Lecture Marine environmental studies Topic Ocean dumping

Lecture Marine environmental studies, this topic provides knowledge of ocean dumping. In this chapter, the following content will be discussed: London Dumping Convention of 1972, what is dumping? Orientation, London protocol basic rules, current and future issues,...

Ocean dumping

Class Test

• 6 mins start work

• State 3 reasons why ships use anti fouling paint.

• Mention 2 metals that can be found in antifouling paint.

Ocean dumping

• Dumping of waste at sea is a deliberate activity.

London Dumping Convention of 1972

London Dumping Convention of 1972

• The London Convention 1972 (LC) is one of the first global conventions to protect the marine environment from human activities and has been in force since 1975 85 States are parties to it.

• The London Protocol 1996 (LP), which will eventually replace LC, is in force since 24 March

2006 37 States are parties to it 31 of which are also parties to LC

• The international convention on dumping is the “Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter” ( London Dumping Convention of 1972)

• Under this convention, there is a list of substances that are NOT ALLOWED TO BE DUMPED

AT ALL and a list of substances that are ALLOWED TO BE DUMPED ONLY IN TRACE

QUANTITIES , and also if it can be proved that they can rapidly be rendered harmless at sea London Dumping Convention of 1972

WHAT IS DUMPING?

• DUMPING IS THE DELIBERATE DISPOSAL AT SEA OF WASTES LOADED ON BOARD A VESSEL

• DUMPING IS NOT:

• Pipeline discharges from land

• Operational discharges from vessels or offshore installations

• The objective of LP is to:

• … protect and preserve the marine environment from ALL SOURCES

of pollution, and

• take effective measures,…… to prevent, reduce and where

practicable eliminate pollution caused by dumping or incineration at sea of wastes.

• So LC + LP govern dumping activities world-wide, but always from the perspective of protection from all sources of pollution.

• In issuing a permit, the authorities will need to consider:

1 The nature of the dumping site

2 The quantity of the material to be dumped

3. The toxicity of the material to be dumped

• fish wastes, or material resulting from industrial fish processing operations

• vessels and platforms or other man-made structures at sea

• inert, inorganic geological material (e.g., mining wastes)

• organic material of natural origin

• bulky items primarily comprising iron, steel and concrete for which the concern is physical impact (conditions apply)

• CO2 capture and storage in sub-seabed geological formations (2006)

“ ORIENTATION ”

• 6 of these 8 waste streams are

generated on land

• Sediments are dredged from

harbours and estuaries, but its

quality as a potential resource is

often determined by up stream

sources: Hence the need for

watershed (catchment areas)

management

LONDON PROTOCOL

BASIC RULES (1)

• Protection of the sea and the sea-bed (“Sea” means all marine waters other than internal waters of States….)

• Internal waters are excluded, unless a party “opts-in” (Art 7.2)

• No incineration at sea (Art 5)

• No export of wastes to other countries for dumping or incineration (Art.6)

• Designation of a national authority to implement the Protocol

• Dumping allowed only on the basis of a permit

• Reporting (Art 9) and compliance (Art 11) enhanced

• Technical co-operation (Art.13) and “Transitional period” option for new Parties till 24 March 2011 (Art 26)

• Meaning for dredged materials :

• Sometimes more restrictions to dumping

• Strong emphasis on control of contaminants at source

LONDON PROTOCOL

BASIC RULES (3)

• Reference to "polluter-pays principle"

• "….Parties shall endeavour to promote practices whereby those it has authorized to engage in dumping or incineration at sea bear the cost of meeting the pollution prevention and control requirements for the authorized activities, having due regard to the public interest.” (Art 3.2)

• Meaning for dredged materials:

• Incentive for proper allocation of environmental costs

• In practice: costs of monitoring can be charged to the applicant

• Also recognition that contamination of sediments is often caused elsewhere

CURRENT TRENDS IN DUMPING

• Annually 200 to 400 million tonnes of dredged material are dumped in Convention waters, 10% of which is contaminated from shipping, industrial and municipal discharges, land run-off

• Dredged material constitutes ~ 80 to 90% of all materials dumped

• Other materials dumped include: 

• sewage sludge (Republic of Korea till 2011)

• decommissioned vessels

• organic materials, e.g food and beverage processing wastes, spoilt cargoes

• fish wastes

• mining wastes

ACHIEVEMENTS (2)

9 guidelines have been developed for a logical, step-by-step assessment of

each waste category addressing:

• waste prevention audit

• assessment of alternatives

• waste characterization

• “Action List”

• assessment of potential effects of sea and land disposal options

• disposal site selection

• monitoring and licensing procedures

ACHIEVEMENTS (3)

• These 9 guidelines draw on generally accepted approaches for

integrated waste management and pollution prevention and are therefore also useful for other fora!! (Reviews are regularly made)

• Guidelines for the Sampling and Analysis of Dredged Material

Intended for Disposal at Sea (2004)

• Guidelines for placement of artificial reefs (2008)

• Training materials are being expanded and adapted (low-tech

extension: 2009)

• Guidance how to develop an “Action list” (2008)

• Continuous outreach activities to new Parties are a necessity.

