Particularly Sensitive Sea Area

A Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) is a sea area the IMO designates for special protection from shipping because of recognized ecological, socio-economic, or scientific value that is vulnerable to ship traffic. Designation follows the criteria and process in IMO Assembly Resolution A.982(24), and the Marine Environment Protection Committee handles the application. A PSSA must come with at least one Associated Protective Measure already adopted by IMO, such as an area to be avoided, a mandatory ship reporting system, or a routeing measure. Designated areas include the Great Barrier Reef, the Wadden Sea, the Galapagos, and the Western European Waters; the protective measures, not the label alone, bind ships.