Last week Overseas Territories, neighbouring States and regional partners met in Miami to attend an intensive three-day workshop on counter pollution management. Facilitated by counter pollution and salvage experts from the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) focus was directed to processes, procedures and co-ordination of mutual support arrangements.
The workshop was supported by a wide range of specialists from other UK Government Departments and regional Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Participants dived deep into areas of regional arrangements, public health, and environmental impacts, with sessions on both oil spill and other hazardous substances pollution management, containment and recovery, public health and the management and disposal of waste.
The remainder of the week focussed on Disaster Management, led by the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), with a focus on wider disaster management including preparation for adverse or severe weather conditions.
The workshops also aimed to develop a deeper understanding of the challenges of resource-sharing between regional states, and facilitated discussions to consider barriers to, benefits and working in practice.
Leon Glass from Tristan Da Cunha, responsible for disaster management, said: “The opening three days of the workshop were amazingly intense. The immersive fictional scenario was masterfully designed, sparking fresh insights through collaboration and uncovering hidden gaps in our current plan. Beyond just broadening my knowledge, it connected me to a dynamic network of specialists - ready to help plug those gaps with industry leading solutions.”
Darion Darroux, Customs Officer, Montserrat, said: “We face a plethora of hazards across our nations and the sessions over the last few days in counter pollution showed that even a single type of event can quickly turn into a multisector disaster. No single organisation or country can handle these events alone. We need each other. Collaboration is always the course of action.”
The counter pollution workshop builds on previous activities from the MCA’s Overseas Support Programme, funded by UK Government, including surveyor training, management of navigation in territorial waters, handling dangerous goods, and search and rescue.
In February 2026, the Overseas Support Programme, HM Coastguard and partners will facilitate the next Overseas Territories Search and Rescue workshop and inaugural Women in Search and Rescue event.