Hydrographic Activities for the Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport Control in the Gulf of Honduras Project Status Report

1
Hydrographic Activities for the Environmental
Protection and Maritime Transport Control in
theGulf of Honduras Project Status Report

• Major Gilbert Swaso, Chair
• Task Group 1
• MACHC Electronic Chart Committee

2
MACHC-Electronic Chart Committee

• Goal Demonstrate and facilitate the use of
  official electronic chart data for safe,
  efficient, and environmentally-sensitive maritime
  navigation.
• Objectives
• Facilitate the production and use of ENCs and
  RNCs
• Improve hydrographic capacity of coastal states
• Identify sources for acquiring equipment,
  software, and training
• Speed up ENC production for key ports major
  shipping routes
• Establish data distribution service within MACHC
  region
• Increase awareness of benefits of using EC data

3
MACHC-Electronic Chart Committee

• Chair Katie Ries, USA (NOAA)
• Vice Chair LCDR Rafael Ponce, Mexico (Navy)
• Two Task Groups
• 1. MesoAmerican Capacity Building Pilot
  Project
• - Improve capacity building of coastal state
  hydrographic offices in a defined area
• - Initial focus the IADB-administered,
  GEF-funded Gulf of Honduras Project
• 2. ENC Production and Distribution
• - Improve ENC coverage of the entire region in
  the short to medium term, production of ENC data
  by national hydrographic offices

4
Electronic Chart Committee

• Task Group 1 MesoAmerican Capacity Building
  Pilot Project
• Task Group Members
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Belize
• Mexico
• Nicaragua
• Panama
• UK
• USA

5
Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport
Pollution Control in the Gulf of Honduras
Project Project Objective To reverse the
degradation of the coastal and marine ecosystems
within the Gulf of Honduras by enhancing the
prevention and control from maritime
transport-related pollution in the major ports
and navigation lanes, improving navigational
safety to avoid groundings and spills, and
reducing land-based sources of pollution draining
into the Gulf.

6
Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport
Pollution Control in the Gulf of Honduras Project
Component 1 Building regional capacity for
maritime and land-based pollution
control. Component 2 Building the
information base for the Strategic Action
Plan. Component 3 Enhancing navigational
safety in shipping lanes. Component 4
Improving environmental management and hazard
reduction in network of five ports within the
Gulf of Honduras
7

Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport
Pollution Control in the Gulf of Honduras Project
Component 3 Enhancing navigational safety in
shipping lanes Focuses on improving the
hydrographic and oceanographic cooperation in the
region to both prevent and prepare for groundings
and spills in the Gulf related to marine
transportation operations (references MACHC as
project partner)
8
Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport
Pollution Control in the Gulf of Honduras Project

• MACHC Involvement
• Making the case for Hydrography
• Regional hydrographic capacity analysis for
  Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis
• Active involvement in the Puerto Barrio, Belize
  City, and Tegucigalpa project preparation
  meetings
• Input in the Projects final design

9
Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport
Pollution Control in the Gulf of Honduras Project

• MACHC Involvement
• Commitment to develop and help execute the
  hydrographic implementation plan
• IHB visits to Central America carried out in
  2005--2006 to reinforce formation of national
  coordinating committees
• National Coordinating Committees in progress
• IHO Capacity Building Committee supported
  technical visits for hydrographic survey planning

10
Current Status of GoH Project

• Project approved in 2005 by the Global
  Environment Facility and the Inter-American
  Development Bank
• COCATRAM and CCAD are executing agencies
• New Director hired for Project Coordinating Unit
  (Puerto Cortes, Honduras)
• Project now operational
• Hydrographic implementation plan final
• Executing Agencies have copy of plan

11
Components of Hydrographic Activity
Implementation Plan
1. Executive Summary
2. Action Plan
3. Budget
12

• Hydrographic Implementation Plan Objectives
• Objective 1 Regional Planning and Coordination
• Objective 2 National Institutional Capacity
• Objective 3 Demonstration Projects
• Paper and Electronic Navigational Chart
  Production and Dissemination to the Mariner
• Bringing Environmental Protection Awareness to
  the Mariner
• Making ENC Data Available for the Gulf of
  Honduras Regional Geographic Information System

13
Belizes National Maritime Safety Committee
14
Comisión Hidrográfica Nacional
15
National Hydrographic Committee of Honduras

• In Honduras the following institutions are
  engaged in cooperative hydrographic activities
  the National Port Authority, the National
  Geographic Institute, and the Honduran Navy.
• Leadership of these organizations is in flux due
  to the recent presidential election, and
  continued efforts to revitalize a National
  Hydrographic Commission will resume once the
  government transition is complete.

