HELCOM Response Group to approve a new regulation for oiled wildlife response

Helsinki, 16 February (HELCOM Information Service) – The Response Group of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM RESPONSE) will hold its regular Meeting 17-19 February in Helsinki 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 major focus of the Meeting will be on finalizing the input to the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting, which will be held 20 May in Moscow.

Representatives of the coastal countries are expected to agree on a new HELCOM Recommendation (regulation) setting the standards for planning of oiled wildlife response on national level. “HELCOM procedures for international oil spill response operations have already been amended to enable mutual assistance when dealing with oiled wildlife. Following the agreement in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, the new Recommendation specifies how HELCOM countries should put an integrated oiled wildlife response plan in place as part of the overall contingency plan to guarantee swift mobilization of resources, the use of appropriate response, rehabilitation and health and safety protocols, and likelihood of successful claim to international compensation funds”, says Peter Poulsen, Chairman of the HELCOM Response Group. Strengthening of cooperation in shoreline response is another topic to be discussed by the Meeting, including proposals for amendments to the HELCOM Response Manual and Annex VII to the Helsinki Convention.

The Response Group will also consider the status and future development of sub-regional agreements and plans between neighboring Baltic Sea countries for joint operations to respond to pollution at sea. Such agreements are required by the Helsinki Convention in order to be able to activate in a short time the assistance from other countries sharing the same marine area. This work is facilitated by the BRISK Project on assessment of sub-regional risk of spill of oil and hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea area, which is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund within the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013.  “We aim at having similar response plans covering all sub-regions of the Baltic Sea, which will substantially facilitate communication across the borders and activation of international response resources in case of major pollution accident”, says Poulsen.

The Meeting will also analyze recent response operations, plan the upcoming exercises to test countries’ abilities to respond to pollution accidents, learn about the new oil response vessels in the Baltic Sea countries, and decide on information on places of refuge to be exchanged between the countries.

Note to Editors:

The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), is an intergovernmental organisation of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Community working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to ensure safety of navigation in the region.

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:

Ms. Monika Stankiewicz

Professional Secretary

HELCOM

Tel: +358 (0)40 840 2471

Fax: +358 (0)207 412 645

E-mail: monika.stankiewicz@helcom.fi

Mr. Nikolay Vlasov

Information Secretary

HELCOM

Tel: +358 (0)46 850 9196

Fax: +358 (0)207 412 645

E-mail: nikolay.vlasov@helcom.fi