HELCOM to consider a new regulation on sheltering ships in need of assistance

Helsinki, 28 October (HELCOM Information Service) - The HELCOM Response Group will hold its regular meeting on 29 – 31 October in Warnemünde, Germany, to discuss further measures to enhance the capacity of the Baltic Sea coastal countries to respond to major marine pollution incidents in the region, including oil spillages, as well as to improve the detection of offenders of anti-pollution regulations.

The implementation of the maritime segment of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan to drastically reduce pollution to the Baltic Sea and restore its good ecological status by 2021 will top the agenda of the Response Group Meeting. Representatives of the Member States will particularly discuss a proposal for a new HELCOM Recommendation on a mutual plan for places of refuge which aims at deepening co-operation between the Baltic Sea coastal countries in providing a shelter to ships in need of assistance in their territorial waters. "The Recommendation has been drafted by legal experts from the HELCOM countries who met in September to clarify how the existing liability and compensation regime will apply to a situation when a ship is granted a place of refuge in a country's waters even if an accident involving such a ship occurred outside its response zone," says Thomas Fagö, Chairman of the HELCOM Response Group. According to the Baltic Sea Action Plan, the HELCOM countries have agreed to develop a mutual plan by 2009 and implement it by 2010.

The Group will also launch the BRISK Project on sub-regional risk of spill of oil or hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea approved last Friday for financing by the EU Baltic Sea Region (BSR) Programme. BRISK is among the three projects approved by the Programme as strategic ones, having a special importance for the Baltic Sea region. It will be led by Denmark and approximately 3.5 million euros will be allocated for its implementation by the BSR Programme and the HELCOM countries.

The BRISK Project will contribute to a swift transnational response to marine pollution incidents at sea, which is of utmost importance due to the vulnerability and high sensitivity of the marine environment of the Baltic Sea to any release of oil or other harmful substances. The Baltic Sea countries will work together to, based on risk assessments, identify missing emergency and response resources in each sub-region of the Baltic and take joint decisions on how to fill in the gaps.

Evaluation of the preparedness of coastal countries to respond to wildlife and shoreline pollution by oil will also be of primary focus of the Meeting. “The recently adopted HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan requires Member States to integrate the subject of oiled wildlife response into oil pollution contingency plans and the Response Group has already commenced its activities to deal with this topic” says Monika Stankiewicz, HELCOM’s Professional Secretary for maritime and response issues. “The Group has also formed a good platform for discussions with NGOs like WWF Finland and Sea Alarm Foundation which have a great deal of experience in creating a network of well-trained voluntary oil spill brigades to assist the authorities in response to oiled wildlife.”.

According to the agenda, the Meeting will discuss HELCOM aerial surveillance flights in 2008, e.g. CEPCO North and CEPCO South, during which special aircraft from several coastal countries jointly monitored areas with high likelihood of operational oil spills for up to 24 hours. Additionally, representatives of the Member States will consider organizing a Super CEPCO operation to survey the sea area for illegal pollution as long as for up to 8 days. Also, Russia will inform on the results of the annual HELCOM BALEX DELTA international oil spill response exercise, which took place in August off Kaliningrad.

The Meeting will consider the outcome of a project investigating the applicability of dispersants to Russian oil transported in the Baltic, run by Sweden and financed by the European Commission, and based on it possibly revise HELCOM Recommendation 22/2 which defines the policy of the Baltic Sea countries on the use of chemical agents in oil combating operations.

Among other major issues, representatives of the coastal countries will also discuss, as well as approve the draft report on shipping accidents in the Baltic Sea area for 2007. There are around 140 shipping accidents and over 200 detected illegal oil discharges recorded annually in the Baltic Sea area. Fortunately, most of the accidents in the Baltic do not cause notable pollution. Over the period 2000-2006, an average of 7% of all reported accidents resulted in some kind of pollution. Two of the five most serious accidents in the Baltic marine area have occurred since 2001 – involving “Baltic Carrier” in 2001 (2,700 tonnes of oil spilt), and “Fu Shan Hai” in 2003 (1,200 tonnes of oil spilt).

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. Thomas Fagö

Chairman of HELCOM RESPONSE

Tel: +46 (455) 353455

E-mail: thomas.fago@coastguard.se  

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