HELCOM MARITIME to discuss the Baltic Sea Action Plan

Helsinki, 10 October (HELCOM) – The Maritime Group of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM MARITIME) will hold its regular Meeting on 11-14 October in Klaipeda, Lithuania, to discuss further measures to improve safety of navigation and reduce pollution from ships in the Baltic Sea.

One of the main topics at the Meeting will be the development of the strategic Baltic Sea Action Plan proposed this year by the Helsinki Commission to further reduce pollution in the Baltic Sea and repair the damage done to the marine environment. Experts will consider objectives and actions of the plan dealing with maritime issues.

Further measures to curb air pollution from ships will be high on the Agenda of the Meeting. The Maritime Group will discuss the feasibility of applying economical incentives to reduce emissions from ships and decide on further HELCOM actions on the issue. The Meeting will also look into possible HELCOM actions with regard to the reduction of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from ships.   

Another high-profile issue is the possible use of the HELCOM Automatic Identification System (AIS), which provides possibilities to monitor international maritime traffic in the Baltic Sea region, to identify banned ships and the so-called “rustbuckets”. The AIS system is allowing to establish an alert system which would inform the next port of call when any of these vessels enter the Baltic. The Meeting will discuss a need for such a monitoring/alert system, its functionalities and possible next steps for its establishment. The HELCOM Maritime Group is also expected to consider the use of the AIS for control of oil transportation.

The Meeting will furthermore discuss the interim report of the HELCOM project “Risk assessment of ballast water mediated introductions” and the participation in the GEF-UNDP-IMO Global Ballast Water Management Programme “GloBallast Partnerships”.

Contacts

HELCOM Secretariat

Mr. Tadas Navickas
Professional Secretary
Tel: +358 9 62202242
Fax: +358 9 62202239

E-mail:  tadas.navickas@helcom.fi

Mr. Nikolay Vlasov
Information Secretary
Tel: +358 9 62202235
Fax: +358 9 6220 2239

E-mail: nikolay.vlasov@helcom.fi