HELCOM to consider further measures to reduce emissions from ships

Helsinki, 14 November (HELCOM Information Service) – The Maritime Group of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM MARITIME) will hold its regular Meeting on 18-20 November in St. Petersburg, Russia, to discuss further measures to improve safety of navigation and reduce pollution from ships in the Baltic Sea.

The primary focus of the Meeting will be on further measures to reduce emissions from ships in the Baltic, including new, more stringent requirements on nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from shipping. The Meeting will particularly discuss the possibility to designate the Baltic Sea as a special NOx Emission Control Area (NECA) under IMO’s MARPOL 73/78 Convention, with tighter atmospheric emission restrictions. “According to the most recent studies, tighter NECA restrictions, requiring an 80% reduction of emissions from marine diesel engines installed on ships on or after 1 January 2016, would reverse the increasing trend of NOx emissions in the Baltic Sea in the long run,” says Monika Stankiewicz, HELCOM’s Professional Secretary for maritime and response issues.

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition is one of the main contributors to the high nutrient concentrations that stimulate massive algae blooms in the Baltic. The most recent calculations identify shipping as the largest contributor to atmospheric nitrogen oxide deposition to the Baltic Sea with a share of 16%. However, the present study shows the contribution to reach up to 50% in some areas and seasons. The total annual NOx emission from ships is estimated at more than 370 kilotons. The estimate is based on information from the HELCOM Automatic Identification System for monitoring ship traffic in the Baltic Sea and is verified against information on fuel consumption obtained from shipping companies and measurements of air quality near fairways.

The NOx emissions from shipping in Finnish waters alone are higher than emissions from Finnish land-based traffic. On the Baltic Sea scale, the emissions from shipping are comparable to the combined land-based NOx emissions from Denmark and Sweden. Most of this emission is concentrated on the southern part of the Baltic Sea, around the Danish straits and the Kiel Canal where shipping is intense, but significant emissions can also be seen throughout the Gulf of Finland.

The Baltic Sea has already been the first to establish a special sulphur oxide (SOx) Emission Control Area (SECA). In a recent submission to IMO, HELCOM has reported the positive experience in implementing the world’s strictest regulations limiting the sulphur content of bunker fuel in a busy shipping area like the Baltic Sea.

One of the high-profile issues on the Agenda of the Meeting is the preparation of a submission to IMO with a proposal to revise sewage discharge regulations for passenger ships and ferries.  This initiative is part of the strategic HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan to restore the good ecological status of the sea by 2021. Currently international regulations do not contain requirements to remove nutrients from ships’ sewage prior to discharge into the sea. The document which is being prepared under the leadership of Finland is to be jointly submitted by all HELCOM Member States to the 59th session of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee in 2009, as agreed in the Baltic Sea Action Plan. 

The Meeting will also look into how HELCOM can contribute to the major revision of the Baltic Sea Hydrographic Re-survey Scheme which has recently been decided by the Baltic Sea Hydrographic Commission. The 2002 Re-survey scheme has to be updated and amended e.g. taking into account the current vessel traffic situation based on the data provided by the HELCOM Automatic Identification System, which was launched in 2005. Hydrographic re-surveys to determine sea water depths are essential for the production of reliable nautical charts, including Electronic Nautical Charts (ENCs). ENCs are a pre-requisite for the use of the Electronic Chart Display and Information System onboard ships, which can substantially reduce the risk of grounding. According to the Baltic Sea Action Plan, the requirement to carry them onboard vessels is to be supported by HELCOM countries within IMO.

Among other topmost issues, the Meeting will also evaluate progress in the realisation of the HELCOM road map for the implementation of the Ballast Water Management Convention, the development of a mutual plan for places of refuge as well as the improvement of safety of winter navigation.

The Meeting will take place at the Admiral Makarov State Maritime Academy and will be conducted by the Chair of the HELCOM Maritime Group, Ms. Ingelore Hering.

Note to Editors:

The Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), officially known as the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, is an intergovernmental organisation of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the EU working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to ensure safety of navigation in the region. 

HELCOM is the governing body of the "Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area," more usually known as the Helsinki Convention.

For more information, please contact:

Ms. Monika Stankiewicz

Professional Secretary

HELCOM

Tel: +358 (0)207 412 643

Fax: +358 (0)207 412 639

E-mail: monika.stankiewicz@helcom.fi

Mr. Nikolay Vlasov

Information Secretary

HELCOM

Tel: +358 (0)207 412 635

Fax: +358 (0)207 412 639

E-mail: nikolay.vlasov@helcom.fi