London Convention 1972

The Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, commonly called the London Convention, was opened for signature on 29 December 1972 and entered into force on 30 August 1975. It is one of the earliest global instruments addressing marine pollution and is administered by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London.

The Convention targets dumping, defined as the deliberate disposal at sea of wastes from vessels, aircraft, platforms, or other man-made structures. It does not cover operational discharges from ships (which fall under MARPOL 73/78) or land-based pollution sources.

The original treaty uses a "black and grey list" approach:

• Annex I (black list) materials — such as high-level radioactive wastes, organohalogen compounds, mercury, cadmium, and persistent plastics — are prohibited from dumping.
• Annex II (grey list) substances require a special permit.
• All other wastes require a general permit from national authorities.

In 1996, parties adopted the London Protocol, which entered into force on 24 March 2006 and is intended eventually to replace the 1972 Convention for its parties. The Protocol reverses the regulatory logic: it adopts a "reverse list" or precautionary approach, prohibiting all dumping except for a short list of materials (such as dredged material, fish waste, and inert geological matter) that may be considered for permit.

The Protocol also explicitly bans incineration at sea and the export of wastes for dumping. Since 2006, parties have adopted amendments addressing carbon dioxide sequestration in sub-seabed geological formations (2006) and geoengineering activities including ocean fertilization (2013 amendment, not yet in force).

The London Convention works alongside UNCLOS Article 210, which obliges states to adopt rules on dumping no less effective than global standards.