Participating vessels berthing ahead of the BALEX DELTA exercise in Karlskrona, Sweden on 27 August 2018. © BALEX DELTA 2018
The Baltic Sea region’s ability to respond to major maritime incidents will be thoroughly tested once more during the BALEX DELTA 2018 exercise that will be held in Karlskrona, Sweden from 28 to 30 August 2018.
The recently published HELCOM report Baltic Sea Sewage Port Reception Facilities – HELCOM overview 2018 provides information on the status of sewage port reception facilities (PRF) and their use in the Baltic Sea area, with a focus on international cruise traffic. A total of 38 ports were assessed in the 2018 version.
“This publication gives a comprehensive overview of the sewage port reception facilities in the Baltic Sea, and we plan to update it regularly in order to always reflect the current situation,” said Markus Helavuori, the HELCOM Professional Secretary in charge of maritime affairs.
According to the report, most ports channel the wastewater from the ships to the municipal sewer system or treatment plants, either directly through fixed reception points or using tankers or barges. Upgrades are currently underway in some ports.
The overview has been submitted for information to the 73rd session of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 73) that will be held from 22 to 26 October 2018.
The Baltic was the first sea in the world to receive status as a special area for sewage under the IMO MARPOL Convention, Annex IV.
Under the convention that is set to come into effect in June 2021, passenger ships – including cruise ships – will be limited to discharging sewage into port reception facilities or alternatively at sea after treatment in advanced on-board sewage treatment plants.
The report has been compiled by HELCOM based on information from port authorities, national administrations, and the cruise and port industries. HELCOM AIS data for the period 2006 to 2017 was also used.
Plenary session considering conference room papers. © IISD/ENB | Franz Dejon HELCOM shared its insights on both marine litter and the management of sea areas in the Baltic Sea region during a UN conference held in Montreal, Canada earlier this July – the 22nd meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice of the Convention on Biological Diversity ().”Marine litter including plastics is a major priority on the HELCOM agenda,” said Monika Stankiewicz, HELCOM’s Executive Secretary, during the SBSTTA-22 side-event on marine litter and microplastics. “The regional goal agreed in HELCOM is to significantly reduce the amount of marine litter by 2025 and prevent harm from litter in the coastal and marine environment.”Stankiewicz presented the , and stressed the importance of regional coordination for monitoring of marine litter and developing indicators with quantitative threshold values.At a second side-event on area-based management tools (AMTs) and their role in achieving the and , Stankiewicz also advocated for a holistic approach to the management of sea areas to halt the decline of marine biodiversity in the Baltic Sea. Her presentation was based on the findings of the recently concluded “Second HELCOM Holistic Assessment of the Baltic Sea”, summarised in the that was just updated in July 2018. As highlighted during the side-event, various human activities impacting the state of the sea need to be considered in area-based management, and, when necessary, mitigated for the benefit of ecosystem functionality. This is particularly relevant for sea areas burdened by pressures such as eutrophication and chemical pollution.The current challenge in area-based management is to reconcile the different tools to form a coherent, ecosystem-based planning and management structure. Current legal means – such as marine protected areas (MPAs) and maritime spatial planning (MSP) – need to be closer integrated with softer planning approaches, such as Ecologically or Biologically significant Marine Areas (EBSAs), and with other non-spatial conservation measures.
HELCOM shared its insights on both marine litter and the management of sea areas in the Baltic Sea region during a UN conference held in Montreal, Canada earlier this July.