• Not all Parties and potential Parties can afford coming to meetings in London Hence promotion of LP since 1996 in Regional

and National Workshops such as this Workshop in Muscat.

• Collaborative agreements with other organizations (UNEP, IOI, IOC? FAO?) to move from “ad hoc” to more programmatic

co-operation

CURRENT AND FUTURE ISSUES

• Core issues under control, so more attention for new, “boundary” issues, which invariably demand co-operation:

• Spoilt cargo management 2008 (LP>>IMO)

• LP amendments in 2006 permitting CO2 capture and storage in sub-seabed geological formations to limit ocean

acidification (LP>>UNFCCC and IPCC)

• Regulation of ocean fertilization (2008–2009)(LP>>IOC, UNEP, CBD, GESAMP)

• Ship-recycling convention in 2009 (IMO>>LP)

• Advice on Best Management Practices to remove TBT Paints from ships (IMO’s prohibition of TBT antifoulants in

2008) (LP>> IMO and GPA)

• Placement of artificial reefs in the oceans (2008)

OCEAN FERTILIZATION:

ACTIVITIES UNDER LC/LP

• What is it?: Stimulation of natural photosynthesis in the oceans, i.e., by “seeding” with iron particles, to

draw down part of the surplus of CO2 from the atmosphere

• Concerns: (1) effectiveness of the method, does it work? (2) potential impacts on the marine environment

and human health

• Action in 2007: Parties issued “Statement of Concern” and agreed to work towards regulation of ocean fertilization

• Action in 2008: “Policy” resolution adopted allowing only “legitimate scientific research” (no commercial

activities!)

• Action in 2009??: Possibly: legally binding resolution or amendment of LP to regulate this activity

POTENTIAL BENEFITS FOR STATES WHEN JOINING LONDON PROTOCOL

• A better capability to prevent marine pollution from dumping activities

• Access to the annual meetings of Parties (policy and regulatory aspects of dumping and protection of the

marine environment), and the annual meetings of the Scientific Groups (scientific and technical aspects

of dumping)

• Joining an agreement for control of ALL SOURCES of marine pollution which promotes finding the best

overall environmental solution to specific problems and sustainable use of the oceans

• Additional tool to protect the coastal zone and marine environment

• Access to technical assistance and experience of other Parties to aid marine environmental protection

and capacity building

POTENTIAL COSTS FOR STATES WHEN JOINING

There are no membership fees The potential costs vary and depend on the dumping activities but funding would be required for:

• Preparing enabling national legislation

• Administering a licensing system and procedures

• Conducting field and compliance monitoring activities and preparing reports thereon

• Attending annual meetings of the Parties and the Scientific Groups

Anti-fouling Paints

• Anti fouling paints are used to paint the hull of vessels to prevent growth

of algae and other marine sediments on it

• These paints have been found to cause harm to marine organisms

especially because they usually contain tin.

Air pollution from ships

• Transportation in general contributes 46% to total air pollution.

• Shipping contributes to air pollution in the following ways…

• Burning of fuel can produce pollutants like Carbon Dioxide, Sulphur

Oxide, Nitrogen Oxide and this causes Green House Effect (Global

Warming).

• In addition, Sulphur Oxide can cause Acid Rain which destroys

vegetation and aquatic life.

Refrigeration & Air-conditioning

• CFC’s and Freons are used in the above They are known to cause depletion of the ozone layer Some of their effects are:

1 Skin Cancer (Melanoma)

2 Affects the Iris of the eye

3 Phytoplankton level and oceanic productivity reduces

4. Breakdown of the immune system

• Carbon dioxide is used to fight fires and this causes Greenhouse Effect

• Also, halons contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer.

• With air pollution, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are the issue.

• These cargoes are volatile hence they easily evaporate into the

atmosphere causing Greenhouse Effect.

• The issue of Ozone depleting substances is addressed internationally by the Montreal Protocol

• For shipping the issue of air pollution is addressed by Annex VI of the MARPOL Convention

akpe na mi!