Experts Meet In Accra On Oil, Gas Draft Legistlation

Thursday February 11, 2010
By Kingsley Asare

About 78 marine, oil and gas experts yesterday began a two-day forum in Accra to review the various draft legislations to regulate Ghana’s oil and gas industry.

The forum, being organised by the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) under the auspices Ministry of Transport, is to give stakeholders the opportunity to contribute and give their opinions on the draft legislations and regulations to enable the Ministry of Transport to take the necessary action to seek cabinet approval for their enactment.

The draft legislations include Marine Pollution Bill, 2009, Offshore Petroleum(Marine Pollution Prevention and Control)Regulations 2010, Ghana Maritime Security (Amendment) Bill 2010, the Offshore Petroleum(Health and Safety) Bill and Ghana Maritime Authority Amendment Bill 2010.

The others are Ghana Maritime Offshore Installations (Safety) Regulations 2010, Ghana Shipping (Amendment) Bill 2010 and the Ghana Shipping (Safety Zone and Pipeline Protected Area) Regulations.

Opening the forum, the Minister of Transport, Mr Mike Hammah said following his Ministry’s oil and gas conference held in July last year, it became clear that the Ghana Maritime Authority would be the focal point for the Ministry’s legislative support for the off-shore oil and gas development due to its marine nature.

Following the conference, Mr Hammah, said it became necessary for the Ghana Maritime Authority to draft the relevant draft legislations for consideration and enactment.

Mr Hammah contended that the pieces of legislation required urgent action since it was envisaged, that the off-shore oil and gas production would become effective in the fourth quarter of this year.

He asserted that the Oil Pollution Law, 1954, a law which dealt with marine pollution prevention was outdated and needed to be reviewed.

Mr Hammah said the off-shore and gas development was bound to impose significant maritime administrative burdens on the Transport Ministry and urged the GMA to intensify its controls and audits in that sector inline with the international treaties and practice.

In his welcome address, the Director General of the GMA, Mr I.P Azumah said at the end of the forum the government would be presented with draft legislations that reflect the collective views of participants in a consensual manner.

He, however, said the availability of statutory documents was necessary but not sufficient to effectively deal with the challenges that confront the country in the process of the oil and gas development.

“As a matter of fact effective implementation and enforcement of the draft legislation if enacted cannot be overemphasized. There is the absolute need for the institutional strengthening and capacity building at all levels by the respective stakeholders for effective performance,” he stated.

In her remarks, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu said the legal and regulatory regime to manage Ghana’s recent petroleum industry was sparse, saying the only laws applicable to the industry now are the PNDC Law 64, 84 and 188, which she said were undergoing review, the Environmental Protection Law and Legislative Instrument 1652.

She urged the agencies represented at the forum to collaborate closely and to harmonise the position of all stakeholders, saying we have the same activities being undertaken by different agencies.

Ms Hanny Sherry Ayitey, Minister for Environment, Science and Technology said her Ministry was concerned with the environmental and social impact assessment of the oil find.

She said the oil find gave the pleasure of employment but at the same time there was also the fear of environmental pollution.

Ms Ayitey said most of the citizens depend on fishing and pleaded that the oil industry lived in harmony with the fishing industry.

Captain (GN RTD) George Asubonteng, Chairman of the GMA Board who chaired the forum, said the draft legislations were fundamental requirements for the take off of the oil and gas development in the last quarter of the year.

“As a matter of fact, my interaction with some industry operators gives me the impression that most of these legislations should have been enacted by now as the rigs, the Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading(FPSO) vessel are almost at base thus imposing the need for a regulatory framework to guide their operations,” the chairman stated.

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