APEC Marine Debris risks, regulation & the IMO regime Shipping - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

APEC Marine Debris

risks, regulation & the IMO regime

Shipping in society & the global economy

• Global, multi-national & gargantuan
• Carries >90% world trade
• Underpins global economic

development

• 85,000 ships in world fleet
• 5.4 billion tonnes cargo / year
• Modern society totally shipping

dependant

• Shipping

/fishing most intensive human use of the seas

• Active in all

maritime zones

Environmental impacts of shipping

• Shipping most energy-efficient, cost-

effective & ecologically sound mode of freight transport

• Net environmental costs/benefits per unit

cargo carried

• However, can still cause major impacts

Environmental impacts of shipping

Different ship types = different impacts, e.g.: Tankers – risk of major spills, little sewage & garbage Cruise liners – minor risk of spills, major sewage & garbage

Pollution accidents & emergencies

• Global media focus
• However, not a severe as
• ngoing, chronic pollution such

as ‘operational’ discharges, inc. garbage / marine debris

Garbage / marine debris

• 6.4 million tonnes / year globally
• 5.6 million tonnes from shipping
• 46,000 pieces of plastic / square mile
• 3 x more garbage into ocean as fish

taken out

• N Pacific – 6 pounds of plastic for

every pound of plankton near surface

• Significant wildlife impacts
• Transfer fouling species
• High seas convergence zones

International regulatory regime

UNCLOS:

• 69 of 320 Articles relate directly to

shipping

• Freedom of navigation
• Right of innocent passage
• Flag State control
• Part XII – inc. controls on pollution &

discharges

IMO Regime

Specialised agency of the UN

IMO Conventions

• MARPOL 73 / 78
• Annex V deals with garbage
• Applies to ALL vessels, as per below:

MARPOL 73/78

• Annex V requires waste reception facilities

in ports

• Lack of these is MAJOR problem

Technical Guidelines & Manuals

Ship-board Management Plans

MARPOL Special Areas

The North Sea The Baltic Sea The Black Sea* The Mediterranean Sea* The Gulf Area* The Red Sea* The Antarctic south of 60oS is a Special Area for Annexes I, II and V

Wider Caribbean*

The areas marked (*) have not been enforced as Special Areas in all respects due to lack of adequate reception facilities (the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea have

• btained the full Special Area status for Annex I).

Additional Annex V Restrictions in Special Areas

Malpelo Island Great Barrier Reef Sabana-Camaguey Florida Keys

PSSAs

Wadden Sea

PSSAs

• IMO Assembly Resolution A.972(22)

‘The criteria relate to PSSAs within and beyond the limits of the territorial sea. They can be used by IMO to designate PSSAs beyond the territorial sea with a view to the adoption of international protective measures regarding pollution and other damage caused by ships’

Last 50 years - performance to date

Governance gaps

• IMO regime highly successful in

reducing shipping accidents, oil pollution & sea dumping

• Largely ineffective at addressing

marine debris (distance from land / compliance enforcement / poor waste reception in ports

• Cultural change required – human

element

Governance gaps

• MARPOL distances from land criteria

reinforce “out of sight, out of mind” mentality’

Governance needs

• Better implementation of existing regime
• Overhaul MARPOL – move away from

distance from land philosophy

• Creative approaches to address marine

debris

• More coastal and port State control with

better flag State implementation (satellite monitoring?)

Huge education effort needed

Encourage industry initiatives / non- regulatory incentives

Ultimate objective

Shipping / fishing is global

Oceans are inter- connected

Garbage / marine debris

• Must be addressed in a, strategic, integrated

manner

• As part of a ‘total oceans management’ regime

www.imo.org www.imo.org