Waste dumping at sea: new project to help prevent marine pollution

Education and collaborative research are at the heart of a new 7.8million US dollar project to promote implementation of the London Protocol (LP), which prohibits dumping at sea.

The SMART-C LC/LP* project, funded by the Republic of Korea, will focus on building capacity to implement the London Protocol in Mongolia, the Caribbean region and other Contracting and non-Contracting Parties to the LP. It will run from 2024 to 2029.

Developing countries, especially LDCs and SIDS, have limited scientific, technical and administrative capacity to implement the Protocol, with few opportunities existing for government officials to train as leading experts on the subject. The project will address this with scientific, technical and administrative-focused training opportunities, which will strengthen the participating countries' ability to apply the provisions of the LP treaty and thereby enhance protection of the marine environment.

The project agreement was signed by IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez and H.E. Mr. Kim, Sung-bum, Deputy Minister, Marine Policy Office, Ministry of Oceans & Fisheries of the Republic of Korea (11 November). The signing took place during a meeting on the sidelines of the UN climate conference (COP 29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The SMART-C LC/LP project will join a group of projects under the Sustainable Maritime Transport Cooperation (SMART-C) Programme, funded by the Republic of Korea, working to advance sustainable maritime transport systems and protect the marine environment by broadening knowledge and enhancing developing countries' technical capacity through long-term thematic projects.

* Capacity-Building for Sustainable Seas: Supporting the Implementation of the London Protocol (LP) through Education and Collaborative Research (SMART-C LC/LP)