New amendments to the Helsinki Convention on sewage discharge from ships come into force

Ministry for foreign affairs of Finland, acting as Depositary of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (Helsinki Convention), circulated the Note Verbale informing the coastal countries that the new amendments to the Annex IV of the Convention on sewage discharge from ships enters into force on 1 July 2004.

New sewage regulations can be seen as an earlier implementation of the global decisions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) by the Baltic Sea States, says Ingelore Hering, Chair of the HELCOM Maritime working group. Furthermore, the provision of the amended Annex IV of the Helsinki Convention also covers ships, including pleasure crafts, not falling under jurisdiction of global regulations.

The Helsinki Convention first introduced the regulations on the sewage discharge in the Baltic Sea in 1980. The new amendments have been designed to harmonize the Baltic Sea regime with the provisions of the revised Annex IV of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL73/78).

According to the amended Annex IV of the Helsinki Convention the distances from the nearest land, at which ships are allowed to discharge sewage that has to be comminuted and disinfected using an approved system has been decreased from 4 to 3 nautical miles. Moreover, some flexibility has been introduced to the specific HELCOM requirement for ships, including pleasure crafts, fitted with toilets to have a toilet retention system in order to be able to deliver sewage to the reception facilities in ports. According to the new regime pleasure crafts and other ships, that are built before 1 January 2000, where the installation of a toilet retention systems is technically difficult or the cost of the installation is high compared to the value of the ship, might be exempted by national authorities.

Contacts

HELCOM Secretariat

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

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