IMO says a large number of abandoned or no-longer usable fibreglass vessels - including fishing vessels and leisure craft - are dumped at sea each year, possibly due to a lack of land-based disposal facilities. This was a concern raised by Pacific delegations to the Parties to the treaties which regulate the dumping of wastes at sea. However, full data on the scale of the problem is lacking. This week, the Parties to the London Convention and London Protocol are meeting at IMO Headquarters in London (9-13 October). The meeting is expected to commission a study into the disposal of fibreglass vessels, in order to gain a better understanding of the scale of the issue, the options for disposal and recycling, and the potential impacts of fibreglass in the marine environment. Such a study could provide important advice on how the dumping treaties might address the problem.
Also during this week, the Parties will review progress in updating specific guidelines for assessment of platforms or other man-made structures at sea, which were originally adopted in 2000. Another issue on the agenda is the development of further guidance on action lists (set of chemicals of concern) and action levels (thresholds used in the decision making process that determine whether sediments can be disposed of at sea) for dredged material. On average, 500 million tonnes of permitted dredged material are dumped annually in waters of countries which have signed up to the London Convention or London Protocol. Some 10% of dredged material is contaminated by shipping, industrial and municipal discharges, or by land run-off. It is therefore important to assess if the material is suitable for dumping at sea, before a permit is given.
The thirty-ninth Consultative Meeting of Contracting Parties to the London Convention and the 12th Meeting of Contracting Parties to the London Protocol will also look at issues related to compliance and to implementation of the 2016 Strategic Plan. The meeting was opened by IMO Director Stefan Micallef on behalf of Secretary-General Kitack Lim. The chair is Dr. Gi-Hoon Hong (Republic of Korea).