1 Background
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Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Circulars - Marine Environment Protection Committee - MEPC.1/Circular.510 – Guidance Document for Submission of PSSA Proposals to IMO – (10 May 2006) - Annex – Guidance Document for Submission of PSSA Proposals to IMO - 1 Background

1 Background

  1.1 In December 2005, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Assembly adopted resolution A.982(24) which sets forth the detailed requirements to be included in an application for designation of a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA). This resolution supersedes Annex 2 of Assembly resolution A.927(22). Its requirements should be followed in preparing a PSSA proposal. To assist Member Governments in meeting the requirements of resolution A.982(24), this document provides guidance for the development, drafting, and submission of proposals to IMO for the designation of a PSSA. This document sets forth the issues that should be included in such a proposal to facilitate its assessment and approval by IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC); however, the assessment and determination of whether a PSSA should be designated are ultimately controlled by whether the proposal meets the provisions of resolution A.982(24).

  1.2 A PSSA is a comprehensive management tool at the international level that provides a mechanism for reviewing an area that is vulnerable to damage by international shipping and determining the most appropriate way to address that vulnerability. In general, to be identified as a PSSA, three elements must be present: (1) the area must have certain attributes (ecological, socio-economic, or scientific); (2) it must be vulnerable to damage by international shipping activities; and (3) there must be a measurefootnote with an identified legal basis that can be adopted by IMO to prevent, reduce, or eliminate risks from these activities. If approved by IMO, the end result will be an area designated as a “Particularly Sensitive Sea Area” and one or more IMO-adopted measures for ships to follow. Information on each of the PSSAs that has been designated by IMO is available at www.imo.org.

  1.3 Proposals must be submitted in accordance with the IMO rules and procedures for the submission of documents. Governmentsfootnote may check with the IMO Secretariat for the precise submission deadline as well as other administrative rules.

Parent topic: Annex – Guidance Document for Submission of PSSA Proposals to IMO
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