OSRL have announced the dates and location of the next ITAC conference (please see link and registration information below)
Dr. Rob Holland tells us that the conference agenda will cover all current “hot topics” in the spill response world, for example:
· Technology, Tools & Techniques: what’s new in the world of spill response?
· People: Responder mental health and wellbeing
· Alternative Fuels: research updates and response implications
· Plastics Response: recent case histories and new guidance
· Stakeholder updates: what’s going on across global industry and government agencies ?
ITAC 2025 – Oil Spill Response Conference | 28–30 Oct, 2025, at CEDRE, Brest
What is ITAC?
The International Technical Advisory Committee (ITAC) is a technical forum that was established in 1996 to address oil spill response (OSR) issues of interest to its member organisations and the wider response community. ITAC projects sought to provide advice, technical support, good practice guidelines and benchmarking on key issues such as new technological developments in oil spill response techniques, training and response capabilities. ITAC has evolved over the last twenty years, and its model has changed in recent times. Recognising that much of the delivery industry technical outputs are now being channelled through the IOGP/IPIECA JIP and the API projects in the US. ITAC has now been cast in the role of supporting outreach and communication for those industry technical outputs to reach a broader church of stakeholders in the wider oil spill community. As such ITAC no longer “delivers” tangible work items but now offers a forum for knowledge sharing and information exchange.
ITAC’s Key Objectives
Forum for presenting and exchanging scientific and technical information on Oil Spill Preparedness and Response (OSPR)
Assembling a diverse group of OSPR professionals
Articulate industry positions on key international OSPR issues
Identify and address high consequence issues that impinge on effective oil spill preparedness and response
Develop dialogue and links between the science/academic community and the response community to enhance mutual understanding, improve science-based decision-making, scientific support to ongoing responses, and to promote relevant oil spill research.
Engage and encourage new adherents and next-generation interest in oil spill preparedness, response, technology, management
Highlight advances and emerging technologies in oil spill preparedness and response
ITAC Membership
ITAC’s membership comprises the oil industry (i.e. members of OSRL and other GRN OSROs) international organisations (ITOPF, IMO, IOPC etc), Governmental organisations (USCG, NOAA, etc…) R&D institutes (SINTEF, CEDRE, GoMRI etc…). It also includes academic institutes involved in industry-backed studies and other organisations with a non-commercial interest in improving oil spill response. The connection with academia is an important feature of the ITAC model recognising that the industry is a big financial supporter of university-based research but sometimes there has been a disconnect with the sharing of knowledge and outputs from these studies with “industry” which ITAC tries to address.
