BLUE’s Simon Phillips on the unveiling of a new exhibition at the IMO on Particularly Sensitive Seas Areas
BLUE was at the IMO Headquarters on London’s Victoria Embankment in May for the official launch of a new permanent display to highlight the 14 designated Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs) and the IMO’s efforts to protect the marine environment in each of these locations.
The well-attended evening opened with a passionate speech from IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu, who made clear the IMO’s commitment to putting in place special protective measures for the more sensitive areas of the world’s oceans and to getting the balance right between advancing the interests of international shipping and managing its impact on the marine environment.
The interactive display brought to life the world’s PSSA’s, highlighting the ecological, socio-economic and scientific importance and sensitivity of each carefully selected area.
Anyone wanting to learn more about the PSSA’s should visit http://pssa.imo.org, which contains a wealth of information about all 14 PSSAs – from the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s first PSSA established in 1990 – to the most recent, the Saba Bank in the Caribbean Netherlands, established in 2012 – along with the reasons why each one is deserving of special protection.
