IMO backs province

THE International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has granted a special protection status for the Jomard Passage, an international shipping lane in Milne Bay.
The designation of the Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) status for Jomard Passage is the first for PNG and the South Pacific and only the 13th in the world.
Milne Bay Governor Titus Philemon, who attended the 70th session of the IMO’s Maritime Environment Protection Committee last month, said it was a major achievement for PNG and for Milne Bay.
“It is not easy to convince the IMO Maritime Environment Protection Committee, which has over 500 members representing member countries, but our submission received strong support, particularly from Australia and other Pacific countries,” he said.
“The designation of the PSSA status for Jomard Passage is the beginning of the process to gain economic benefits for the resource owners and the people of Milne Bay and PNG generally.”
Philemon, along with administrator Michael Kape and leader of the PNG team to the IMO meeting and National Maritime Safety Authority executive manager, maritime operations Captain Nurur Rahman, travelled to the IMO headquarter in London last week where they presented the final submission for the PSSA.
They were joined by the PNG High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Winnie Kiap.
A PSSA is an area that needs special protection through action by IMO because of its significance for recognised ecological or socio-economic or scientific reasons and which may be vulnerable to damage by international maritime activities.
Philemon has been strongly pushing for developments of the Jomard Passage as a source of revenue for the resource owners as well as the provincial government.
As preparations towards the PSSA, the provincial government funded risk assessment studies of the major international sea lanes in Milne Bay waters, particularly the Jomard Passage, Kiriwina-Kitava channel, Rossel Spit and the China Strait , which were undertaken by the NMSA. The PSSA now sets the stage for other developments to be pursued, including marine conservation projects, transit pilotage, on-shore refuelling facilities and tourism-related projects.