Publications and Resources
A number of guidance documents, reports, booklets and brochures have been produced in relation to the London Convention and London Protocol. The purpose of these resources are to assist Parties and prospective Parties with the implementation of the treaties at e.g. national level.
Some resources are made available for free in this section, whereas those publications that are published by IMO can be found in the
Publications section. Many of the texts can also be found in their original format in the respective meeting documents. These are available for registered users at
IMODOCS.
Recent publications are included in the table below, for some links are provided to the texts in their original format taken from the respective meeting documents:
Publication title | Overview | |
Step-by-step guidance on simple approaches to creating and using action lists and action levels for dredged material | This publication is intended as a starting place for countries without action lists and/or action levels so that they can minimize the environmental impacts of dumping at sea, enabling them to make sound permit decisions and be in compliance with the requirements of the LC/LP | |
Revised Guidance on National Implementation of the London Protocol (2018 Edition) | Provides guidance and is intended to assist national administrations in implementing the LP, whether they are currently Contracting Parties or simply interested in becoming Parties.
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Low cost, low technology compliance monitoring (2017 Edition) | Provides practical information about using low cost and low technology approaches that are useful for monitoring compliance with permit conditions associated with ocean disposal of waste materials or other matter.
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Carbon dioxide sequestration in sub-seabed geological formations under the London Protocol (2016 edition)
| Provides an overview of amendments to the London Protocol and related guidance developed to ensure the safe and environmentally sound implementation of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in sub-seabed geological formations. | |
London Convention and London Protocol: 2016 edition | Contains the full text of the London Convention and the London Protocol, as amended. Also includes a list of resolutions adopted under the two treaties and prospective amendments to the London Protocol. | |
Low cost, low technology field monitoring: assessment of the effects of disposal in marine waters of dredged material or inert, inorganic, geological material (2106 Edition) | Provides practical information about using low cost and low technology tools that are useful for monitoring of possible environmental impacts associated with disposal at sea of either dredged material or inert, inorganic geological materials. | |
Guidelines on low cost, low technology assessment of dredged material (2015 Edition) | Provides guidance on the application of the waste assessment guidelines (WAG) using low technology and low cost methods. For example, it contains details on low cost sampling, testing, information gathering and documenting, to allow characterization of the dredged material and selection of suitable disposal sites. | |
The London Protocol – What it is and how to implement it (2014 Edition) | Provides useful, practical information to Governments, particularly those of developing countries, on the technical, economic and legal implications of ratifying, implementing and enforcing the London Protocol. | |
Waste Assessment Guidelines under the London Convention and Protocol (2014 edition) | Presents guidance documents adopted by the Consultative Meetings of the London Convention and its 1996 Protocol. These include generic waste assessment guidelines, as well as specific guidelines for the assessment of the eight wastes that may be permitted for disposal at sea. |
25-year scientific review of all radioactive wastes and other radioactive matter
In 1993, when the London Convention was amended to ban the dumping of radioactive wastes or other radioactive matter, the amendment had also included an agreement that within twenty-five years of the entry into force of the amended paragraph 6 of LC annex I, a scientific study, relating to all radioactive wastes and other radioactive matter other than high level wastes or other matter, would review the position of such substances in annex I. The amendment of article 6 of annex I to the Convention entered into force on 20 February 1994, and thus the scientific study should be completed by 2019. Similarly, the London Protocol (annex 1, article 3) provides for an analogous review with the same time frame.
The review was initiated by the Scientific Groups in 2014, and in 2016, having reviewed the resulting study, the governing bodies concluded that there is little reason to believe that additional radiological monitoring or scientific research would yield scientific results that would have any significant bearing on the decision to retain or change the dumping ban. A significant amount of scientific information was available in 1993 when the decision was made to ban ocean dumping of low-level radioactive waste. The information that is available today from the studies that have been performed in the past 20 years is not significantly different from that available 20 years ago. Furthermore, there is little possibility that additional scientific study, even if carried out on a large scale with generous funding support, would yield a substantially different result (LC 38/16, paragraphs 10.1 to 10.5).
Consequently in 2016 the governing bodies approved the literature review in support of the 25-year scientific study of ocean dumping of radioactive wastes and other radioactive matter (LC 38/16, annex 9 - see link to the right). An edited version in the three working languages will be made available in due course.