able to act efficiently.

The agreement was formally signed in the warehouse of the Department for the Marine Environment in Ostend, where the specialised anti-pollution material is stored. Ostend mayor Bart Tommelein and Carl Decaluwé, governor of the Province of West Flanders, were also present. 

The specialised material includes various systems to mechanically recover floating oil spills. These systems include floating oil screens, recovery and pumping systems, as well as storage tanks. If chemical treatment is required, spray systems and dispersants are used. 

Following the signing of the agreement, attendees were able to see a number of installations and systems at work up close. Representatives of the Department for the Marine Environment and the Civil Protection explained the specific operation of these technical resources.

A number of speeches from the parties involved and a brief networking moment concluded the meeting.