Cape sea route gets international protection

The International Maritime Organisation has approved a proposal for a 50 nautical mile stretch of sea off the Cape coast to be declared a special area under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. Environmental spokesperson Carol Moses says the South African proposal had been based in part on the fact that prevailing winds and currents carried oil towards the coast, and that there were a significant number of endemic and endangered species in the area. The approval will come into force in 2008 and will mean that no tanker will be allowed to discharge cargo oil residues within the new limit.