HELCOM Heads of Delegation approve the process for updating the Baltic Sea Action PlanDalälven River in Sweden is no longer a HELCOM hotspotEU chairmanship of HELCOM comes to an end, hands over to FinlandThe HELCOM Heads of Delegation met at the HELCOM Seretariat in Helsinki on 14 June 2018. Photo: F. NicolasHELCOM’s roadmap for the future took centre stage during the 54th Meeting of the Heads of Delegation (HOD 54-2018) that was held in Helsinki, Finland from 14 to 15 June 2017. A key event on HELCOM’s governance agenda, it also saw the handover of the HELCOM chairmanship from the EU to Finland.Besides the review of current and recently concluded HELCOM activities and the approval of HELCOM reports, a major subject was the update of the (BSAP) beyond 2021. The BSAP is HELCOM’s comprehensive regional programme of actions to achieve a healthy Baltic Sea, and was initially set to end in 2021. Recalling the agreement taken earlier in Brussels during the to update the current plan, the delegates decided on an extension of the BSAP until 2030. In addition to the current objectives on eutrophication, biodiversity, maritime activities and hazardous substances, the updated BSAP will incorporate new perspectives beyond 2021 such as focussing on an ecosystem approach and giving due consideration to the economic and social aspects of its measures.It will also address emerging pressures such as underwater noise, pharmaceuticals and micro-plastics.The update of the BSAP particularly resonates with the region’s current desire to step up its efforts for a healthy Baltic Sea, as recently witnessed during the EUSBSR Annual Forum held earlier in Tallinn where a continuation of the plan was already mentioned and welcomed. Furthermore, the delegates decided to delete the in Sweden from the , and welcomed the intention by Sweden to continue monitoring the river. It was added in 1992 because of high levels of heavy metals originating from the mining industry – specifically cadmium, copper and zinc – which eventually entered the Baltic Sea.At HOD 54-2018, a number of HELCOM publications were also approved, including the updated . The report contains a wide array of indicators that were assessing the state of and the pressures on the Baltic Sea between 2011 and 2016.This work on indicators – unique in the world at this scale – was particularly commended by the delegates which tasked the HELCOM Secretariat to draft a document on lessons learnt to be shared with UN Environment.Other approvals were the Report on nutrients input by seven biggest rivers and the Report on input of selected hazardous substances into the Baltic Sea, two reports resulting from HELCOM’s Sixth Pollution Load Compilation (PLC-6) project. HOD 54-2018 was also the opportunity for the hand-over of the HELCOM chairmanship from the EU to Finland. The delegates acknowledged the accomplishments of the EU chairmanship ending this 30 June, especially the excellent organization of the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in Brussels in March 2018. Priorities of the EUChairmanship of HELCOM – Results (click image for larger view)They also welcomed the that will focus on the Baltic Sea Action Plan update, the reduction of nutrient inputs and nutrient recycling, as well as climate change and fostering synergies between HELCOM work and the Agenda 2030.The new HELCOM Chair will be Ms. Saara Bäck, seconded by the Vice-Chair Ms. Tarja Haaranen, both from the Ministry of the Environment of Finland. The outgoing chair Ms Marianne Wenning from the European Union will retire from active duty this summer.Outgoing HELCOM Chair Ms Marianne Wenning (right) hands over the HELCOM keys to the incoming Chair Ms Saara Bäck (left). Photo: HELCOMThe HOD 54-2018 Meeting was attended by participants from all HELCOM Contracting Parties and by observers from the Baltic Farmers’ Forum on Environment (BFFE), and Conference of Peripheral and Maritime Regions – Baltic Sea Commission (BSSSC and CPMR BSC), (CCB), (FEAP) and (WWF), as well as invited guests from the (EUSBSR) and (NEFCO).* *Note for editorsHELCOM is an intergovernmental organization made up of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union. Founded in 1974, its primary aims as a governing body are to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution, as well as to ensure safe maritime navigation. The official name of HELCOM is the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission; it is the governing body of the Helsinki ConventionThe Working Group on Reduction of Pressures from the Baltic Sea Catchment Area – – focuses on nutrient and hazardous substance inputs from diffuse sources and point sources on land, including the follow-up of the implementation of the HELCOM nutrient reduction scheme. The group ensures the necessary technical underpinning as well as develops solutions to the policy-relevant questions and needs. Marine litter and underwater noise are also coordinated by this group.
HELCOM’s roadmap for the future took centre stage during the 54th Meeting of the Heads of Delegation (HOD 54-2018) that was held in Helsinki, Finland from 14 to 15 June 2017.
