Finnish Navy team wins HELCOM Trophy

Gdynia, 8 September (HELCOM) – The Finnish Navy team from the oil response vessel Hylje won the HELCOM Trophy at the 11^th annual rowing boat competition held on 7 September in Gdynia, Poland, following the Helsinki Commissions pollution response exercise BALEX DELTA 2006.

Eight teams representing oil spill response vessels from Denmark, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, as well as the European Maritime Safety Agency, took part in this year’s HELCOM race.

The teams were divided into three groups. The Danish, Finnish and Polish teams finished first in their groups heats, and qualified for the final. The final race opened with an unprecedented performance by the Finnish crew. Their boat took a winning lead right from the start and finished first leaving competitors far behind. The Danish crew was the second to cross the finish line, followed by the Polish team only a second later.

Eleven HELCOM rowing competitions including this years have been held since 1990. The race has been won six times by the Swedish team, twice by the Finnish and Lithuanian teams, and once by the Polish team. 

Winners of the HELCOM Trophy rowing competition:

2006 (Gdynia) - Finland

2005 (Karlskrona) – Sweden

2004 (Warnemünde) – Sweden

2003 (Helsinki) - Sweden

2002 (Liepaja) – Lithuania

2001 (Rönne) – Lithuania

2000 (St. Petersburg) – Sweden

1998 (Gdynia) – Finland

1996 (Karlskrona) – Poland

1991 (Rönne) – Sweden

1990 (Gdynia) – Sweden

Note to Editors: 

The Helsinki Commission, or HELCOM, works to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution through intergovernmental co-operation between the countries bordering the sea - Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and also the European Community.  

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:

Mr. Nikolay Vlasov

Information Secretary

HELCOM

Tel: +358 (0)207 412 635

Fax: +358 (0)207 412 639

E-mail: nikolay.vlasov@helcom.fi