Regulations covering the dumping of wastes at sea are the focus of a national workshop in Aqaba, Jordan (28-30 November). The event is raising awareness of the London Protocol, which entered into force ten years ago and modernized the original London Convention dumping treaty (ratified by Jordan). Under the Protocol, all dumping at sea is prohibited - with the exception of wastes commonly agreed by Governments and then put on an approved list.
Thirty participants from various maritime-related institutions, academia and navy are taking part in the workshop, which is the first of its kind held in the country. It was opened by H.E. Salah Abu Afifeh, Director General of the Jordan Maritime Commission, who stressed that Jordan, as a Red Sea State, along with other neighbouring States, has an obligation to protect the marine environment from all sources and causes of pollution whether they come from land or sea.
In addition to lectures and discussions, the workshop also included a field trip to the Ayla coastal development project. The workshop was organized by IMO, in cooperation with the Regional Organisation for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERSGA), and follows a regional workshop on the same topic held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 2015. IMO was represented by Fredrik Haag, with assistance coming from an expert funded by the Government of the United Kingdom.
* Including from the Jordan Maritime Commission, Aqaba Development Corporation, Marine Science Station, Universities, the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), the Royal Naval Forces, Jordan Shipping Association, Aqaba Maritime Training and Education Centre.