Ambassadors and representatives from the nine Baltic Sea states and the EU, and HELCOM staff at the Diplomatic Lunch in Helsinki on 13 June 2018 © HELCOMSpeech by Ms Marianne Wenning, Chair of the Helsinki Commission from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2018, at the HELCOM Diplomatic Lunch on 13 June 2018 Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, dear Colleagues, Two years ago I had the pleasure to meet you, the representatives of the coastal countries and the catchment area of the Baltic Sea, and present to you the priorities and plans for the EU chairmanship of HELCOM. Today, I am pleased to share with you some of the accomplishments under the EU chairmanship. The past two years have included important milestones for HELCOM. One of these is the finalization of the second holistic assessment of state of the Baltic Sea this June, a major part of our priority of reaching a healthy Baltic Sea ecosystem by 2021. Through this assessment, we have gained a comprehensive understanding of the state of the Baltic Sea and the pressures it is affected by. Most importantly, we now have quantitative indicators in place that will help to monitor the environmental status of the sea.The scale of the project is unique in the world. It is also a great example of well-functioning transboundary cooperation between the different Baltic Sea nations.In addition to assessing the state of the marine environment, the State of the Baltic Sea report sheds more light on the importance of the sea to the people living around it. Healthy ecosystems are underpinning sustainable economic growth. This is of particular relevance for maritime spatial planning, where HELCOM has advocated for an ecosystem approach that considers both the socioeconomic benefits and the cumulative impacts on the environment.Just as an example: according to the first results in 2017, the economic losses stemming from eutrophication – if good environmental status is not achieved – would be around 4 billion euros annually. In other words, our welfare depends a lot on the status of the Baltic Sea.However, from the first results, it is already clear that good environmental status of the sea has not yet been reached. Actions aimed at reducing the pressures on the sea such as the recent designation of the Baltic Sea as a Nitrogen Oxide Emission Control Area and the increased establishment of several new marine protected areas in HELCOM countries are certainly important steps in the right direction. Nevertheless, more work still needs to be done.This brings me to another milestone: the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting hosted by Commissioner Vella in Brussels earlier in March. With only three years to go towards the Baltic Sea Action Plan’s goal of reaching good environmental status of the Baltic Sea by 2021, we need to step up our efforts. We need to concentrate on fully implementing the actions that were agreed upon in the Baltic Sea Action Plan. This fact was clearly emphasized by the Commissioner, Ministers and high-level representatives of Baltic Sea countries that were present in Brussels. The Ministerial Meeting also recognized that – beyond known concerns such as eutrophication – we need to address emerging issues such as underwater noise, new hazardous substances such as pharmaceuticals, and climate change. To respond to the new challenges and our global commitments like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, we agreed in Brussels that the Baltic Sea Action Plan will be updated past 2021. Our priority of encouraging concerted regional governance and cross-sectoral cooperation – notably with fisheries and agricultural bodies – will still be valid for this undertaking and for attaining sustainable use of marine resources.Finally, I am glad to see that the priorities set by the upcoming chairmanship of Finland will make for a smooth transition. These priorities – that include updating the Baltic Sea Action Plan, addressing climate change, and linking the Agenda 2030 to HELCOM activities – reflect the outcomes of the Brussels Ministerial Meeting and will seamlessly integrate with the current HELCOM work. Let me assure you that the HELCOM chair will be in very good hands with Finland.Ladies and gentlemen, I would now like you to join me for a toast to our continuous successful cooperation for the protection and prosperity of our Baltic Sea.
Speech by Ms Marianne Wenning, Chair of the Helsinki Commission from 1.7-2016 to 30.6.2018, at the HELCOM Diplomatic Lunch on 13 June 2018
HELCOM’s Monika Stankiewicz adressing the third plenary session on marine environment at the EUSBSR Annual Forum in Tallinn, Estonia on 5 June 2018. © HELCOMMarine environmental issues were high on the agenda of the 9th ESBSR Annual ForumOverall consensus: more needs to be done on Baltic Sea marine mattersThe Baltic Sea Action Plan will be updated after 2021Marine environmental issues were a high priority at the (EUSBSR) held in Tallinn, Estonia from 4 to 5 June 2018. HELCOM participated in the plenary session on safeguarding the ecosystems of the Baltic Sea, as well as in other events, notably a seminar on updating the Baltic Sea Action Plan beyond 2021.The overall consensus at the forum was that despite good progress on marine environmental matters in the Baltic Sea region, more needs to be done to achieve good environmental status for the Baltic Sea in a foreseeable future.”We have to step up our efforts for the Baltic Sea. Following the recent [HELCOM] assessments, the Baltic Sea is not in a good shape. We need to reduce [our] impacts on the sea,” said the Prime Minister of Estonia Juri Ratas during the opening session.His comments resonated with the , European Commissioner on Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries on the occasion of the opening of the third plenary session about the EUSBSR and marine environment. The major pressure on the Baltic Sea remains eutrophication caused by excessive nutrient discharge into the sea from agriculture and other land-based sources. New threats to the marine ecosystem were also mentioned during the event, especially stemming from hazardous substances such as micro-plastics and pharmaceutical residues, and underwater noise.At the EUSBSR Annual Forum, HELCOM Executive Secretary Monika Stankiewicz presented the State of the Baltic Sea report, stressing that good environmental status for the Baltic Sea hasn’t been achieved yet, and that the current reduction of pressures on the sea aren’t enough.The assesses the state of the Baltic Sea and the pressures it is affected by. The first results were published in 2017 and the assessment will be finalized by the end of June 2018.Stankiewicz also indicated that the , the main strategic tool to achieve a healthy Baltic Sea, will not end after its initially set deadline of 2021. “Based on outcomes of the Brussels HELCOM Ministerial meeting and analysis of measures and results, the Baltic Sea Action Plan will be updated past 2021,” she said, paving the way for future actions. The update of the Baltic Sea Action Plan coincides with the update of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region Action Plan which gives opportunity to find further synergies between the work of HELCOM and EUSBSR.The Forum was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia together with the Baltic Development Forum in close cooperation with the European Commission, Ministry of Environment and other partners. About 770 participants from governments, international organisations, NGOs, universities, local and regional administrations and businesses came together to discuss developments and challenges in the Baltic Sea Region. The Annual Forum was co-financed from the programme of Interreg Baltic Sea Region.
