22 November 2016: The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has established a working group to assess the environmental impacts of wastes from mining operations and held a series of events to increase implementation of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention) and other Conventions.
IMO has also worked to raise awareness among countries in West and Central Africa on ship recycling and launched a kid-friendly website on its marine and atmosphere protection work.
The Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) established a working group to assess the environmental impacts of wastes from mining operations in the marine environment. GESAMP, a UN advisory body, formed the working group at its 43rd annual session in Nairobi, Kenya, in response to a request from the Parties to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter 1972, known as the London Convention. GESAMP also addressed, inter alia: studies on the sources and effects of microplastics in the marine environment; trends in global pollution of coastal and marine environments; an evaluation of harmful substances carried by ships; applications for active substances to be used in ballast water management (BWM) systems; and the Group’s contributions to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
As part of efforts to implement the BWM Convention that aims to reduce the transfer of potentially harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens in ships’ ballast water, which will enter into force on 8 September 2017, IMO’s GloBallast hosted two events in Croatia in November. The first was a risk assessment seminar in Zagreb where marine biologists, maritime authorities and port state control officers from Croatia, Egypt, Ghana, Jordan and Nigeria learned about conducting ‘Port Biological Baseline Surveys,’ which inventory marine life in and around commercial ports, and discussed strategies for ensuring compliance with monitoring and enforcement. The second event outlined the implementation status of the BWM Convention for a wide range of stakeholders, including IMO member States, BWM system manufacturers and testing organizations and ship owners.
On ship recycling, also in November, Cabo Verde, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe and Sierra Leone agreed to work towards ratifying IMO’s ship recycling treaty, the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (the Hong Kong Convention), at an IMO Workshop in Accra, Ghana. The Hong Kong Convention aims to ensure that ship recycling does not threaten the environment, human health or safety. The Convention was adopted 15 May 2009 and will enter into force 24 months after ratification by 15 States representing 40% of global merchant shipping by gross tonnage, with a combined maximum annual ship recycling volume not less than 3% of their combined tonnage. IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) released a calculation of recycling capacity for meeting the Hong Kong Convention’s entry into force requirements in 2014 that shows at least 15 states whose combined merchant fleets constitute a gross tonnage of at least 449,059,784 need to ratify the Convention. Norway, the Republic of Congo and France have ratified or acceded to the Convention. IMO is currently working on a set of guidelines to support the Convention’s implementation.
To support education and awareness raising, IMO launched a kid-friendly website that illustrates how it protects the marine environment and the atmosphere by minimizing pollution from ships and by developing international regulations and standards to increase shipping safety globally. Users can click on various links to learn about ensuring clean oceans and addressing marine litter and waste, tackling invasive species, protecting marine life from noise pollution, and protecting the atmosphere, among other topics. The Global Partnership for Marine Litter (GPML) provided financial support for the website as part of its collaboration with IMO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO).
IMO’s recent work has also addressed, inter alia, safety at sea, fuel consumption data collection requirements for ships, energy efficiency on ships and oil spill response. IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee is meeting to discuss a proposed new Code to ensure the safe transfer of individuals at sea and requirements for working in Polar Waters. The Committee is meeting from 21-25 November. Also on maritime safety, IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim opened the Maritime Safety Research Centre (MSRC) at the University of Strathclyde in the UK. It aims to improve safety at sea through collaboration between academia and industry. In an address, Lim highlighted the Centre’s potential to promote risk-informed legislation and goal-based standards on maritime safety. [IMO News Page] [BWM Convention Website] [Hong Kong Convention Website] [MEPC Calculation] [IMO Kids Website] [GPML Website] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on BWM Convention Entry into Force] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on IMO Fuel Consumption Data Collection]