Agreement on cooperation in the field of preparedness for responding to marine oil pollution in the Arctic.

The purpose of this Agreement is to strengthen cooperation, coordination and mutual assistance between the Parties in the field of preparedness and response to oil pollution in the Arctic in order to protect the marine environment from oil pollution. This Agreement applies to incidents causing oil pollution that occur in any maritime area or could pose a threat to any sea area for which a State whose Government is a Party to this Agreement exercises sovereignty, sovereign rights or jurisdiction in accordance with international law, including its internal waters, territorial sea, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, north of the following southern borders. Each Party supports a national system for prompt and effective response to incidents causing oil pollution. This system takes into account the specifics of activities and terrain in terms of the greatest likelihood of occurrence of an incident causing oil pollution or the possibility of being affected by it, the projected risks for areas of special ecological importance and includes, at a minimum, a national plan or emergency preparedness plans and respond to incidents that cause oil pollution. Such a contingency plan or plans include the organizational relationships of the various public or private organizations involved, taking into account the guidelines developed in accordance with this Agreement and other relevant international agreements. Each Party shall endeavor to take appropriate monitoring actions to identify incidents causing oil pollution in areas under its jurisdiction and, where possible, in adjacent areas outside the jurisdiction of any State. The Parties shall endeavor to cooperate in the organization and conduct of monitoring, especially with respect to transboundary oil pollution, inter alia, by concluding bilateral or multilateral agreements or arrangements.