Category: MARITIME

​​Cruise ships’ sewage continues to raise concern in the Baltic Sea, as untreated discharging to the sea has a polluting effect. Background and developments on the issue have been compiled at HELCOM . Photo: Franz Airiman/Flickr.During the past year, HELCOM countries have negotiated intensively about the enforcement of the already established special area status for sewage. The dates for not discharging passenger ship sewage to the Baltic Sea have been postponed – as of IMO meeting in April 2015 – to 1 January 2019 for new ships and 1 January 2021 for existing ones. HELCOM will continue the technical cooperation within the Port Reception Facilities (PRF) Cooperation Platform on sewage delivery between the administrations, industry stakeholders and the civil society. HELCOM published an overview in early 2015. The overview, covering active cruise voyage months of 2014, describes in detail the cruise ships operating in the Baltic Sea, their length of sea voyages as well as frequency and duration of port visits. Also the ports visited by cruise ships and the sewage facilities are covered in terms of facilities and traffic trends.  In July 2011, a milestone in Baltic protection was reached when IMO decided, upon request by HELCOM, to establish the Baltic Sea as a special area for sewage from passenger ships, by amending the Annex IV of the MARPOL Convention. The decision took effect on 1 January 2013. The effective application of this already existing legal status has been, according to the 2011 IMO decision, subject to the availability of adequate sewage Port Reception Facilities (PRF) in the region. * * *Note for editorsThe Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as , is an intergovernmental organization of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to ensure safety of navigation in the region. Since 1974, HELCOM has been the governing body of the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, more commonly known as the Helsinki Convention. * * *For more information, please contactHermanni BackerProfessional Secretary for Maritime, Response and Maritime Spatial PlanningHELCOMTel:  +358 46 8509199Skype: helcom02E-mail: hermanni.backer(at)helcom.fi Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988Skype: helcom70E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi

Cruise ships’ sewage continues to raise concern in the Baltic Sea, as untreated discharging to the sea has a polluting effect. Web pages compile past and present information.

​​New regional action plans to combat marine litter in Baltic Sea and North-East Atlantic have been key topics today during the annual tour of the German Federal Environment Minister, Barbara Hendricks in Stralsund, Germany. HELCOM, upon invitation, gave insight into its achievements in protecting the Baltic marine environment and the 2-month old Regional for Marine Litter. Representatives of the municipality, civil society and the media joined the Minister’s troupe in learning details about the litter issue at the local level.  From left: Darius Campbell, Executive Secretary of OSPAR; Monika Stankiewicz, Executiv​e Secretary of HELCOM; Barbara Hendricks, German Federal Environment Minister; and Heike Imhoff, Chair of HELCOM Gear group, German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety.​”The actions against this urgent conservation issue are now intensifying at many fronts, as the meeting of G7 heads of state and government proved in the beginning of June this year. We need to create ownership, in particular as regards the local and the regional level. Global combat against marine litter can’t succeed without strong support from the Regional Seas Conventions,” said Barbara Hendricks, German Federal Minister from the Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety. “As the tour today has shown, the importance of local level should not be disregarded, whether in sufficient management of shipping disposals at ports or safer practices concerning fishing nets.  “The only way to ensure that the actions against litter are accomplished for real is that all actors join the governments’ work,” urged Monika Stankiewicz, Executive Secretary of HELCOM. HELCOM launched last June the complete for Marine Litter for the Baltic Sea, listing over thirty specific regional actions which are required for unburdening the Baltic Sea from litter. The list of actions in the HELCOM litter plan covers waste management and sewage water systems; remediation and removal of dumpsites; and tackling top items such as microparticles, polystyrene foam, plastic bags, sanitary litter in sewage, and bottles and containers.  The Action plan for marine litter also covers sea-based sources which entail developing best practices for handling waste from fisheries and ships, as well as collection of abandoned fishing gear such as ghost nets. As according to research, most of marine litter derives from households and consumer practices, actions addressing education and outreach on marine litter are also included in the document. Marine litter has a large impact on the environment. While an evident aesthetic problem, litter impairs marine organisms, threatens human health and safety, and increases socio-economic costs. It is estimated that three quarters of litter is plastics, including tiny micro particles which may end up climbing up the food chain. Fast facts on marine litter in the Baltic Sea​- Consumer behaviour is the top reason for marine litter in the Baltic Sea.>- 48% of marine litter in the Baltic Sea originates from household‐related waste, including sanitary waste, while waste generated by recreational or tourism activities would add up to 33%.Microplastics- Up to 40 tonnes of microplastics – particles <5mm in diameter – are released annually into the Baltic Sea catchment through the use of products like body wash, shower gels, and scrubs.> – A growing number of scientific studies show that microplastics can bring serious harm to the marine environment and its inhabitants. When in water, microplastics act as magnets, attracting and carrying bacteria and various contaminants that “colonize” the particles.>>- Around 130 tons of polyethylene particles from personal care products are flushed down the household drains in the Baltic Sea catchment area each year.​Beach litter- The amounts of litter collected in selected Baltic beaches ranged from 76 items/100m at rural beaches to 237 items/100m at urban beaches. Different beach types were monitored in 2012–13 in Estonia, Latvia, Finland and Sweden. > – There are an estimated 150–450 tons of lost fish nets in the seabed of the Polish territorial sea and Polish exclusive economic zone alone.>​​Some global figures- The world annual plastic prod uction has increased dramatically, from 1.7 million tonnes in the 1950s to approximately 280 million tonnes in 2011. Each year up to 10 percent of global plastics production, which is estimated to account for 299 million tons in 2015, ends up as marine litter.  > – The estimated proportion of plastic among total global marine debris ranges from 60 to 80%, reaching 90 to 95% in some areas.  MARLIN Project, 2013; ARCADIS report, 2012;  MARLIN Project, 2013;  Baltic Eye Policy Brief, April 2015;  ibid;  ibid;  MARLIN Project, 2013;  WWF Poland, 2011;  PlasticsEurope, 2012; ​ Gregory & Ryan 1997.​​* * *Note for editorsThe Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as , is an intergovernmental organization of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to ensure safety of navigation in the region. Since 1974, HELCOM has been the governing body of the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, more commonly known as the Helsinki Convention. * * *For more information, please contact:Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988Skype: helcom70E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi

