Dear all
For those of you who were able to attend Interspill last week – we hope you enjoyed the presentations and events and were able to stop by the ISCO stand!
In addition, several of you of you have written to us with their comments and reflections, which are consolidated below:
Paul Rayner, Vikoma and Interspill Chair
Some months ago, I posted on LinkedIn that it was an honour to be Chair for this year’s Interspill and it has turned out to be an excellent exhibition and conference.
With over 1100 delegates, 75 exhibitors, 160 speakers, 6 emerging leaders and over 30 students Interspill was a fantastic event.
Over 70 countries were represented at Interspill, and it truly was a great networking and collaboration event.
We had a packed conference programme and a full exhibition hall.
Speaking to delegates, exhibitors and speakers there was a genuine buzz around the event and lots of positive feedback regarding the number of visitors and the quality of the conference programme.
With 70 countries represented it shows what an international event Interspill has become.
I passed the boomerang onto our colleagues from Australia, and they kicked off the countdown to Spillcon 2026, keep an eye out for further details.
Many people and organisations contributed to make Interspill a massive success this year and a big thank you once again to our sponsors, exhibitors, speakers, delegates, Interspill and conference committees, Emerging Leaders, students, Co-Chairs and especially Tom Treverton and Five Senses Media. I announced that Interspill will return to continental Europe in 2028, further details will be released on our Interspill website and LinkedIn.
A final “thank-you” to ISCO, great to see ISCO celebrating its 40th anniversary at Interspill and a big thank you to ISCO for sponsoring our Emerging Leaders & students participation programme.
Paul
Richard Johnson (Committee co-chair with Rob Holland)
The Conference Committee put together a rich technical programme of topical papers and discussions, presented in 70 sessions over three days. This included panel sessions on the Red Sea, sunken vessels and incident and crisis management; case studies on incidents in Singapore, Tobago and South Africa; lectures on alternative and emerging fuels; as well as updates on new shipping risks, regional frameworks, and plastics and marine litter. It also incorporated the 6th Premiam Conference (Pollution Response in Emergencies: Monitoring and Impact Assessment), providing a forum for scientists, regulators, environmental advisers and other professionals working in the field of marine oil/chemical spill monitoring and impact assessment.
The day before the official opening of Interspill 2025, leading industry organisations (Cedre, Ipieca, ITOPF and OSRL) delivered three short training courses under the umbrella of the Interspill Academy.
Situated on the Exhibition show floor, the OceanPact Science & Innovation theatre, organised by ITOPF and Cedre and UK Spill delivered three-days of workshops addressing key topical issues, in particular low-sulfur fuel oils (LSFO), plastics, alternative fuels and volatile hazardous noxious substances (HNS), with speakers drawn from industry and academia. The show floor also featured poster displays from a wide range of perspectives on the latest research, technological advancements and recent case studies.
The Student Participation Programme (sponsored by ISCO) offered a number of free-of-charge event passes to university students to create awareness of the various areas and roles on offer and to encourage newcomers to join the marine spill response community. The students were supported by six industry professionals selected as part of the Emerging Leaders Programme, also sponsored by ISCO. These were individuals who had demonstrated a strong commitment to the marine spill industry and made noteworthy achievements during the early part of their careers.
The final plenary session brought things to a close, with a topline summary of events, reflections and thanks. The boomerang was then passed from Paul Rayner to Stuart Field representing AMOSC, who are delivering the next of the triennial series of international events, Spilllcon 2026 in Perth, Australia.
Interspill brought intergovernmental agencies such as IMO, government reps, shipping industry personnel including P&I and salvage colleagues, energy companies, responders, consultants, manufacturers and students all under one roof to cross pollinate. The forum enabled elders to pass knowledge on to emerging talent, and emerging talent to enlighten elders – in a two-way street both do well to recognise. We enjoyed listening to the discussion panels and all of the presenters, we enjoyed visiting the large array of exhibitors’ stands and having engaging discussions. We learned a lot from everyone and will take this forward in our future responses.
