From the Haven accident to the RAMOGEPOL Plan

On April 11, 1991, the oil tanker MT Haven sank in the Gulf of Genoa following an explosion and fire. The accident caused an oil spill, the most severe environmental disaster to occur in peacetime in the Mediterranean, although its impact was mitigated by the swift response of the Italian, Monegasque, and French authorities.

Although RAMOGE had already established contingency plans for major incidents, particularly in the Principality, including the use of floating booms, dispersants, and oil recovery equipment, the Haven disaster proved a real test and convinced the authorities of the three countries of the need for an even stronger and more coordinated joint response to major accidental pollution events. In Monaco, the Scientific Centre (CSM) had already developed expertise in this field as early as the 1960s, through oil recovery exercises and related initiatives, further reinforced by Prince Rainier’s awareness of the issue, having been “deeply struck by the Torrey Canyon oil spill on the Breton coast” (Le Point, 1976).

On October 7, 1993, RAMOGEPOL was signed, a plan that revitalized RAMOGE through strengthened cooperation in the fight against accidental marine pollution, based on coordinated deployment of response resources and regular joint exercises. It was revised in 2005, 2012, and 2016, with the judicial dimension gaining importance, and a cooperation framework for aerial surveillance to detect illegal discharges (OSCAR-MED) established in 2014.

The RAMOGEPOL Plan covers a much larger area than the original RAMOGE zone, which was extended that same year from the mouth of the Grand-Rhône (Camargue), west of Marseille, to the mouth of the Magra River, east of La Spezia. It stretches from the Camargue to Cape Anzio, near Rome, includes Corsica and northern Sardinia, and, when necessary and upon request, the entirety of the waters south of the island.

Over the years, the Plan has been activated three times, notably in 2018 following the collision between the Ulysse and the Virginia off Cape Corsica, enabling the recovery of 90% of the hydrocarbons.

PETROLIER HAVEN
MT Haven on fire and sinking, photograph by Franz Chavaroche, April 11, 1991. Nice-Matin Archives.

The MT Haven accident as reported in Nice-Matin, April 13, 16, 17, 22, and 23, 1991, and in Il Secolo XIX, April 12, 13, and 14, 1991. A.N.M., SP/28/8, Nice-Matin Archives and Il Secolo XIX Foundation Archives. All rights reserved.

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Signing of the RAMOGEPOL Plan by Vice Admiral Gérard Gazzano, French Maritime Prefect for the Mediterranean, Jean-Paul Darcis, Director of Ports and Head of the Marine Service of Monaco, and Matteo Baradà, Director General of the Central Inspectorate for the Defense of the Sea at the Italian Ministry of the Merchant Marine, with Giovanni Falchi, Head of the Italian Delegation, César Solamito, Head of the Monegasque Delegation, and Laurent Stefanini, Head of the French Delegation, in the background, Ministry of State, photograph by Gaëtan Luci, October 7, 1993. A.P.M., PH/2137.
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Nice-Matin, October 8, 1993.
Map of the RAMOGE and RAMOGEPOL areas established in 1993, showing the three activations of the Plan.

RAMOGEPOL exercise off Viareggio, between Pisa and La Spezia, including a shoreline response phase on a beach in Pietrasanta, photographs, May 28–30, 2024. RAMOGE Archives.

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Digital exhibition

Exhibition Content

From the intuition of a prince to the signing of RAMOGE 01 From the intuition of a prince to the signing of RAMOGE The RAMOGE laboratory vessel and the first initiatives 02 The RAMOGE laboratory vessel and the first initiatives From the Haven accident to the RAMOGEPOL Plan 03 From the Haven accident to the RAMOGEPOL Plan Active section 1990s–2000s: Biodiversity and the coastline at the heart of the mission 04 1990s–2000s: Biodiversity and the coastline at the heart of the mission After 2009: a new strategy for a more comprehensive approach 05 After 2009: a new strategy for a more comprehensive approach Deep ecosystems, a still largely unknown world: exploration campaigns launched in 2015 06 Deep ecosystems, a still largely unknown world: exploration campaigns launched in 2015 Exemplary cooperation in addressing contemporary challenges 07 Exemplary cooperation in addressing contemporary challenges The RAMOGE Agreement in figures 08 The RAMOGE Agreement in figures Credits and acknowledgements 09 Credits and acknowledgements