The 1st Edition of this guide was originally prepared in 1989 by a joint industry working group made up of members of OCIMF, ICS and SIGTTO. The document has been revised and extended to include ‘Guidelines for Preparing and Co-ordinating a Major Ship/Shore Emergency Exercise’ and was published by SIGTTO in 1994. This was the third guide in a series. The first was ‘Contingency Planning for the Gas Carrier at Sea and in Port Approaches’, first published in 1983 and updated in 1998. The second in the series was ‘Contingency Planning for the Gas Carrier Alongside and Within Port Limits’ published in 1987 and updated in 1998.

A joint action between the IMO and the Environment Office of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP IE) in 1996 adapted an existing process, ‘Awareness and Preparedness for Emergencies at Local Level (APELL)’ to port areas. The APELL process was developed as a response to various industrial accidents that have had a detrimental effect on the environment.

The main APELL recommendations for port areas that are included in this publication are the Seveso II Directive (Control of Major Accident Hazard Regulations (COMAH) in the UK) which is applicable to all sites where dangerous substances are located. On and off site emergency plans must be available at sites within the EU where this directive is applicable.

This guide is not a code of practice or intended to cover all types of major industrial accident. The local and national legislation should always be considered when using the guide.