Illegal oil discharges in the Baltic Sea continue to decrease

Helsinki, 23 June (HELCOM) – Illegal oil discharges from ships in the Baltic Sea continue to decrease, according to the latest data compiled by the Helsinki Commission’s Response Group.

Last year, 293 oil spills were detected during 5534 hours of surveillance flights conducted by the coastal countries over the Baltic Sea. Although the number of observed illegal oil discharges is slightly higher than it was in 2003 (292), surveillance planes flew 600 hours more last year, which means that the number of illegal oil discharges detected per flight hour has continued to decrease.

“We see a continuation of a positive trend,” said HELCOM professional secretary Tadas Navickas. “The decrease in the number of observed illegal discharges, despite rapidly growing density of shipping, increased frequency of the surveillance flights and improved usage of remote sensing equipment, illustrates the positive results of the complex set of measures known as the Baltic Strategy, which is implemented by the Contracting Parties to the Helsinki Convention.”

Most of the illegal oil discharges were detected along the main shipping routes. Ten most significant spills containing from 10 to over 100 cubic meters of oil were detected in the south-western Baltic, the Kattegat, and the Gulf of Finland. Among them the largest were observed west of Bornholm (253,1 cubic meters) and east of Rugen ( 111,5 cubic meters).

Deliberate illegal oil discharges from ships have been regularly observed during surveillance flights over the Baltic Sea since 1988. The number of observed illegal oil discharges has gradually been decreasing every year. The biggest number (763 detections per 3491 flight hours) was recorded in 1989.

“Regular aerial surveillance flights contribute significantly to the decrease in discharges as the ships are aware that their illicit activities will not remain unseen,” said Thomas Fagö, Chairman of the HELCOM Response Group. “The HELCOM aerial surveillance fleet today consists of more than 20 airplanes and helicopters, many of them equipped with remote sensing equipment such as side looking airborne radar (SLAR), infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) cameras, photo and video equipment.”

Today, any discharge into the Baltic Sea of oil, or diluted mixtures containing oil in any form including crude oil, fuel oil, oil sludge, or refined products, is prohibited. This applies to oily water from the machinery spaces of any ship, as well as from ballast or cargo tanks of oil tankers. The prohibition stems from the international designation of the Baltic Sea area as a “special area” under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73/78).

To uphold the prohibition, the 1992 Helsinki Convention requires all ships, with a few exceptions, to deliver oil to a reception facility before leaving port. To further encourage delivery, the countries bordering the Baltic Sea have agreed that a ship should not be charged for using the reception facilities (also known as the no-special-fee system). The costs are covered e.g. by general harbour fees or general environmental fees.

“The increased amount of waste delivered to the Baltic Sea ports illustrates that more and more ships deliver oil waste to port reception facilities rather than illegally discharge into the Baltic Sea,” said Tadas Navickas.

Follow-up:

The 2004 map of illegal oil discharges: http://www.helcom.fi/stc/files/Maps/oilspills/Oilspills2004.pdf

HELCOM data on Illegal discharges of oil http://www.helcom.fi/environment2/ifs/ifs2004/en_GB/illegaldischarges/

HELCOM aerial surveillance (http://www.helcom.fi/shipping/waste/en_GB/surveilance/)

Contacts

HELCOM Secretariat

Mr Tadas Navickas
Professional Secretary
Tel: +358 9 6220 2242
Fax: +358 9 6220 2239

Mr Nikolay Vlasov
Information Secretary
Tel: +358 9 6220 2235
Fax: +358 9 6220 2239