Marine environmental issues were a high priority at the 9th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) held in Tallinn, Estonia from 4 to 5 June 2018.
A new online resource compiling
data reported by HELCOM countries on input of nutrients to the Baltic Sea has recently
been made available to the public. Hosted by the Baltic Nest Institute, the is now open to all and offers annual data on
nutrient loads collected by HELCOM pollution load compilations (PLC) since 1995. show that land-based pollution remains the major environmental pressure
on the Baltic Sea marine ecosystem. Land-based sources are responsible for the large
share of total discharges into the sea both nutrients and hazardous substances.Pollution load
compilations (PLC) are carried out by all HELCOM countries to evaluate and
quantify the amount of pollutants annually discharged from land into the sea.
The data is obtained from national monitoring programmes and reporting from
industries and municipal water works. Data on airborne
deposition of nitrogen and selected hazardous substances specifically provided
by the
(EMEP) for the HELCOM area are published as (BSEFs).Another important HELCOM
work to help visualizing data on environmental pressures in the Baltic Sea region
is the (MADS). A new section is now specifically dedicated
to land-based sources of sea pollution. It contains several interactive
maps illustrating as well as distribution of in the Baltic Sea catchment area. It also maps
information on , location of and others.
A new online resource compiling data reported by HELCOM countries on input of nutrients to the Baltic Sea has recently been made available to the public.
Agricultural
practices and their effects on the Baltic Sea were the main focus of the Sixth
Meeting of the (AGRI 6-2018) that was held at
the Ministry of Agriculture in Riga, Latvia from 15 to 16 May 2018. This HELCOM group consists of representatives from environmental
and agricultural national authorities and observer organizations from HELCOM
countries.According to recent
HELCOM assessments,
– caused by oversupply of nutrients mainly from land-based sources – remains a major
threat to the Baltic Sea environment. Earlier in March, the recognized agriculture as one of the main contributors
to the total input of nutrients into the Baltic Sea. The HELCOM countries
therefore committed to improve cooperation with the agricultural sector in the
Baltic Sea region. The
discussed various aspects of sustainable agricultural practices in the region
and measures to reduce nutrient inputs to the Baltic Sea environment. Among
them are smart nutrient management in agriculture, innovative water management
in rural areas, revitalization of wetlands and paludiculture – agriculture on
peatlands. The decision taken
by the group on drafting regional recommendation for the use of national manure
standards addressing nutrients in manure is an important step towards better
nutrient management in the agricultural sector. The key themes of
the meeting were (i) organization of the work on regional nutrient recycling
strategy and (ii) the revision of Part 2 of – the section about the prevention of pollution
from agriculture. The group agreed on the practical steps towards elaboration
of the regional nutrient recycling strategy by 2020 under the lead of Finland.
The group decided to establish an international drafting group for revision of Annex
III in accordance with the earlier agreed scope of the revision and with the
timeframe extending to 2020.Participants also
discussed possible reasons for growing ammonia emissions in the region reported
by
(EMEP). The group decided to take a closer look into measures to reduce these
emissions applied in the countries and potential to elaborate related regional
recommendations.Read the AGRI 6-2018
meeting outcome document .