16
VISION Gulf of Honduras Marine Highway and MBRS
PSSA
17
Hydrographic Activity Implementation
Plan Objective 3 Demonstration Projects
Paper and Electronic Navigational Chart
Production and Dissemination to the
Mariner Updated paper charts and electronic
navigation chart essential to improve
navigation safety. Accuracy depends upon
current hydrographic data, requiring new
surveys. IHO/CBC Technical Consultant for
Survey Planning UKHO Bilateral Agreements to
update paper charts and produce Electronic
Navigation Charts

18
Proposed Initial Survey and Chart Production Areas
Belize
Guatemala
Honduras
19

• Hydrographic Activity Implementation Plan
• Objective 3 Demonstration Projects
• Bringing Environmental Protection Awareness to
  the Mariner
• Create environmental data layer to displayed in
  conjunction with ENCs, so that mariners are
• better able to protect the MBRS
• Based on U.S./NOAA Project in the Florida Keys
• UKHO to produce three base (3) ENCs

20
Proposed ENCs to be produced as base for MBRS
overlay
21

• Hydrographic Activity Implementation Plan
• Objective 3 Demonstration Projects
• Making ENC Data Available for the Gulf of
  Honduras Regional Geographic Information System
  (GIS)
• GoH Component 2 build on existing MBRS
  Environmental Information System, develop a Data
  
• and Information Management Module for the
  GoHincludes transfer and incorporation of
• hydrographic and oceanographic data into the
  GIS

22

Hydrographic Activity Implementation
Plan Objective 3 Demonstration
Projects -Making ENC Data Available for the Gulf
of Honduras Regional Geographic Information
System (GIS)-continued NOAA Translator will
provide comprehensive access to the available
ENC data in a variety of formats, allowing
anyonefrom students to coastal resource
managers to view and use the data in GIS
formats over the Internet.

23

• Hydrographic Activity Implementation Plan
• Expected Outcomes
• National and regional mechanisms to provide
  up-to-date hydrographic products and services
  will be established.
• Hydrographic information will be linked to both
  navigation
• and environmental management needs.
• Innovative methods for reducing navigational
  risks will be successfully demonstrated.
• The outcomes will support the safe and
  sustainable development of the regions
  maritime-based economy, while protecting the
  unique marine ecosystem of GOH.

24
Hydrography and other potential Gulf of Honduras
Project Outcomes

• October 7 Seminar IMO Tools Managing Ship
  Traffic to Ensure Environmentally Safe and Sound
  Navigation in the Gulf of Honduras
• Co-Sponsored by MACHC and GoH Project
  Coordinating Unit
• Explore PSSA, ship routing schemes, other
  measures for GoH (require sound hydrographic
  foundation)
• These measures also useful for other countries in
  the region to consider similar designations
• Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico have all
  called for establishment of a PSSA for the MBRS
  Project (July 2006)

25
ACUERDO DE RENOVACION DE LOS COMPROMISOS EN
TORNOAL SISTEMA ARRECIFAL MESOAMERICANO EN EL
MARCO DE LA DECLARACION DE TULUM
Firmado por los Gobiernos de Mexico, Belize,
Guatemala and Honduras July 11, 2006 Ciudad de
Panama
26
Hydrographic Capacity Building Needs for Gulf of
Honduras

• Ongoing assistance in implementing the GoH
  Hydrographic Activities Plan to
• -Strengthen National Committees, execute
• technical projects, train personnel
• Include as part of MACHC regional priorities for
  IHO Capacity Building Plan
• Continued support for planning and sharing
  experience with other parts of region/world.

27
http//www.iho-machc.org