Wreck removal and compensation for pollution from ship's
bunkers
3.22 There are also two draft international conventions
being developed by the Legal Committee of IMO concerning
wreck removal and compensation for pollution damage from
ships' bunkers. It is expected that significant progress
could be made in the near future.
4 SUMMARY
4.1 The Commission on Sustainable Development is invited
to take note of the following major achievements by IMO since
UNCED:
.1 the Protocol of 1997 to amend MARPOL 73/78 by
adding the new Annex VI to the Convention entitled
"Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution
from Ships" has been adopted;
.2 measures have been taken, including adoption of
guidelines and conduct of technical co-operation
projects, to minimize the adverse effects of the
introduction of harmful aquatic organisms through ships'
ballast water, and the preparation of globally mandatory
regulations is in good progress for adoption in the near
future;
.3 a number of special areas under MARPOL 73/78 and
particularly sensitive sea areas under IMO resolution
A.720(17) have been established for those areas which are
in need of special protection;
.4 the 1990 OPRC Convention has entered into force in
1995 and the preparation of a protocol to extend the
Convention to cover hazardous and noxious substances
(HNS) is in good progress with the view to adoption in
2000;
.5 the International Convention on Liability and
Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage
of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea (the HNS
Convention) was adopted in 1996;
.6 the Code for the Safe Carriage of Irradiated
Nuclear Fuel, Plutonium and High-Level Radioactive Wastes
in Flasks on Board Ships (the INF Code) was adopted in
1993, and amendments to chapter VII of the SOLAS
Convention to make the Code mandatory have been
developed;
.7 five regional Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) on
port State control have been established, which have
become effective tools to promote the implementation of
IMO's treaty instruments on maritime safety and
prevention of marine pollution, and more regional MOUs
are being contemplated;
.8 31 out of 39 treaty instruments adopt by IMO are in
force and the most important treaty instruments relating
to maritime safety and prevention of marine pollution,
such as SOLAS and MARPOL, have been ratified by over 100
States representing more than 90% of the world's total
tonnage; and
.9 with a view to enhancing maritime safety and
preventing marine pollution, more measures have been
taken, including adoption of new and amended traffic
separation schemes, areas to be avoided, rules for
navigating through the Straits of Malacca and Singapore
and a partial system of archipelagic sea lanes in
Indonesian archipelagic waters; a number of mandatory
ship reporting systems have also been adopted,
including"In the Straits of Malacca and
Singapore" and "In the Torres Strait and the
Inner Route to the Great Barrier Reef".
4.2 The Commission on Sustainable Development is also
invited to consider of the following areas which are in need
of further progress as requested by UNCED through Chapter 17
of Agenda 21:
.1 in view of the environmental concerns with regard
to pollution from offshore oil and gas activities, IMO
has kept the matter under review and Member States and
interested organizations are invited to submit documents
to the MEPC for consideration;
.2 the provision of adequate port reception facilities
for wastes from ships is a complicated matter which
involves the shipping industry, port operators, oil and
chemical companies and Governments and the shortage of
such facilities remain a problem. Fresh efforts are being
made in IMO to tackle the problem and Governments are
called upon to support these efforts; and
.3 the problem of harmful effects of the use of TBT based
anti-fouling paints for ships have been recognized, and
measures have been taken with regard to the phase-out of
such anti-fouling paints. It is expected that significant
progress could be made in the next few years.
***
