Initial Environmental Examination September 2017 Maritime and Waterways and Safety Project Pre-Installation Assessment Report for Navaids package 2 Prepared by National Maritime Safety Authority for the Asian Development Bank (ADB). This Initial Environmental Examination (or Pre-Installation Assessment) is a document of the Borrower. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of ADB’ Board of Directors, Management, or staff, and may be preliminary in nature. In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgements as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. 1 Project Number: 44375-13 Loan Number: 2978-PNG September, 2017 Papua New Guinea: Maritime and Waterways Safety Project Pre-Installation Assessment Report for Contract Package No.2 (Bougainville, New Ireland, Manus, East New Britain and West New Britain Provinces) 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. The Government of Papua New Guinea (the Government) has requested the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to provide further assistance in the maritime sector through replacement of existing or previously evident coastal navigational aids (navaids) as well as installation of new navaids. The project was initially scoped to include 132 navaids including replacement (99) and new navaids (33), and for which site surveys and assessments are being undertaken to refine requirements and suitability. The Maritime and Waterways Safety Project, was prepared in 2012 with the project executing agency and implementing agency being the PNG National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA). 2. It is anticipated by the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) of the NMSA that the navaid project will be undertaken through three (3) separate contract packages. Contract Package 1 will involve a total number of 48 navaid installations in Milne Bay and Central Provinces distributed over eight (8) sites. Contract Package 2 navaids will involve a total of 20 navaid installations in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARB), New Ireland, East New Britain and West New Britain Provinces distributed over twelve (12) sites. 3. Contract Package 3 navaids locations will be validated based on future assessments. Separate PIAs for navaid locations under each of these contract packages are required to be prepared and submitted after the conduct of pre-installation site assessments. Contract Package 1 had already been previously prepared and had been tendered. Hence, the preparation of this PIA is for Contract Package 2. 4. The Pre-installation Assessment (PIA) addressed navaid locational requirements for engineering and marine safety, and environmental protection perspectives; habitat and bottom type identification for navaid installation and for setting of anchors to determine specific locations to minimize environmental damage; and pre-installation community awareness. This activity for Contract Package 2 navaids locations took place intermittently from February 20 to April 10, 2016. 5. A Pre-Installation Assessment Checklist had been prepared covering the minimum requirements provided in the Environmental Assessment and Review Framework (EARF). The habitat and bottom type identification involved diving and underwater photography, subject to safe sea and environmental conditions. 6. The pre-installation community awareness preparations have been based from the NMSA’s Community Engagement Program but followed the PIUs process ultimately, including particularly the FPIC process that also involved representatives from the Provincial Government, Districts, and the Department of Lands staff. 7. Community awareness meetings resulted in signed FPIC forms that are considered significant outcomes under this PIA because it confirms community agreement and acceptance of the project and permission by the community for the installation of the navaids in advance of the finalization of an appropriate mode of land acquisition (purchase or lease agreement). 8. Majority of the proposed navaids under Contract Package 2 will be monopile type installations and driven into the substrate extending a focal plane height of 6-7m above mean sea level (msl). Signal light, solar power panels, radar reflectors as necessary and day or top marks and related devices will be installed atop the pile which may be wrapped or otherwise protected in order to extend their useful life in the harsh seawater environment. A program of inspections and maintenance will be developed. 9. Throughout the Bougainville, New Ireland, East New Britain and West New Britain Provinces, environmentally sensitive areas that may be jeopardized by installation operations 3 include corals and seagrass beds which abound in some identified sites. Whilst there is a network of marine protected areas within the Bismarck Sea, and Kimbe Bay in particular, no marine protected areas, either nationally proclaimed and managed or locally-managed, will be directly affected by the installation activities. Locally-managed areas can be found usually away from these installations. Nevertheless, navaids in marine protected areas would be important support facilities for environmental protection since these will avert incidences of grounding and destruction of important marine habitats in these sensitive areas. 10. For the most part however, there are typically hard reef pavement or sandy patches within these habitats that provide suitable locations for installing both new navaids and replacement navaids. In addition, where navaids are to be installed on land, the preferred option has been to locate the navaid where minimal clearing of terrestrial vegetation is required or to locate it on the adjoining reef with exposed coral communities. 11. Nevertheless, it is important to adhere to precautionary principles and the Navaid Installation Contractor (NIC) will be required to prepare a work method statement and implement an environmental management plan during installation. No mangroves will be directly affected by the navaid installations. 12. The PIA indicates that the installation of the replacement and new navaids in the Bougainville, New Ireland, East New Britain and West New Britain Provinces will result in unavoidable and permanent loss of very small areas of habitat during their lifetime. This physical loss however will be offset by the monopiles in water becoming habitats themselves for various marine organisms. 13. In addition, this physical loss will be offset by the avoidance of vessels running aground on reefs with the potential of extensive environmental damage (oil spill and physical destruction of habitat), as well as possible loss of human lives. Where sea conditions allow for safe underwater inspections, the PIU managed to inspect and identify most underwater substrates to be either sand, sandy patches in coral areas, hard reef pavements, rubbles and hard rocks. On a few number of installations (i.e. Raluana where a unique custom and tradition is observed), sensitive habitats, especially vigorous coral reefs, were identified but will be furthered assessed during NIC pre-installation works to ensure these will not be significantly impacted. 14. The NIC will be required to prepare a work method statement, and an installation environmental management plan (IEMP) to properly manage the required pre-installation and installation processes and ensure avoidance or minimization of negative environmental impacts to the navaid locations. The Navaid Installation Contractor (NIC) is expected to provide a Marine Ecologist, and a Terrestrial Ecologist in its installation team to address potential issues and concerns of both marine-based, and land-based installations. 15. The PIA concludes that potential adverse environmental impacts arising from the replacement of existing or previously evident coastal navigational aids, and installation of new navaids in these provinces can be minimized to insignificant levels by selecting a NIC that will fully comply with the environmental requirements of the project. 4 Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................... 3 ACRONYMS .......................................................................................................................... 7 List of Tables and Figures ...................................................................................................... 8 I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 9 A. Project Overview ..........................................................................................................................9 A.1 Scope of the Pre-installation Assessment ...................................................................... 10 A.2 Structure of the Report ....................................................................................................... 11 A.3 Schedule .............................................................................................................................. 12 A.4 Pre-Installation Assessment (PIA) Team ........................................................................ 12 B. Policy, Legal and Administrative Framework........................................................................ 13 B.1 ADB Environmental Safeguards ......................................................................................