This publication provides Guidelines on international offers of assistance (IOA) in response to a marine oil pollution incident and is designed for use by any country, particularly parties to the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation, 1990 (OPRC 1990), as a tool to assist in managing requests for spill response resources and offers of assistance from other countries and organizations when confronted with large, complex or significant oil spill incidents.

Although developed by a technical group of the IMO, these guidelines could be used during large, complex or significant oil spills within inland areas as well as marine or coastal environments. While these guidelines can play an important role in the implementation of the OPRC 1990 Convention, they are not prescriptive or legally binding, and are meant as a tool to assist as needed.