The Marine Environment Protection Committee,
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Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Resolutions - Marine Environment Protection Committee - Resolution MEPC.294(71) - Designation of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area - (adopted on 7 July 2017) - The Marine Environment Protection Committee,

The Marine Environment Protection Committee,

RECALLING Article 38(a) of the Convention on the International Maritime Organization concerning the functions of the Marine Environment Protection Committee conferred upon it by international conventions for the prevention and control of marine pollution from ships,

BEING AWARE of the ecological criteria, in particular the criteria relating to uniqueness or rarity, naturalness, diversity and fragility criteria, and the socio-economic and scientific criteria of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park as well as its vulnerability to damage by international shipping activities and the steps taken by the Philippines to address that vulnerability,

NOTING the Revised Guidelines for the Identification and Designation of Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas adopted by resolution A.982(24), as amended by resolution MEPC.267(68), (Revised PSSA Guidelines), and the Revised Guidance Document for Submission of PSSA Proposals to IMO set forth in MEPC.1/Circ.510,

HAVING AGREED that the criteria for the identification and designation of a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) provided in the Revised PSSA Guidelines are fulfilled for the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park,

HAVING NOTED that the Maritime Safety Committee, at its ninety-eighth session, adopted, pursuant to SOLAS Chapter V, the establishment of an area to be avoided as an Associated Protective Measure for the "Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) in the Sulu Sea" (SN.1/Circ.335), aimed at improving the safety of navigation and the protection of the marine environment, and that this routeing measure will be implemented on 1 January 2018 at 0000 hours UTC,

1 DESIGNATES the region surrounding Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, as described in annex 1 to the present resolution, as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area;

2 INVITES Member Governments to recognize the ecological, socio-economic and scientific criteria of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park area, set forth in annex 2 to the present resolution, as well as its vulnerability to damage by international shipping activities, as described in annex 3 to the present resolution;

3 FURTHER INVITES Member Governments to note the Associated Protective Measure established to address the area's vulnerability, the details of which are contained in annex 4 to the present resolution.

Parent topic: Resolution MEPC.294(71) - Designation of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area - (adopted on 7 July 2017)
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