Commercial shipping and offshore exploration—safety by design: a case for holistic marine spatial planning

In its navigation safety and environment protection role, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is compulsorily consulted by offshore exploration proponents during the preparation of their environmental plans (EPs). AMSA is an interested party regarding the safe navigation of commercial shipping conducting coastal and international trade in all areas, including those where proposed geotechnical, geophysical, or production activities may take place. Acreage releases often overlap busy shipping lanes and, in some cases, International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted measures that support the safety of shipping and protection of the marine environment. Ships transiting these areas carry cargos of considerable volume and net worth and often substances that are hazardous or dangerous. AMSA, during the proponents’ EP consultation phase, provides advice and assesses navigational and infrastructure risk based on locations of proposed offshore activities and commercial shipping activity. It is apparent that during approval processes, risks related to commercial shipping may not always be fully considered. This can lead to the need for careful expectation management to limit risk exposure. Below are examples where permit areas are shown along with commercial shipping traffic patterns. Commercial shipping and exploration activity can coexist through careful and early communication and adept planning. Maturing marine spatial planning (MSP) processes may provide opportunities to ensure timely and relevant information is shared while adhering to regulatory requirements. This extended abstract and its poster presentation highlight the ability to share spatial information, including commercial vessel traffic information, over a common water space to realise safety and efficiency gains for all concerned.

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Marine Spatial Planning in Romania: State of the art and evidence from stakeholders

10.31230/osf.io/528ym ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Natasa Vaidianu ◽

Madalina Ristea

Keyword(s):

Marine Environment ◽

Spatial Planning ◽

Oil And Gas ◽

Planning Process ◽

Competent Authority ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Relevant Information ◽

Marine Resources ◽

Marine Spatial Planning ◽

Maritime Spatial Planning

During the last decades, increasing demands on marine resources and unsustainable activities taking place in the marine area compromise the future use of the marine environment. In July 2014, the European Parliament and Council established a Guideline Framework for marine/maritime spatial planning (MSP). MSP is a useful and cost-effective tool for sustainable development, together with regulation and protection of the marine environment. Within this context, Romania has started to proceed and incorporate it in the national legislation framework; in 2017, it has also established a competent authority for its implementation so that marine spatial plans can be enacted by 31 March 2021. In this study, a first approach for MSP framework in Romania was developed, enabling the mapping of all current human activities related to shipping, oil and gas exploitation, fisheries, tourism and environmental status, in order to identify overlaps or potential conflicts among users. This paper identifies key challenges and concerns anticipated to emerge from incorporation of MSP in the national spatial planning framework as it is currently organized: a) Romanian stakeholders have a relatively poor understanding of European, national and regional sea planning regulations, b) concerns related to MSP implementation at regulatory level, c) huge need for sharing of MSP-relevant information for a coherent planning, d) challenges of assessing the needs of interconnected ecosystems (including relevant EU and international legislation). In this context, our study covers highly actual aspects concerning the way the marine spatial planning process evolves and will contribute to deliver a coherent approach to reduce conflicts of the Romanian marine environment, a proper MSP implementation, as well as minimizing the pressures and impacts on the marine resources.

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INSTITUTIONAL MAPPING TOWARDS DEVELOPING A FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE MARINE SPATIAL PLANNING

ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences ◽

10.5194/isprs-archives-xlii-4-w1-159-2016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol XLII-4/W1 ◽

pp. 159-166

Author(s):

M. H. M. Yatim ◽

A. H. Omar ◽

N. M. Abdullah ◽

N. M. Hashim

Keyword(s):

Spatial Planning ◽

Planning Process ◽

Spatial Information ◽

Initial Step ◽

Marine Spatial Planning ◽

Implementation Phase ◽

Government Institutions ◽

Evaluation Phase ◽

Institutional Sustainability ◽

The Government

Within few years before, the urge to implement the marine spatial planning is due to increasing numbers of marine activities that will lead into uncertainties of rights, restrictions and responsibilities of the maritime nations. Marine authorities in this situation that deal with national rights and legislations are the government institutions that engage with marine spatial information. There are several elements to be considered when dealing with the marine spatial planning; which is institutional sustainability governance. Providing the importance of marine spatial planning towards sustainable marine spatial governance, the focus should highlight the role marine institutions towards sustainable marine plan. The iterative process of marine spatial planning among marine institutions is important as the spatial information governance is scattered from reflected rights, restrictions and responsibilities of marine government institutions. Malaysia is one of the maritime nations that conjures the initial step towards establishing the sustainable marine spatial planning. In order to have sustainable institutions in marine spatial planning process, it involves four main stages; planning phase, plan evaluation phase, implementation phase and post implementation phase. Current situation has witnessed the unclear direction and role of marine government institutions to manage the marine spatial information. This review paper is focusing on the institutional sustainability upon interaction of marine government institutions in the marine spatial planning process based on Institutional Analysis Framework. The outcome of the integration of institutional sustainability and marine spatial planning process will propose a framework of marine institutional sustainable plan.

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Six Flags Revisited: Coastal Zone Management or Marine Spatial Planning for Lake Champlain

Vermont Journal of Environmental Law ◽

10.2307/vermjenvilaw.13.3.489 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 489 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

L. Kinvin Wroth

Keyword(s):

Coastal Zone ◽

Spatial Planning ◽

Coastal Zone Management ◽

Marine Spatial Planning ◽

Lake Champlain ◽

Zone Management

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Institutional integration in transboundary marine spatial planning: A theory-based evaluative framework for practice

Ocean & Coastal Management ◽

10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2020.105430 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 105430

Author(s):

Joseph Onwona Ansong ◽

Linda McElduff ◽

Heather Ritchie

Keyword(s):

Spatial Planning ◽

Marine Spatial Planning ◽

Institutional Integration

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Ocean data portals: Performing a new infrastructure for ocean governance

Environment and Planning D Society and Space ◽

10.1177/0263775818822829 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (3) ◽

pp. 484-503 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Noëlle Boucquey ◽

Kevin St. Martin ◽

Luke Fairbanks ◽

Lisa M Campbell ◽

Sarah Wise

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Spatial Planning ◽

East Coast ◽

The United States ◽

Marine Spatial Planning ◽

Critical Cartography ◽

Third Phase ◽

Ocean Governance ◽

The World ◽

New Infrastructure

We are currently in what might be termed a “third phase” of ocean enclosures around the world. This phase has involved an unprecedented intensity of map-making that supports an emerging regime of ocean governance where resources are geocoded, multiple and disparate marine uses are weighed against each other, spatial tradeoffs are made, and exclusive rights to spaces and resources are established. The discourse and practice of marine spatial planning inform the contours of this emerging regime. This paper examines the infrastructure of marine spatial planning via two ocean data portals recently created to support marine spatial planning on the East Coast of the United States. Applying theories of ontological politics, critical cartography, and a critical conceptualization of “care,” we examine portal performances in order to link their organization and imaging practices with the ideological and ontological work these infrastructures do, particularly in relation to environmental and human community actors. We further examine how ocean ontologies may be made durable through portal use and repetition, but also how such performances can “slip,” thereby creating openings for enacting marine spatial planning differently. Our analysis reveals how portal infrastructures assemble, edit, and visualize data, and how it matters to the success of particular performances of marine spatial planning.

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