Guidance

National Contingency Plan (NCP)

A strategic overview for responses to marine pollution from shipping and offshore installations

• From: Maritime and Coastguard Agency
• Published: 2 September 2014
• Last updated: 9 July 2024 — See all updates

Documents

United Kingdom National Contingency Plan for Responding to Marine Pollution Incidents (NCP)

PDF, 999 KB, 38 pages

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NCP Legal Basis

PDF, 311 KB, 3 pages

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NCP International Assistance and Co-operation

PDF, 292 KB, 4 pages

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NCP Claims and Compensation

PDF, 407 KB, 12 pages

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Details

The United Kingdom (UK) Government regards the potential pollution of our marine and coastal environment as a serious threat. As the size and displacement of commercial vessels increases, so the size of the offshore oil and gas industry increases. This in turn leads to an increasing risk of pollution incidents.

The NCP sets out:

• the arrangements for dealing with pollution, or the threat of pollution, spilled from ships and offshore installations
• the responsibilities of the Department for Transport, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, harbour authorities, offshore installations operators and other bodies with relevant functions

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Counter Pollution and Salvage Branch is the custodian of the NCP.

Published 2 September 2014
Last updated 9 July 2024 + show all updates

1. 9 July 2024

   Updated attachments to the latest NCP and the latest accompanying documentation. Adjusted the coving text to be more reflective of the current situation.

2. 9 July 2024

   Updated the page to provide the latest National Contingency Plan revision together with the latest accompanying documents.

3. 17 August 2017

   Updated with the latest version of the NCP document - 17/08/2017.

4. 20 November 2015

   National Contingency Plan updated to latest version, correct as on 20/11/2015. Also removed outdated paragraph referring to a past exercise.

5. 2 September 2014

   First published.