Agricultural practices and their effects on the Baltic Sea were the main focus of the Sixth Meeting of the HELCOM Group on Sustainable Agricultural Practices (AGRI 6-2018) that was held at the Ministry of Agriculture in Riga, Latvia from 15 to 16 May 2018
Earlier in May, the joint HELCOM and Maritime Spatial Working Group met in Helsinki at the Ministry of the Environment of Finland to advance the agenda on (MSP) in the Baltic Sea region.The major themes addressed were strengthening the ecosystem-based approach in MSP, evaluating the progress of the regional MSP roadmap by 2020, and coordinating regional policy in MSP in a wider context of maritime policies. Maritime spatial planning (MSP) seeks to optimize the use of the sea, addressing both the ecosystem and maritime activities such as shipping and fishing, and taking into account the needs of all Baltic Sea stakeholders. During the meeting, the group acknowledged that “MSP is a powerful tool assuring sustainable exploitation of marine resources.” It also agreed to contribute to the update of the (BSAP), as stated in the .Participants recognized the significant progress in MSP achieved in the region. All countries signatories to the currently have maritime spatial plans in place, with some already revising their first generation schemes. Unlike terrestrial plans that have been around for quite a while, maritime plans are still a novelty worldwide.In the Baltic Sea region, national maritime spatial plans are elaborated in an open and transparent way. They are subject to regular international consultations based on guidelines developed by HELCOM-VASAB MSP group and the . To strengthen this process even further and assure compatibility of spatial plans at the regional level, the group agreed during the meeting to elaborate guidelines for international consultations on MSP data output.Another key item on the meeting’s agenda was the ecosystem approach in maritime spatial planning, integrating all aspects of the marine ecosystem into MSP. The group is currently advancing the concept of green infrastructure and blue corridors which integrates valuable components of the marine ecosystem into the planning such as fish spawning areas, migration routes, benthic biotopes and coastal zones. The aim is to foster sustainable use of marine resources and to protect the marine ecosystem, as well as to strengthen the connectivity between and coherence of (MPAs). This work will be done in close cooperation with representatives of fisheries and environmental authorities. The cooperation will follow a timetable and work plan to be elaborated by the HELCOM VASAB MSP group, to better coordinate regional activities and to elaborate a regional tool for practical use of the green infrastructure concept in MSP. Furthermore, the group agreed to update the HELCOM recommendation on coastal zones management, in particular to strengthening its linkage with maritime spatial planning.The 16th Meeting of the joint HELCOM-VASAB Maritime Spatial Planning Working Group (HELCOM-VASAB MSP WG 16-2018) was held in Helsinki, Finland, from 8 to 9 May 2018 in the Ministry of the Environment of Finland. The meeting was organized back-to-back with the first international consultations on maritime spatial plans which are being developed in Finland.
Earlier in May, the joint HELCOM and VASAB Maritime Spatial Working Group met in Helsinki at the Ministry of the Environment of Finland to advance the agenda on maritime spatial planning (MSP) in the Baltic Sea region.
In a bid to reinforce international
preparedness and response to pollution at sea, the Third Interregional Workshop
on Risk Assessment Tools for Pollution Preparedness and Response (PPR) from the
EU-funded and HELCOM-led
project took place in Valletta, Malta from 24 to 25 April 2018. “The workshop was an important step towards
providing pollution preparedness and response (PPR) guidelines at the regional
level,” said Valtteri Laine, the OpenRisk Project Manager at HELCOM and
moderator of the workshop. “We had hands-on sessions with open-source
risk assessment tools which are designed to facilitate decision-making in PPR,”
said Laine. The main focus of the event was on practical testing of existing
tools and those recently developed during the OpenRisk project, such as ,
ERC-M, , MARINRISK, FRAM and NG-SRW/ADSAM.
The tools help predicting maritime accidents and their consequences. In addition, the ISO 31000:2009 based
guideline for PPR risk management was also presented during the event, in order
to get feedback for finalization. This was the third workshop in a series of
four spanning from June 2017 to October 2018. The meetings aim at sharing
knowledge between European and global institutions and regional seas PPR
organizations, to further the development of toolboxes and guidelines for PPR
risk assessments. The Valletta-edition was hosted by the
Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea () and moderated by HELCOM. It was
attended by other national administrations, intergovernmental regional organizations
and research institutions.
is a two year EU project on methods for maritime risk assessments on accidental
spills, carried out by HELCOM, the Malmö-based (WMU), Dutch marine research institute and the Finnish Environmental Institute (). The project is also supported by the
BONN Agreement (North Sea), the Copenhagen Agreement (Nordic seas), REMPEC
(Mediterranean), as well as the Norwegian Coastal Administration. In regards to pollution preparedness and
response, HELCOM countries will also carry out the held in
Karlskrona, Sweden later in August 2018, a large scale maritime response drill
at sea and on shore simulating leading to an oil and chemical spill.The presentations of the workshop in Malta are
available on the public of the OpenRisk 3-2018 Workshop.
In a bid to reinforce international preparedness and response to pollution at sea, the Third Interregional Workshop on Risk Assessment Tools for Pollution Preparedness and Response (PPR) from the HELCOM-lead OpenRisk project took place in Malta.
