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The Government of Papua New Guinea has developed this National Marine Spill Contingency Plan (NATPLAN) as part of its commitment to protecting its and our valuable coastal and marine resources from the threat of marine pollution incidents. NATPLAN has been developed to reflect the essential steps necessary to initiate, conduct and terminate an emergency spill response on, or into the navigable waters of Papua New Guinea, on the adjoining shorelines, the waters of the contiguous zone or into waters of the exclusive economic zone.

The Government of Niue has developed this Spill Contingency Plan as part of its commitment to protecting its valuable coastal and marine resources from the threat of pollution from spill incidents. The Plan has been developed to reflect the essential steps necessary to initiate, conduct and terminate an emergency spill response on, or into Niue waters. The Plan extends to also address spill response to spill incidents on land.

The Government of the Republic of Palau has developed this National Spill Contingency Plan (NATPLAN) as part of its commitment to protecting our valuable coastal and marine resources from an eminent or substantial threat to the marine environment or public. NATPLAN has been developed to reflect the essential steps necessary to initiate, conduct and terminate an emergency spill response on, or into the navigable waters of the Republic of Palau, on the adjoining shorelines, the waters of the contiguous zone or into waters of the exclusive economic zone.

The Government of the Fiji Islands has developed this National Marine Spill Contingency Plan (NATPLAN) as part of its commitment to protecting our valuable coastal and marine resources from the threat of marine pollution incidents. NATPLAN has been developed to reflect the essential steps necessary to initiate, conduct and terminate an emergency spill response on, or into the navigable waters of the Fiji Islands on the adjoining shorelines, the waters of the contiguous zone or into waters of the exclusive economic zone.

Marine pollution is widely recognised as one of the four major threats to the world’s oceans, along with climate change, habitat destruction and over-exploitation of living marine resources. Spills of oil and other chemicals into the marine environment, both from ships and land-based sources, is a significant source of pollution. In a region sometimes called ‘Oceania’, the health of the ocean is fundamental to the sustainability of all aspects of Pacific island life. The importance of coastal and marine environments to every aspect of the lives of Pacific islanders cannot be overstated, and the impacts of marine spills constitute a major concern for Pacific island peoples. Because of a lack of major land-barriers throughout the Pacific, combined with a complex pattern of trans-oceanic currents, the Pacific Ocean is perhaps the most highly connected and continuous ocean, in terms of water movement, on the planet. This compounds the seriousness of marine pollution for the region. Events in one area can have implications for other areas, as pollutants and contaminants are carried from their sources by ocean movements.

This report is one of a considerable number prepared in different regions of the earth. The preparation of these reports was initiated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO as contributions to the Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Pollution (GESAMP) review of the state of the marine environment. During their preparation, however, they have developed further into independent publications completely reviewing the state of the marine environment in the region concerned. The South Pacific report has aimed at reviewing knowledge of the marine environment in the subject areas specified by GESAMP Working Group 26 (responsible for the global review) with particular focus on the period from 1980 to 1989.

This paper reviews work previously undertaken in the region of direct relevance tp the Torres Straight and outlines the SPREP POL programmes and proposals