Secretary of States Representative

for Maritime Salvage and Intervention -

(SOSREP)

Hugh Shaw
Secretary of States Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention
(SOSREP)
Tel: 023 80329517
Fax: 023 80329485
Email: hugh.shaw@mcga.gov.uk

The current SOSREP is Hugh Shaw, who took up the post on the 1st of January 2008. In his first year as SOSREP, Hugh dealt with 171 incidents, issuing 7 Directions and creating 8 Temporary Exclusion Zones. Hugh has over thirty years experience in the maritime industry, beginning his career as a deck officer with Mobil Shipping Company and then moving up the ranks within HM Coastguard prior to reaching the position of District Controller at Forth Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre. In 2003 he became the MCA Counter Pollution and Salvage Officer for Scotland and Northern Ireland. A year later, Hugh was appointed as the Deputy to the SOSREP based with the then Department for Trade and Industry in Aberdeen.

Role and Responsibilities

The role of the SOSREP is to represent the Secretaries of State for the Department for Transport (in relation to ships) and for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (in relations to offshore installations) by removing or reducing the risk to safety, property and the UK environment arising from accidents involving ships, fixed or floating platforms or sub-sea infrastructure. SOSREP’s powers extend to UK territorial waters (12 nautical miles from the coast/baseline) for safety issues and to the UK Pollution Control Zone (200 miles or the median line with neighbouring states) for pollution. SOSREP is empowered to make crucial and often time-critical decisions, without delay and without recourse to higher authority, where such decisions are in the overriding UK public interest.

Working closely with the MCA, its parent organisation the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), SOSREP’s key responsibilities include:

• acting at the earliest point during a shipping or offshore incident to assess the risk to safety, to prompt the end of any such incident and to ensure that increasing risk is evaluated and appropriate measures taken to prevent or respond to escalation;
• monitoring all response measures to significant incidents involving shipping and the offshore industry;
• if necessary, exercising ultimate control by implementing the powers of intervention, acting in the overriding interests of the UK and its environment;
• participating in major national and international exercises;
• reviewing all activities after significant incidents and exercises.

History

The SOSREP role was created in 1999 as part of the Government's response to Lord Donaldson's review of salvage and intervention and their command and control. This review and its subsequent report were prompted by the SEA EMPRESS incident in 1996.

Jim Dickson
Deputy to the SOSREP
Tel:01224 254039
Email:jim.dickson@mcga.gov.uk or jim.dickson@decc.gsi.gov.uk

Dominic joined the MCA in 2002 spending 6 years with the Counter Pollution Branch where his role included compiling cost recovery claims following shipping incidents, managing the MCA oil spill dispersant stockpiles and procurement of counter pollution equipment and resources. Following a brief period doing Environmental Policy work, he joined the SOSREP team in November 2008. Dominic manages the SOSREP Unit’s administration on a day to day basis and takes on the role of Room Manager when a Salvage Control Unit is established to deal with a shipping incident. He also offers support to DECC should they establish an Operational Control Unit to deal with an offshore incident.

Dominic Stevens
SOSREP Support Officer
Tel: 023 80329412
Fax: 023 80329485
Email: dominic.stevens@mcga.gov.uk