The Maritime Executive reports that:
The Saba Bank, in the north-eastern Caribbean area of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, was formally designated as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) by the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), when it met for its 64th session from 1 to 5 October 2012, at IMO Headquarters in London.
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The Saba Bank, in the north-eastern Caribbean area of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, was designated as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA), following approval, in principle, at the previous session.
Associated Protective Measures were approved by the Sub Committee on Safety of Navigation (NAV), at its meeting in July 2012, namely, the establishment of a new mandatory ‘no anchoring’ area for all ships and a new ‘area to be avoided’ (for ships of 300 gross tonnage or over) in the proposed PSSA.
The Saba Bank is the thirteenth PSSA to be designated by IMO.
A Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) is an area that needs special protection through action by IMO because of its significance for recognized ecological or socio-economic or scientific reasons and which may be vulnerable to damage by international maritime activities.
To learn more see the full article from the Maritime Executive, and take a look at the IMO website.
