1 The Marine Environment Protection Committee,
at its forty-eighth session, with a view to ensuring the proper development,
drafting, and submission of proposals for the designation of Particularly
Sensitive Sea Areas in accordance with the Guidelines for the Identification
and Designation of Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (the PSSA Guidelines),
approved a Guidance Document for Submissions of PSSA Proposals to
IMO, which was circulated as MEPC/Circ.398. Since the revised PSSA
Guidelines were adopted by the twenty-fourth Assembly in December
2005, the Committee, at its fifty-fourth session, adopted this revised
Guidance Document. It is also important to note that the Committee,
at its forty-sixth session, agreed that the Florida Keys PSSA proposal
(MEPC 46/6/2) should serve as a model by Member States when proposing
their PSSAs, and Member Governments should use the revised PSSA Guidelines
(resolution A.982(24)) in preparing submissions of PSSA proposals.
2 The Guidance Document, as set out at annex to
this circular, is complementary to the revised Guidelines for the
Identification and Designation of Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas,
contained in Assembly resolution A.982(24). This document in no way
supersedes the PSSA Guidelines and any PSSA application must fulfil
the provisions of those Guidelines.
3 Member Governments are invited to use the annexed
Guidance Document in the development, drafting, and submission proposals
for the designation of Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas. Member Governments
are also invited to bring this annexed Guidance Document to the attention
of all interested entities.
4 This Guidance Document supersedes the Guidance
Document contained in MEPC/Circ.398.