Floating Degassing in the Netherlands from an International Law Perspective

Floating degassing on inland waterways refers to the process of releasing residual vapours into the open air by cargo vessels that have carried petroleum or liquid chemical substances and unloaded their cargo. This is an ongoing, albeit controversial, practice in the Netherlands with public health and environmental consequences and the Dutch Government presented different reasons based on international law for the lack of a comprehensive ban or strict country-wide restrictions on floating degassing. The report provides an analysis of the international legal framework on the issue of floating degassing on inland waterways and discusses the responsibility of the Government to regulate floating degassing under public international law.

The event consists of a presentation of the report by the authors Abdurrahman Erol and Prof. Alessandra Arcuri, followed by a Q&A session where Prof. Harry Geerlings from Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences will also join the panel and engage in a discussion on the topic. The event will be in a hybrid format. The link for online participation will be provided automatically upon registration via this link.

Response from Minister Mark Harbers:

• Kamerbrief over varend ontgassen

Response from Alessandra Arcuri and Abdurrahman Erol to Mark Harbers:

• Letter to the Minister