Peru has become the 51st State to accede to the London Protocol covering dumping of wastes at sea. Mr. Juan Carlos Gamarra Skeels, newly appointed Ambassador of Peru to the United Kingdom and Permanent Representative to IMO, presented his credentials when he met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim at IMO Headquarters, London, on 31 October, to deposit the instrument of accession.
The London Protocol entered into force in 2006, modernizing the original “London Convention” dumping treaty by prohibiting all dumping at sea with the exception of wastes commonly agreed by Governments and then put on an approved list.
In particular, the 1972 Convention permits dumping to be carried out provided certain conditions are met, according to the hazards to the marine environment presented by the materials themselves. The 1972 Convention includes a “black list” of materials which may not be dumped at all.
The 1996 Protocol is more restrictive. In Article 4, it states that Contracting Parties “shall prohibit the dumping of any wastes or other matter with the exception of those listed” (in Annex 1 to the Protocol). These materials include:
- Dredged material
- Sewage sludge
- Fish waste, or material resulting from industrial fish processing operations
- Vessels and platforms or other man-made structures at sea
- Inert, inorganic geological material
- Organic material of natural origin
- Bulky items primarily comprising iron, steel, concrete and similar harmless materials, for which the concern is physical impact, and limited to those circumstances where such wastes are generated at locations, such as small islands with isolated communities, having no practicable access to disposal options other than dumping.
