IMO NEWS • SPRING 2017
IMO AT WORK
Mining wastes report identifies research gaps
M
ore scientific research needs to be done to understand and assess the environmental impacts of wastes from mining operations which have been disposed into the marine environment, a new report shows. The Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) report, Impacts of mine tailings in the marine environment, provides the findings of an international workshop held in Lima, Peru (in 2015) and makes a number of recommendations for future work. The report notes that there are major gaps that need to be addressed in the scientific
understanding of the behaviour of mine tailings in the sea at depths greater than 20m to 80m and consequently the short- and long-term impacts on the marine environment and other potential users of marine resources. Scientific gaps in measurement and monitoring techniques in assessing impacts of existing and proposed new deep-sea discharges of mine tailings need to be addressed. Since the workshop, GESAMP has established a dedicated working group to assess the environmental impacts of wastes from mining operations which have been disposed into the marine environment, under the
co-lead of IMO and UN Environment. A number of large-scale mines worldwide use marine or riverine disposal for mine tailings, under Government permits. IMO is the Secretariat for GESAMP, which is an advisory body,
established in 1969, that advises the United Nations (UN) system on the scientific aspects of marine environmental protection. Reports and studies published by GESAMP are freely available on the GESAMP website.
Africa and Asia join efforts for anti-piracy information sharing
A
t a meeting in Singapore (11-12 January), African and Asian countries joined efforts to promote greater networking and communications among anti-piracy contact points in the two continents. Speaking at the meeting, IMO’s Head of Maritime Security, Javier Yasnikouski, commended the initiative, saying that the efforts contribute directly to IMO’s work to raise awareness of maritime security issues that have an impact on international trade and the welfare of seafarers and encourage a
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co-operative approach amongst IMO Member States and other partner organizations. The event was organized by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre (ISC) and was followed up by a Nautical forum to share ReCAAP-ISC’s analyses of piracy and sea robbery incidents in Asia, and to engage the local shipping industry.
Secretary-General speaks on ballast water
I
MO Headquarters in London was the venue for the 6th Ballast Water Technology Conference (12-13 January) organized by IMarEST. Opening the meeting, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim reminded delegates that the Ballast Water Management Convention actively addressed the problem of transferring invasive species, which has been degrading the marine environment for decades. He said the Convention, which
enters into force in September this year, would set clear and robust standards for how to manage ballast water on ships, and that shipping must embrace it if the industry wants a sustainable future. The event followed the two-day annual meeting of the GloBal TestNet, an independent entity created under the Global Industry Alliance (GIA) of the GloBallast Project, executed by IMO.
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