CEFAS24-133 RFQ for technical advisory services on risk assessment

The Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) is funded through UK official development assistance (ODA) as part of the UKs Blue Planet Fund. It aims to strengthen marine science expertise, develop science-based policy and management tools, and create educational resources for coastal communities under three main objectives described in terms of marine pollution, sustainable seafood, and marine biodiversity. It supports activities in partnership with country governments directed towards capacity building for marine science in local institutions, organisations and communities. Shipping-related Pollution: Whilst the number of shipping-related pollution incidents has gradually decreased with improvements to ship safety and training over recent decades, the risk of shipping incidents remains. This is due to the rapid expansion of international trade, where there is still the potential for occasional large high-profile incidents to occur through collision and/or grounding, as well as emerging activities such as oil exploration activities and development of petroleum refinery. Spills can include pollutants such as hydrocarbons, plastics, and hazardous and noxious substances. Recent high-profile events such as the MV Wakashio grounding on the outer reef of Mauritius, spilling ~820 tonnes of low sulphur fuel oil into the surrounding environment and the X-press Pearl which caught fire and spilled oil and plastic pellets along the coast of Sri Lanka, demonstrate first-hand the devastating impacts of such incidents. Such incidents can threaten marine biodiversity, world heritage sites and the livelihoods of coastal communities. There is a need to understand the risk posed by spills to inform proactive preparedness for such spills. Compared with other parts the of the world, the capacity of countries in the Indian Ocean region to respond to maritime disasters still remains a challenge. Government agencies are seeking to address this and have taken steps towards reinforcing pollution response capability. Risk Assessments are a useful tool to help understand the relative risks and to support environmental management decision making, and can be used to inform management decisions, based on the assessed risk to ecological and economic marine resources. Requirement: Work Package 1: Risk Assessment Report for Sri Lanka This report will include an assessment of risk of maritime spills and risk to aquatic resources (e.g. commercial, habitats and species). The Assessment will evaluate data and information from the period 2018 to present. Download the Bidder Pack at https://defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome and search for CEFAS24-133 under opportunities.