HELCOM RECOMMENDATION 12/5

Adopted 20 February 1991, having regard to Article 13, Paragraph b) of the Helsinki Convention

PROMOTION OF THE USE OF SAFER TANKERS WHILE CARRYING OIL

THE COMMISSION,

NOTING Article 7 and Annex IV of the Helsinki Convention,

NOTING ALSO that the Baltic Sea Area has been designated as a Special Area under Annex I of MARPOL 73/78 - as an area requiring special protection,

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the IMO Assembly resolution A.388(X) from 14 November 1977 concerning Tonnage Measurements of Ballast Spaces in Segregated Ballast Oil Tankers,

TAKING ALSO INTO ACCOUNT Paragraph 16 of the Baltic Sea Declaration adopted by the Baltic Sea Conference held in Ronneby, Sweden, 2-3 September 1990,

RECOGNIZING that grounding and collision are the most common reasons for serious maritime accidents involving escape of oil in the Baltic Sea Area,

RECOGNIZING ALSO that the combatting of the effects of these accidents is also hampered by adverse weather conditions, and combatting, particularly in winter conditions, is often hard to perform,

CONSIDERING that there are constructional arrangements, both existing and under development, constituting effective means to minimize the effects of accidents,

CONSIDERING ALSO that the new requirements on structure and arrangement of tankers should be established only via global instruments,

CONSCIOUS that while awaiting such international requirements, the use of environmentally safer oil tankers should be encouraged as much as possible,

RECOMMENDS that Governments of the Contracting Parties to the Helsinki Convention should promote the use of environmentally safer oil tankers by reduction of navigational or other similar fees - either exactly as expressed or by other means e.g. reduction of total tonnage constituting the base for such fees - for tankers equipped with double bottoms or otherwise arranged for efficient reduction of the accidental outflow of oil,

RECOMMENDS ALSO that Governments of the Contracting Parties to the Helsinki Convention cooperate with IMO on the promoting and development of international requirements on arrangements for retaining oil cargo on board tankers in the event of accidents resulting in outflow of oil.