IMO I537E Sampling and Analysis of Dredged Material at Sea, 2005 Edition

In the framework of the London Convention 1972 and the 1996 Protocol thereto generic “Waste Assessment Guidance” (WAG) were approved in 1997 for eight different types of waste allowed to be dumped at sea. One of them is dredged material.

Complementing the Waste Assessment Guidance, specific guidelines for assessment of the different wastes were developed and adopted in 2000, among them the Specific Guidelines for Assessment of Dredged Material (LC/SG 24/11, annex 3).

To further support practical implementation of this generic guidance, particularly for dredged material, the Scientific Group prepared an overview of information covering some of the main working steps:

• – selection of substances of concern and effects to be determined; – field sampling; and
• – physical, chemical and biological analysis. The guidance contained in this publication addresses the points above and is an amalgamation of two documents produced for the London Convention 1972 and the 1996 Protocol thereto:
• – Guidelines for the sampling of sediment intended for disposal at sea (LC 24/17, addendum 1); and
• – Selection and analysis of physical and chemical parameters for the assessment of dredged material quality (LC/SG 26/12, annex 2).