Tubbataha Reefs declared a ‘sensitive area’ by International Maritime Organization

THE MARINE Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) finally approved the Philippine application for the designation of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA), the Foreign Affairs department said in a statement released yesterday. The MEPC adopted the resolution at its final plenary session on July 7, recognizing “the ecological criteria, in particular the criteria relating to uniqueness or rarity, naturalness, diversity and fragility criteria, and the socioeconomic and scientific criteria of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park as well as its vulnerability to damage by international shipping activities and the steps taken by the Philippines to address that vulnerability.” Earlier, the MEPC adopted the recommendation of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee approving the Tubbataha Reefs as an Area To Be Avoided (ATBA) by all types of ships of 150 gross tonnage and upwards. The ATBA is aimed at minimizing the risk of damage from ship groundings and pollution damage by international shipping activities. The ATBA will take effect on Jan. 1, 2018. Cmdr. Joselito Dela Cruz, commander of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) District Palawan and member of the Philippine Delegation to the MEPC 71, said the PCG “is upgrading its resources and manpower capabilities and has readied the appropriate notices to mariners and guidelines for the Coast Guard unit that will monitor the PSSA.”