Marine Emergency Mutual Aid Centre (EMARSGA)

Hurghada, Egypt

Duties and Responsibilities - Director

The EMARSGA Director, acting upon the instructions of the Secretary-General of PERSGA or other officials delegated by him, will be responsible in general for the implementation of the requirements defined in Article III of the Protocol to the Jeddah Convention relating to Regional Co-operation in Combating Pollution by Oil and Other Harmful Substances in Cases of Emergency.  

This is a key post within the region.  The appointee will be largely responsible for the development of initiatives intended to reduce the impact of marine pollution and emergencies in the waters and along the coastlines of the region.  It requires a dynamic and structured approach to finding solutions to the problems currently hindering the development of national contingency plans for all regional States, and in future the planning for a regional contingency plan. 

The Director will have the following specific duties and responsibilities.  

• Drafting EMARSGA Work Plans for submission to the PERSGA Council for approval;
• Drafting annual EMARSGA budgets for submission to PERSGA;
• Preparing progress reports for submission to PERSGA;
• Contributing positively to PERSGA initiatives to generate additional funding for the EMARSGA, from a variety of sources;
• Attending regular meetings with PERSGA to discuss EMARSGA development and activities;
• Working closely with the responsible Authority in the Government of Egypt in utilizing the building provided for the EMARSGA, arranging for any additional work required on the Centre and necessary maintenance to be carried out;
• Setting up the EMARSGA from scratch, ensuring that the required furniture, equipment and materials are ordered, supplied and correctly installed;
• Developing and maintain a communication/information system appropriate to the needs of the Contracting Parties and the EMARSGA for the prompt exchange of information concerning marine emergencies;
• Preparing and maintaining/updating lists of key personnel and authorities in the region and their contact numbers for regular and emergency communication purposes;
• Maintaining and updating lists of regional experts, equipment and materials available for use during marine emergency responses by the Contracting Parties and circulating such information to regional States;
• Organizing workshops for regional experts on pollution combating and navigational safety matters for the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden;
• Establishing a technical library containing geographical and nautical charting information for the region, copies of International Maritime Organization (IMO) Conventions relating to oil pollution, materials on oil spill combating, dispersants, research on combating methods, related technical developments and other useful materials;
• Preparing reports relating to marine emergencies in the region, and elsewhere as necessary, for circulation to PERSGA and to regional States;
• Maintaining and regularly updating a record of IMO Conventions ratified by regional States;
• Establishing links between the EMARSGA and IMO and liaising with key IMO personnel in order to obtain IMO support for EMARSGA activities;
• Establishing links with the REMPEC in Malta and the ROPME EMARSGA in Bahrain and liaising with the directors of these centres in order to share experiences on combating pollution, recording and reporting pollution incidents, training etc.;
• Maintaining a record of all national contingency plans developed by regional States, together with national laws and regulations relating to these plans;
• Disseminating information on national contingency plans, laws, regulations, issues relating to oil spill combating, research on pollution combating etc. to regional States as appropriate;
• Encouraging the establishment and effectiveness of regional Contingency Planning Committees responsible for reviewing and updating national contingency plans;
• Providing advice to Contracting Parties on the preparation of laws and regulations and the establishment of national authorities responsible for pollution combating; 
• Establishing training facilities at the EMARSGA equipped to modern standards using computer-based training aids;
• Acting as the focal point for implementation of the Action Plan on Contingency Planning for the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, carrying out duties and responsibilities defined in this Action Plan;
• Organizing and arranging for the conduct of training programmes in relevant subjects, which may include the preparation of laws and regulations relating to the establishment of national authorities responsible for pollution combating, the preparation of marine emergency contingency plans, ‘train the trainers’, the use of dispersants, sensitivity mapping, risk assessment analysis, oil spill modeling etc.;
• Preparing comprehensive anti-pollution manuals for use in the region, based on existing materials or regional-specific data and methods;
• Initiating and following up arrangements between Member States to facilitate the rapid transfer of personnel, equipment and materials across national borders when these have to be moved from one State to another when dealing with marine emergency situations;
• Initiating desk exercises to practice the rapid transfer of personnel, equipment and materials across national borders when dealing with marine emergency situations.

Qualifications:

The Director will hold first and higher degrees in disciplines related to marine or environmental science, or a Master Mariner’s Certificate of Competency and a higher degree.   He will have a dynamic approach to his work, an excellent working understanding of contingency planning, of IMO Conventions relating to the prevention of marine pollution, and of the work of IMO in this field.   He will have excellent inter-personal skills to enable him to liaise effectively with senior personnel in all regional States and good IT skills to facilitate document preparation.   Well-developed administrative and organizational abilities will be needed by the appointee.   A knowledge of legal requirements and regulations relating to the establishment of national contingency plans will be useful.  

Languages required:   Fluency in Arabic and English, written and spoken.   Knowledge of French will be an advantage.  

Experience:

At least 15 years in pollution combating, ideally with practical experience in the use and operation of combating equipment, or at least 8 years of seagoing experience followed by 7 years’ experience in a field relevant to pollution combating, marine operations and/or dealing with marine emergencies.  

 Application:

Interested candidates should submit their CV by Email to ziad@persga.org.