Monitoring and Assessment of dumped munitions in the global ocean: an integrated approach
Ocean dumping of conventional and chemical munitions was widespread in the 20th century. Most disposal occurred in the years and decades following World Wars I and II, However, this continued until the 1990s when international conventions on arms control and dumping were agreed. Discarding generally took place in coastal waters and enclosed seas, but substantial dump sites extend across the shelf to break, slope, and deep ocean regions, especially adjacent to Europe and North America, and in the southwest Pacific. These dumped munitions are extremely hazardous to human health and the marine environment. Human encounters, in fishing and dredging for example, can be lethal when the weapons explode, while corroded munition housings result in exposure to highly toxic explosives. Corrosion leads to explosives entering ocean systems, resulting in the contamination of organisms, impacting ecosystem sustainability and services, and ocean and human health. Because munitions inventories can be incomplete or limited, the amounts, types, condition, and sites are often not very well known.
The above issues have been addressed in several national and international projects, yet no such initiatives have been executed in a Central Mediterranean context. The seabed in Malta is only just starting to be mapped and explored. It is therefore imperative for Malta to start the process of understanding the extent of the issue as well as potential remedies and courses of future action.
Register online on the Heritage Malta website. Limited spaces are available. Registration is on a first come first serve basis.
Preliminary programme
Day 1
Seminar 1 – Munitions in seas and Oceans
Day 2
Seminar 2 – Detection and identification of munitions
Seminar 3 – Pollution of environment
Day 3
Seminar 4 – Underwater munitions and climate change
Seminar 5 – Impact on Ecosystem
Day 4
Seminar 6 – Cooperation and funding opportunities
Round Table – Themed sessions
Day 5
Rapporteur sessions, Discussions and Wrap up – including way forward regarding publication
Day 6
Site visit
Discussion regarding future collaboration. Final remarks and official closure
Additional Details
Event image -
Link To Event Page - https://dumpedmunitions.heritagemalta.mt/
Organizer
As guardians of over 8,000 years of history, Heritage Malta is the national agency for museums, conservation practice and cultural heritage.
With a portfolio that encompasses archaeological sites, baroque auberges and palaces, catacombs, forts, natural landscapes and UNESCO listed Neolithic monuments, Heritage Malta is the face of the Maltese Islands. More than simply advancing the stock of intellectual and cultural capital, our vocation is to offer a mirror to society through a heritage which is ‘Part of Us‘, because we are our history and this is our cultural identity.
Every generation, monument, artefact, language, specimen, and celebration has a story to share. Heritage Malta ensures that these stories are preserved for posterity and are made accessible for everyone, everywhere to experience and enjoy.