Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) incident in the UK on 10th March 2025

 The WLGA, represented by Director David Tyler, will attend meetings during the week commencing 28th April 2025 on the 2010 Convention on the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) by sea. It will be jointly hosted by the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Funds and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). 

An incident involving two vessels carrying HNS occurred off the east coast of the United Kingdom on 10th March 2025.  It is reported that the container ship Solong ran into the oil tanker MV Stena Immaculate, which was at anchor at the time.

The incident left the Solong on fire and sent aviation fuel, Jet A1, spilling into the sea. The vessels were carrying HNS cargoes and the incident would have triggered a claim on the HNS Convention had it been ratified. Reporting on the recent incident the IOPCF said (IOPC FUNDS | Detail):

‘…This incident would have been covered by the pending 2010 HNS Convention had the Convention been in force.  The HNS Convention covers personal injury claims, fire and explosion and incidents involving a wide range of hazardous and noxious substances, including jet fuel…’

The incident reinforces the important decision to retain a separate account for LPG within the HNS Convention, protecting it from claims from other HNS cargoes such as this latest one in the North Sea involving Jet A1.

The meetings in April, which will be held at the IMO headquarters in London, will attract representatives from over 100 States and will discuss the impending ratification of the HNS Convention. The WLGA attends the meetings as an observer. The renewal of WLGA’s status as an observer to these meetings is one of the topics on the agenda for the April meetings.