Hydrographic Programme for Jersey

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A decision made 16 June 2014:

Decision Reference: MD-ER-2014-0001
Decision Summary Title :	Jersey Hydrographic Programme		Date of Decision Summary:	11 June 2014
Decision Summary Author:	External Relations		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:	n/a
Written Report Title :	Hydrographic Data Services for Jersey Territorial Waters		Date of Written Report:	11 June 2014
Written Report Author:	Territorial Sea Coordination and Advisory Group		Written Report : Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Subject: Proposal for a Jersey Hydrographic Programme.
Decision(s): In conjunction with the Minister for Economic Development and the Minister for Planning and Environment, the Minister for External Relations adopted the proposals in the attached Report regarding Hydrographic Data Services for Jersey Territorial Waters. In particular, the Minister approved the establishment of a Territorial Sea Coordination and Advisory Group and directed the Group to draft proposals for an appropriate Hydrographic Programme, discuss with Guernsey counterparts the extent that this might be shared and identify potential annual cost estimates.
Reason(s) for Decision: There is no current programme of seabed survey within Channel Island waters. Noting the clear safety, economic and environmental benefits highlighted in the attached Report and the need to be compliant with the Island’s international obligations, the development of such a programme is required.
Resource Implications: There are no new resource implications.
Action required: Officers to undertake the necessary work to establish a Territorial Sea Coordination and Advisory Group and to report back to the Ministers within six months.
Signature:		Minister for External Relations
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Hydrographic Programme for Jersey

Report

Territorial Sea Coordination and Advisory Group

Hydrographic Data Services for Jersey Territorial Waters

International obligations

The UK ratified the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention on behalf of the Island in 2004. At the time, this was primarily for the purpose of introducing the International Ship and Port Security Code, but since then specific aspects to do with ship survey and certification have been introduced and crucially, the Chapter on Safety of Navigation (chapter 5) became law in the Island in 2009.

Chapter 5 is intended largely to impact on ship operators and owners, but it also sets down requirements for parties to the Convention. Notably, Regulation 9 requires “Contracting Governments to undertake to co-operate in carrying out, as far as possible, … hydrographic surveying … adequate to the requirements of aiding navigation.”

Apart from within port limits, Jersey does not do this. In the past the Island has relied on Royal Naval hydrographic services. However, these have been successively curtailed as resources have been reduced and the last Naval operation was in the 1970s with a further small area of Channel Island waters being surveyed for navigation through EU funding in 1997. The Navy now only conducts surveys for military purposes. A chart illustrating the current source data for the Channel Island area is shown as an Annex to this Paper.

Jersey is in the position where there is no hydrographic survey programme for its territorial waters. The UK remains responsible in international law for the Island’s compliance with the Convention and would like to see the Island contribute in some way to an extended UK programme. A Paper to that effect was presented to the Red Ensign Conference in May 2013.[1]

An alternative to contributing to the UK civil hydrography programme has been proposed to develop locally-based Island systems and expertise, which may have the benefits of encouraging a more cost-effective solution and promoting the best use of local hydrographic skills and resources.

Benefits of a Jersey Programme

Jersey has jurisdictional autonomy in respect of matters within its extended territorial sea and accepts responsibility for ensuring that international obligations are implemented appropriately within its territory. Furthermore, the States adopted an Integrated Coastal Zone Management Strategy in 2008, much of which would benefit from a Jersey Programme.

In 2010, a substantive piece of work was carried out in the UK on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)[2] which shows the economic and environmental benefits of seabed mapping beyond safety of navigation. The annual economic benefit of a shared programme for the UK was assessed to be £72.3m. Internationally, other similar Reports have also been completed [3].

Benefits of maintaining a modern survey programme include:

Safety of navigation
Marine accident investigation
Identifying appropriate sites for offshore windfarms and other renewable technologies
Assessing the state of undersea power and communication cables
Identifying routes for new undersea cables
Assisting in the protection of marine fisheries resources
Monitoring sensitive marine environments and the impact of maritime activities
Understanding the potential for exploitation of non-renewable resources such as oil, gas and aggregates
Assessing the impact on the seabed following industrial removal of resources
Archaeological surveys of historic wrecks
Erosion and coastal defence data.

Apart from meeting its SOLAS commitment, it is clear from the above list that much could be gained for the Island by undertaking a programme.

Proposal

It is recommended that the key Ministers [4] associated with the potential benefits of seabed mapping approve a policy position and broad action plan as follows:

Approve the establishment of a Territorial Sea Coordination and Advisory Group.

Membership of such an officer group should comprise:

Economic Development – Director Environmental Management; Harbour Master, and Registrar of Shipping/Maritime Compliance
Environment – Director for Environment, Assistant Director Marine Resources, and Marine and Coastal Manager
External Relations – Head of International Compliance Strategy
Law Officers – Legal adviser.

Recommendations for a Hydrographic Programme should be developed that will (a) meet the Island’s SOLAS Safety of Navigation requirements and (b) will as far as reasonably possible incorporate beneficial data gathering and sharing for all other interested marine partners.

To achieve this, the respective Ministers are recommended to commission the Territorial Sea Coordination and Advisory Group to –

draft for consideration an annual rolling programme (Channel Island Hydrographic Programme, CIHP) in which priority Jersey sea areas are identified for the next five years;
work with Guernsey to include areas of mutual interest where possible;
invite all interested parties to refine proposals to undertake the programme and identify potential annual cost estimates with the aim of being in a position to decide whether an invitation to tender, or other appointment process, is appropriate;
to recommend as far as possible a notional apportionment of cost across departments that would represent the division of benefit to be derived from the programme [5];
to report back within six months with the intention that the CIHP might be put forward to the Council of Ministers to be included in the 2015 - 2018 States Strategic Plan / 2016 -2018 Medium Term Financial Plan.

Territorial Sea Coordination and Advisory Group

Revised 11 June 2014

Annex - Status of Data in Channel Islands

The diagram shows the quality of survey information currently held by UKHO that has been utilised to produce navigational products within Channel Islands (CI) waters.

• GREEN = The available survey data meet required international standards as set out in “IHO Standards for Hydrographic Surveys (S-44)”;

• AMBER = Some single beam survey data are available. Does not meet required international standards as set out in “IHO Standards for Hydrographic Surveys (S -44)”

• RED = Very limited modern survey data available. Does not meet required international standards as set out in “IHO Standards for Hydrographic Surveys (S-44)”.

[1] Unpublished report. Inadequacy of Hydrographic Information in the Waters of UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. Presented by the UK Hydrographic Office to the Red Ensign Group Conference, BVI, 14-17 May 2013.

[2] Unpublished report Financial Benefits Of The Civil Hydrography Programme (23 June 2010)

[3] E.g. Report on the Economic Benefits of Hydrography by the International Federation of Surveyors, 2011 www.fig.net/pub/figpub/pub57/pub57_full.pdf

[4] These being Economic Development, Environment and External Relations

[5] Notwithstanding that apportionment, this might be paid for by seeking a central recurring funding allocation for the programme but this is out of the scope of this report.