The Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution (the Bucharest Convention) was adopted in 1992 and entered into force in 1994. The contracting parties to the Convention are Bulgaria, Romania, Russian Federation, Georgia, Turkey and Ukraine. The Bucharest Convention has a Protocol on Cooperation in combating pollution of the Black Sea Marine Environment by Oil and Other Harmful Substances in Emergency Situations. Together the Convention and the Cooperation Protocol provide the framework for actions concerning regional co-operation in combating marine pollution incidents. The implementation of the Convention is managed by the Commission for the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution (the Black Sea Commission) with its Permanent Secretariat in Istanbul. The Advisory Group on the Environmental Safety Aspects of Shipping (ESAS) “coordinates the regional approach to emergency response, particularly the international response to accidents involving the extraction, maritime transport, handling and storage of oil and, where relevant hazardous chemicals”.