MEPC.380(80)-DesignationoftheNorth-WesternMediterraneanSeaasaParticularlySensitiveSeaArea(PSSA)

MEPC 80/17/Add.1Annex 20,page 1ANNEX 20RESOLUTION MEPC.380(80)(adopted on 7 July 2023)DESIGNATION OF THE NORTH-WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN SEA AS APARTICULARLY SENSITIVE SEA AREATHE MARINE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION COMMITTEE.RECALLING Article 38(a)of the Convention on the International Maritime Organizationconcerning the functions of the Marine Environment Protection Committee conferred upon itby international conventions for the prevention and control of marine pollution from ships,BEING AWARE of the ecological criteria,in particular relating to uniqueness or rarity,criticalhabitat,dependency,fragility and bio-geographic criteria,and the social,economic andcultural,and scientific and educational criteria of the North-Western Mediterranean Sea Areaas well as its vulnerability to damage by international shipping activities and the steps takenby France,Italy,Monaco and Spain to address that vulnerability,NOTING the Revised guidelines for the identification and designation of Particularly SensitiveSea Areas adopted by resolution A.982(24)as amended by resolution MEPC.267(68),(Revised PSSA Guidelines),and the Guidance document for submission of PSSA proposalsto /MO set forth in MEPC.1/Circ.510,NOTING ALSO the Guidance document for minimizing the risk of ship strikes with cetaceans(MEPC.1/Circ.674)sets out a number of measures to reduce the risk of collision between largecetaceans and ships.HAVING AGREED that the criteria for the identification and designation of a ParticularlySensitive Sea Area (PSSA)provided in the Revised PSSA Guidelines are fulfilled for theNorth-Western Mediterranean Sea,HAVING NOTED that the Sub-Committee on Navigation,Communications and Search andRescue(NCSR)at its tenth session agreed a set of draft recommended associated protectivemeasures (APMs)within a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area in the North-Western MediterraneanSea,which address ship strikes with cetaceans,and that the Maritime Safety Committee,atits one-hundredth and seventh session,agreed that these APMs could be referred by theNCSR Sub-Committee directly to MEPC 80,taking into account the general nature of theAPMs,aiming at infommation-sharing primarily for contributing to the protection of the marineenvironment,1DESIGNATES the North-Western Mediterranean Sea,as defined in annex 1,as aParticularly Sensitive Sea Area:2INVITES Member Governments to recognize the ecological,socio-economic andscientific criteria of the North-Western Mediterranean Sea area,set forth in annex 2 to thepresent resolution,as well as its vulnerability to damage by international shipping activities,asdescribed in annex 3 to this resolution;3ALSO INVITES Member Govemments to note the associated protective measuresestablished to address the area's vulnerability,the details of which are contained in annex 4 tothis resolution,and request ships flying their flag that they act in accordance with suchmeasures.I:MEPC80MEPC 80-17-Add.1.docx