Richard
Wu Yue, ISCO Council Member
ISCO recently shone at the Interspill 2025 exhibition held at ExCeL London. This marked the first public appearance of ISCO’s restructured management team, attracting government agencies and enterprises from multiple countries, with the number of member organizations and individuals continuing to grow, now exceeding 150.
Management Presence and Membership Growth : ISCO was represented at the exhibition by Chairman Rupert Bravery, Director Wu Yue, Director Matthew Sommerville, and Council members Captain Nicholas Sloane FNI, Zal Rustom, Paul Foley, and Captain Bill Boyle. I was able to meet with representatives from the IMO, the Nigerian Spill Control Association, Lamor, Vikoma, and other enterprises on behalf of ISCO.
Chinese Enterprises’ Highlights: Notably, Weihai Wes-tech Equipment Co., Ltd., an ISCO member from China, made a striking appearance at the exhibition, showcasing its innovative technologies and equipment in oil spill control. Huzhou Jinye Surface Technology also drew attention with its new oil-absorbing materials.
Exhibition Activities and Sponsorship Programs. At the exhibition, ISCO not only displayed its latest technologies and products at booth F23 but also sponsored the “ISCO Emerging Leaders Programme” and the “ISCO Student Participation Programme.” The Emerging Leaders Programme recognized the following six professionals who have shown a strong commitment to the marine spill industry and achieved significant accomplishments early in their careers:
Lee Britton (National Environmental Emergency Centre, Canada)
Rhea Shears (OSRL)
Nicole McShane (Ambipar Response)
Natálie Kirk, (ITOPF)
Nguyen, Tai Hong (Ipieca: GI SEA)
Marina Sendin (Digital Earth Solutions SL.).
Future Outlook: The successful participation in and support for the hosting of this exhibition not only demonstrated ISCO’s leadership in oil spill control but also laid a solid foundation for future international cooperation and technological development. As the number of member organizations and individuals continues to increase, ISCO will continue to enhance global preparedness and cooperation in oil spill control, making greater contributions to environmental protection and human safety.
Wu
Travis Hansen, Emergency Preparedness & Response Adviser, ExxonMobil
Interspill had its 25th anniversary last week, held at the ExCeL convention centre in London. This is Europe’s premiere Oil Spill Clean-up Conference and Exhibition, part of a triennial series and focused on the challenges and solutions related to future oil spills, connecting international experts and industry leaders. The event includes a conference with expert panel discussions, an exhibition showcasing the latest technologies and services, and supporting programs like science and innovation workshops.
The event brought global thought-leaders from international spill response companies, private sector, governmental bodies, and NGOs together to discuss more traditional challenges such as Incident management, contingency planning, and shipping risks, but also newer ones such as the growing risk of hazardous and noxious substances (HNS).
I chaired the section on Wellbeing and Technology within Incident Response and I was left in no doubt about the value of these events. The number of questions we had throughout, and the requests to share material, really highlighted the collaboration and learning in action.
Further supporting programs, the first sponsored by ISCO, provided additional value to and catered across the spectrum for those with decades of experience in this sector or those that are relatively new.
1. Emerging Leaders Programme: Recognizing and supporting the next generation of leaders in the industry.
2. Science and Innovation Workshops: Providing opportunities for learning and networking.
3. Interspill Academy Training: Offering short courses and workshops on various topics.
4. Student Participation Programme: Providing opportunities for students to attend the event
5. Diversity, Equality & Inclusion Lunch: A dedicated event focusing on DE&I in the oil spill industry.
From the moment I engaged with Interspill I was impressed with the simplicity and power of their message – Prevent, Prepare, Respond, Restore. These conferences help the industry along that entire range – from working hard to stop these things from happening, but then accepting that the need for energy, the scope of providing it and past history means that accidents will happen. The industry must be ready across all those elements and Interspill has been at the forefront of these activities for 25 years, of which I am proud to be a part.
Travis
