HELCOM devising additional measures to enhance oil spill response capacity

Helsinki, 16 April (HELCOM Information Service) - The HELCOM Response Group will hold its regular meeting on 18 - 20 April in Tallinn, Estonia, 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 development of the response segment of the Baltic Sea Action Plan, which is currently being drafted by HELCOM to drastically reduce pollution to the Baltic Sea and restore its good ecological status, will once again top the agenda of the Response Group Meeting. “The delegations of the coastal countries will look into some outstanding issues related to response actions, particularly decide on the timeframe for implementing the new HELCOM Recommendation on strengthening of sub-regional co-operation in the emergency and response fields, which is to be adopted along with the action plan at the Ministerial Meeting in November, and also finalize the “Guidance for sub-regional plans to quantify needed emergency/response resources”, which is to support the implementation of the above mentioned Recommendation,” says Monika Stankiewicz, HELCOM’s Professional Secretary.

The use of additional tools for identifying ships that illegally discharge oil into the sea is expected to be one of the major themes at the Meeting. The delegations of the coastal countries will discuss the use of satellite information in detecting illegal spills at sea, as well as the co-operation on this issue with the European Maritime Safety Agency, which on 16 April officially launched its Satellite Service for monitoring the Baltic Sea region.

Representatives of the HELCOM countries are planning to discuss possible areas of further development of the HELCOM STW/AIS system, which integrates data from the Seatrack Web (STW) oil drift forecasting system and the Automatic Identification System (AIS) for monitoring maritime traffic. The aim of this new system is to provide additional tools for identifying ships that illegally discharge oil into the Baltic Sea. By combining data on ships’ routes from the AIS with reversed calculations of the pathways of oil slicks based on the Seatrack Web system, identification procedures are significantly improved, providing better evidence for the courts.

It is expected that the Meeting will adopt and release the annual 2006 HELCOM report on detection of illegal discharges in the Baltic Sea observed during aerial surveillance. Preliminary results indicate that the number of oil spills remains low compared to previous years. HELCOM attributes this positive trend to the success of the complex set of measures known as the Baltic Strategy to prevent illegal discharges of oil and waste into the Baltic Sea, which the HELCOM Member States have been implementing since the late 1990s. Very significant is that this decrease continues despite the rapidly growing density of shipping in the Baltic Sea area, the increased frequency of the surveillance flights, and improved usage of remote sensing equipment

According to the agenda, the Meeting will discuss plans for upcoming HELCOM aerial surveillance flights, e.g. CEPCO North and CEPCO South, during which special aircraft from several coastal countries jointly monitor areas with high likelihood of operational oil spills. Also, Estonia will inform on the preparation of the annual HELCOM BALEX DELTA international oil spill response exercise, which will take place in September off Tallinn.

The Meeting of the Response Group is planning to discuss the maritime traffic situation based on the latest national reports and statistical data from the HELCOM Automatic Identification System (AIS) for monitoring shipping in the Baltic, as well as the preparation of the annual 2006 HELCOM report on shipping accidents.

Representatives of the coastal countries will also exchange information on the progress made in establishing their national abilities and organisations for response to pollution at sea and continue discussions on strengthening of the sub-regional capacity co-operation in the response field.

The meeting will be conducted by Mr. Thomas Fagö, Chairman of the HELCOM Response Group.

Note to Editors:

The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, more usually known as the Helsinki Commission, or HELCOM, is an intergovernmental organisation of all the nine Baltic Sea countries and the EU which works to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution. 

HELCOM is the governing body of the "Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area," 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