The Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) in collaboration with the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) is
organising a Field Training Exercise on response to a shipping pollution incident (MASEPOLREX25)
in the context of the operationalisation of the Regional Maritime Security Architecture (RMSA),
including a regional mechanism against marine pollution.
The exercise is organized under the framework of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO)
OPRC 90 Convention, the Nairobi Convention’s Protocol Concerning Co-operation in Combating
Marine Pollution in Cases of Emergency in the Eastern African Region and the Regional
Contingency Plan for preparedness and response to major marine pollution incidents in the
Western Indian Ocean region.
MASEPOLREX25 is scheduled to take place from 7 to 11 Jully 2025 inclusive, with the primary
activities taking place in Kenya. Considering the need for a bedrock of national response systems
as a prerequisite to effective regional cooperation mechanisms, the overall objectives for the FTX
are two-fold:
1. To exercise the Kenyan national response system to marine oil pollution through the activation
of the national oil spill contingency plan and the mobilisation of national response resources.
2. To exercise regional/international cooperation mechanisms through the activation of the draft
Regional Contingency Plan and mutual assistance mechanisms.