Hydrographic Activities for the Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport Control in the Gulf of Honduras Project (supported by the MesoAmerican-Caribbean Regional Hydrographic Commission)

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Hydrographic Activities for the
Environmental Protection and Maritime Transport
Control in the Gulf of HondurasProject(supporte
d by the MesoAmerican-Caribbean Regional
Hydrographic Commission)
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MACHC-Electronic Chart Committee
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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

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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

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Electronic Chart Committee

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

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

• MACHC Involvement
• Making the case for Hydrography and its
  relationship to Project major objectives
• 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

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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
  om 2005

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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
• Executing Agencies/PCU Have Copy of 2006 Plan
• MACHC has leveraged US1 million in in-kind
  contributions to the Project so far!

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

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VISION Gulf of Honduras Marine Highway and MBRS
PSSA
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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

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Proposed Initial Survey and Chart Production Areas
Belize
Guatemala
Honduras
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• 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 Demonstration Project in the Florida
  Keys
• UKHO to produce three base (3) ENCs

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Proposed ENCs to be produced as base for MBRS
overlay
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• 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

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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.

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• 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.

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Hydrography and other potential Gulf of Honduras
Project Outcomes

• October 7, 2006 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)

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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
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Firmado por los Gobiernos de Mexico, Belize,
Guatemala and Honduras July 11, 2006 Ciudad de
Panama
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Continued Support from the MACHC available

• Ongoing assistance in implementing the GoH
  Hydrographic Activities Plan to achieve
• GOH project objectives for all components
• Continued support for planning and
  communications.
• Provide expert assistance with PSSA designation
• Is the MACHC still a Project Partner?