TWENTY-SIXTH CONSULTATIVE MEETING OF CONTRACTING

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PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION ON THE PREVENTION OF MARINE

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POLLUTION BY DUMPING OF WASTES AND OTHER MATTER 1972

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INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION

2005

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

0.1 Contracting Parties to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of

Wastes and Other Matter, 1972 (London Convention) met from 1 to 5 November 2004 at

IMO Headquarters, London, for their 26th Consultative Meeting.

0.2 The main results of the Meeting are described below:

.1 The Meeting examined the reports of several countries on their preparations to join the

1996 Protocol to the London Convention, or London Protocol. With a current membership of

21 of the required 26 parties, the Protocol may enter into force in 2005 and, the first Meeting of

Contracting Parties to the Protocol would need to be convened.

.2 In preparation for this entry into force, the Meeting reviewed an initial text for

compliance procedures and mechanisms under the Protocol. It referred the resulting text

and associated materials for further review to the first meeting under the Protocol, or the 27th

Consultative Meeting, whichever occurs first. The Meeting also reviewed the draft procedures

and criteria for determining and addressing emergency situations under the Protocol in light

of advice from the Scientific Group and comments received intersessionally.

.3 The Meeting approved the .Short-term and long-term strategy to improve reporting under the

London Convention., and the main elements include: (1) the development of an electronic form

for parties to report their dumping activities; (2) the Chairman to write to Government Ministers

of all Contracting Parties that had not reported in the last five years urging them to fulfill this

requirement of the Convention; (3) non-reporting countries to be listed at all future meetings;

and (4) renewed Secretariat efforts to obtain information on dumping activities reported

directly to relevant regional conventions and mechanisms.

.4 New .Guidelines for the sampling and analysis of dredged material intended for disposal at

sea. were approved, resulting from the amalgamation of two guidelines completed earlier.

It was agreed that these Guidelines should be prepared as an IMO publication and added to the

London Convention Web-site in such a way that it would stimulate rather than hinder the sale of the

publication.

.5 The Meeting considered the challenge of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the

atmosphere and recognized that CO2 capture and storage in geological structures might offer

important possibilities for making fossil fuel use more compatible with climate change mitigation

policies. In this context, the Meeting agreed that the issue of CO2 sequestration should be

included in its work programme and to initially focus on sequestration of CO2 in geological

structures. Several activities were planned for the intersessional period to examine the legal,

scientific and technical issues involved so that the next Meeting could review the progress and

give guidance on what further work should be done to establish a clear position.

.6 Most permits for dumping of organic materials of natural origin that have been notified

to IMO, involve cases of spoilt cargo on board ships. The Meeting continued its review

of the 1997 advice on spoilt cargo management on the understanding that the primary

focus of this advice should be the maritime community. Based on estimates concerning the

quantities of cartons and plastic wrappings that may be dumped together with spoilt banana

cargoes, the Meeting agreed that IMO and MEPC should be contacted with the aim of promoting

good waste management practices. Parties should also enquire within their administrations as

to the scale and seriousness of this issue as well as possible solutions, including options to

avoid unregulated dumping of spoilt cargoes.

.7 The Meeting examined the scope of the exemption under Article III of the Convention

that .dumping. does not include normal operations of vessels. This was in response to concerns

of the Scientific Group, regarding the broad interpretation of the .cargo-associated wastes. which

ships could discharge under MARPOL 73/78, Annex V (garbage). It was agreed that: (1) there were

grounds for concern but further investigation was required to substantiate this concern; (2)

MEPC should be asked to help clarify the boundaries between MARPOL 73/78 and the

London Convention and Protocol, as well as to assist domestic regulatory and enforcement

agencies in the discharge of their responsibilities; and (3) Parties to the Convention, being

also parties to MARPOL 73/78, should identify examples or cases which they regarded as

.dumping., instead of normal operations of vessels, and submit these in 2005 both to MEPC and

the Scientific Group.

.8 The Meeting discussed the outcome of the IMO/UNEP/NEPAD Workshop on Marine Pollution

Prevention and Environmental Management in Ports in Eastern Africa, which was held in

Mombasa, Kenya, in April 2004. It supported the recommendations for follow-up activities and

noted that the Workshop served as a good platform to promote and raise political awareness and

support to advance the work of the London Convention and Protocol in the region.

.9 All four London Convention Workshops held since 1998 were aimed at broad-based

participation from the region in which each Workshop was held. The Meeting discussed whether a

different approach should be applied in the future and, for instance, could be aimed at

countries in the same stage of economic and industrial development. It was agreed that a new

workshop approach should offer a suite of approaches that must be tailored to the different

kinds of situations which exist. The Scientific Group was requested to undertake this work

in preparing for the 2006 Workshop.

.10 The Meeting reviewed the progress in the Russian Federation with its handling of low-level liquid

radioactive wastes. It appreciated the continuation of the Russian moratorium on dumping of

radioactive wastes and noted that Russia aimed to withdraw its objections to the 1993

amendments in Resolution LC.51(16) when the National Management Plan to address

outstanding waste management issues would be completed in 2005. The Russian Federation was

urged to do all it could to accelerate procedures for the acceptance of the ban on dumping of

radioactive material by 2005 or earlier.

.11 The Meeting discussed several outreach activities to raise the profile of the London

Protocol and, in particular, opportunities for lead-countries to promote this message at suitable

meetings, as well as action to ensure that references to the London Convention and its

achievements in UN publications were up-to-date and correct. The Meeting stressed the

importance of promoting membership to the Protocol through the many related regional

conventions and agreements.

.12 The Meeting reviewed a preliminary overview of field monitoring reports submitted by

parties in the period 1996-2003. This could be seen as a first step towards a substantive

contribution to the .GMA-process., and in response to the 2002 WSSD Plan of Implementation.

The Meeting noted that field monitoring activities were clearly under-reported and urged parties to

submit such reports in 2005 to the Scientific Group as a matter of priority.

.13 The Meeting reviewed the wide range of possible partnership arrangements with other

organizations (in addition to IMO and IAEA) with a particular emphasis on monitoring of the marine

environment; coastal management; and technical co-operation and assistance. The Meeting

noted the progress with, and opportunities for, collaborative arrangements and therefore

requested the Bureau to conclude the draft collaborative arrangements with UNEP and IOI

as a first priority. This should be followed by arrangements with IOC, ECPP and, possibly

FAO.

.14 The Meeting approved a new structure for the Long-term Programme for the

Convention which described, in a more clear and transparent fashion, the work to be carried out

under the Convention for the period 2005 to 2007. The immediate priority of the Programme was

to promote the effective implementation of the Convention and the early entry into force of

the Protocol.

.15 Finally, it was agreed that the 28th session of the Scientific Group be held from 23 to

27 May 2005, and the 27th Consultative Meeting from 24 to 28 October 2005. A one-day

seminar to bring together experts in CO2 sequestration technology and members of the

Scientific Group and hosted by the Government of the United Kingdom is tentatively planned for

Friday, 20 May 2005.