HELCOM RECOMMENDATION 12/9

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

FOLLOW-UP STUDIES IN CONNECTION WITH MAJOR OIL SPILLS

THE COMMISSION,

RECALLING Article 16*) of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, 1974, (Helsinki Convention), concerning, inter alia, promotion of studies on the assessment of the nature and extent of pollution in the Baltic Sea Area and the tasks of the Helsinki Commission in this respect,

BEING MINDFUL that accidents may form a remarkable part of the oil pollution load on the Baltic Sea and that major oil spills may have enormous adverse ecological and economical consequences in the Baltic Sea, 

BEING ALSO MINDFUL that the Contracting Parties have conducted follow-up studies in connection with past oil spills,

RECOGNIZING the need for commonly adopted principles and guidelines for such studies,

RECOMMENDS that the Governments of the Contracting Parties to the Helsinki Convention study the ecological and economical effects of accidental oil pollution in connection with every major oil spillage in the Baltic Sea,

RECOMMENDS FURTHER that the Governments of the Contracting Parties should use the Guidelines adopted jointly by the Environment and Combatting Committees of the Helsinki Commission when conducting such follow-up studies.

*) after the entering into force of the 1992 Helsinki Convention, the relevant reference is to Article 24