A new milestone has been reached for AECO this month as the association was invited to become part of Svalbard’s council for public safety, preparedness and crises management. This invitation recognize and values AECO and our members as a resource and important partner.
The council is administrated by the Governor of Svalbard and participants are leaders in entities that have resources or will play a major role in case of a larger emergency in Svalbard. The council discusses relevant civil protection and emergency preparedness issues and serves as an arena for oversight and exchange of information.
The council normally meets three times a year. AECO participated in the first meeting on board MV Polarsyssel on May 4. AECO’s assistant director Ilja Leo Lang gave an overview of how the industry is working to manage safe cruise tourism. Another important topic was the role that cruise ships can play as a vessel of opportunity in the case of incidents.
AECO is delighted to be working with the Governor of Svalbard (Sysselmannen på Svalbard) and other local partners on preparedness issues in Svalbard and will aim to participant in relevant meetings in the future.
