Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas: Past,present and future

Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs) are sea areas which need special protection on environmental grounds. In this respect coastal States, through IMO, can take some measures which may result in restrictions on the traditional freedom of passage. The aim of this paper is to explain the IMO guidelines on PSSA and the questions raised by the proposal of West European Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (WE PSSA). This paper will also examine the legal grounds of the PSSA concept and look at UNCLOS in this respect.