The UK and Ireland Spill Association Annual Conference will be held at the Radisson Blu, East Midlands Airport on 4 November 2026.
It will include a broad range of topics reflecting many of the topics of interest, other than PFAS that have exercised our members over the last year.
We will cover inland and marine topics, focusing on innovation, case studies, insurance, environmental liability, and insights from our partner, the Spill Control Association of America.
PFAS has been excluded, as we covered this in some detail at the 2025 Conference and at the Turf and Surf Conference ln June.
Put this date in your diary!
UK and Ireland Spill Association Annual Conference Programme 4 November 2026
0930 – Conference Keynote Opening Address
Gerard McDaid Chair, UK and Ireland Spill Association
Plastic Pollution
0950 – 0950 – Case Study 1: Nurdle pollution incidents: lessons to be considered
Kate Vagliani (née Fraser-Smith), Oracle Environmental Ltd, members of the PPWG
HFO Spill
1010 – Case study 2: Port of Dublin HFO spill
Brian McGonagle, PWS Services
1040 – Networking Break in Exhibition Area
Product Innovation
1100 – Herders for use in inland and marine spill response
Dave Reddington, OSRL
1130 – VLSFO response and new generation skimmers – Vikoma, DESMI and Lamor
1200 – The wonder of modern science – short 10 minute presentations from our innovators!
Fullsulate (Mark Shepherd), A&S Environmental (Shaun MacDonald) , SpillAway, (TBC) Fuel Spill Digester (Tony Davis.,
1240 – Lunch and networking
1340 – A report on the US spill industry and common issues!
Lawrence Malizzi, Spill Control Association of America
Alternative Fuels – introduced by Mark Orr – Chair UK Marine Alternative Fuels Preparation Group
1410 – Alternative Fuels update and how COMAH and other regulations will have to adjust –Mark J Orr, Executive Director
1415 – Case Study 3 – TBC
Employment Opportunities Working Group – Chair, Mark Shepherd, FullSulate
1435 – Update on the ‘Responder Competency by Qualification Scheme’
Mark J Orr, Executive Director
1450 – Responder Mental Health – Mark Orr and Paul Foley, OSRL
Panel discussion: James Woodford, OSRL, Harrison Jolly, Ambipar, Mathew Perkins Adler and Allan
1520 – Coffee and Tea Break in Exhibition Area
Insurance and Regulation
1530 Insights on the regional insurance market and in particular Environmental Liability
TBC, International Underwriter Association
1600 – Regulation/Legislation update: We are now going in the right direction with LCRM and RPS 215 but what about permitting
James Godfrey, Elwood Environmental
Closing Keynote Address
1615 – Reflection on the changing response world
Hosted panel discussion
1645 – Open Discussion
1700 – Closing comments and thanks
Our thanks to our sponsors at this event:
Available – Pre dinner drinks sponsor
Socotec – ‘Toast to the Responders’ Sponsor
International Spill Accreditation Scheme – Awards Sponsor