C. Ocean Dumping

Abstract

The annual meetings of the two major global treaties concerned with ocean dumping took place on 9–13 October at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) headquarters in London. In line with past practice, the meetings of parties to both the 1972 London Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (London Convention) and its 1996 Protocol took place simultaneously, and many of the discussions and decisions pertained to both instruments. The meetings addressed a number of overarching strategic issues facing the global dumping regime, as well as specific questions relating to carbon sequestration, ocean geo-engineering, seabed mining, and marine plastics. At the outset of the meeting, the usual debates took place concerning the status of the treaties and problems with reporting. The meetings noted that no more states had become a party to the London Convention during the past year, leaving the total at eighty-seven parties. In contrast, three states (Finland, Iran, and Madagascar) had become a party to the London Protocol in the inter-sessional period, bringing the total number of parties to fifty. Parties expressed concern about the slow rate of increase in accessions. Later in the discussions, a particular question about whether the provisions on the development of a liability regime under the treaties (mentioned in Article 10 of the convention and Article 15 of the protocol) were a barrier for accession was raised, and the Secretariat was instructed to prepare a report on this topic for the next meetings.