HELCOM MARITIME to consider new Recommendations on pollution prevention in the Baltic Sea

The Third Meeting of the Maritime Group of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM MARITIME), to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, 26-28 October, will consider among other issues new Recommendations on pollution prevention in the Baltic Sea.

The Meeting is to discuss the revised HELCOM Recommendation “Application of the no-special-fee system in the Baltic Sea area to ship-generated wastes”. It proposes to extend, as of 1 January 2006, the so called "no-special-fee" system which is currently applicable to oily wastes from machinery spaces to also garbage and sewage.

The "no-special-fee" system has the dual purpose of encouraging ships to deliver waste ashore thus avoiding undesirable waste streams between ports and encouraging a sound sharing of the waste burden. It is also one of the prerequisites of the Baltic Strategy for a substantial decrease in the number of operational and illegal discharges of oil and thus for the prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships.

HELCOM MARITIME will also consider a draft recommendation on "Measures to address the threat of invasive species transported via the ballast water of ships". It has been prepared following the adoption of the International Convention on Management of Ballast Water and Sediments by IMO and contains proposals to deal with the threat of marine bio-invasions at the regional level in cooperation with the North Sea area.

The Meeting is expected to look further into the problem of air pollution from ships in the Baltic Sea, taking into account Annex VI of MARPOL 73/78 and the Strategy to reduce atmospheric emissions from seagoing ships of the European Union. Finland and Sweden are the lead countries to elaborate on the issue.

The Maritime Group will also consider the further reduction of the maximum sulphur content of fuel oil in SOx Emission Control Areas, further reduction of nitrogen oxide emissions from ships and the inclusion of provisions related to CO, HC and Particulate Matter emissions in Annex VI to MARPOL 73/78, especially with regard to port operations. A proposal in this effect could be prepared by the Baltic Sea States to the IMO in consultation with the North Sea States and other interested parties.

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