New regional action plans to combat marine litter in Baltic Sea and North-East Atlantic have been key topics during the annual tour of the German Federal Environment Minister, Barbara Hendricks today in Stralsund, Germany.

​​​​​​​​​​​Experts on the maritime Automatic Identification System () technology from Baltic coastal countries and Norway met today and yesterday to consider the mutual exchange and deliveries of AIS signals and resulting data. The 26th meeting of the group was chaired by Omar Eriksson from Denmark and hosted by the Maritime Office in Gdynia, Poland. The HELCOM AIS system provides almost real time information on the position and characteristics of all the larger ships in the entire Baltic Sea area which is freely shared among all coastal countries and Norway. The data exchange celebrates its ten-year anniversary this year as the system has been on-line since the summer of 2005. The statistics are available at HELCOM . The historic data is stored and available for further study by national authorities, researchers and other interested users. AIS enables for example monitoring of the environmental risks of maritime traffic, including historic trends of shipping. The decision to create a regional AIS network was taken at the HELCOM Meeting of Ministers of Transport of the Baltic Sea region in September 2001. The underlying reasons were the IMO decision to make the technology mandatory, as well as early work on ship reporting in the region during 1970s and 1980s. Access to the regional HELCOM AIS data generated by the system is currently available to a wide range of actors either automatically, or, in some cases, after an explicit consultation. The recent surge of maritime developments in the form of wind-power farms, pipelines and cables have increased the interest in this information. AIS information has during the last ten years highlighted the need for new high priority areas for bathymetric re-surveys, new charts – especially Electronic Navigational Charts – as well as other safety of navigation measures such as IMO routeing.  AIS technology as a whole continues to develop and the information is the backbone of many modern navigation applications.* * *To access data products about shipping traffic in the Baltic Sea, please enter HELCOM thematic Maritime & Response , under Maritime & Response -> Maritime traffic statistics. The folder includes e.g. Baltic-wide HELCOM AIS average shipping density raster map and AIS passage line crossing statistics from 2006 onwards​. >> All documents will be public soon.* * *Note for editors – Since 2005, the Baltic region has had a system in place for gathering signals from all the Automatic Identification System (AIS) devices on ships – the HELCOM AIS network. This network provides real-time surveillance and statistics of the movement of ships, and is administered by the HELCOM AIS Working Group, meeting annually since 2002. E-navigation uses such information to create a second generation of electronic services for enhanced safety and environmental performance. The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as , is an intergovernmental organization of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to ensure safety of navigation in the region. Since 1974, HELCOM has been the governing body of the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, more commonly known as the Helsinki Convention. * * * For more information, please contact:Hermanni BackerProfessional Secretary for Maritime, Response and Maritime Spatial Planning​HELCOMTel:  +358 46 8509199Skype: helcom02E-mail: hermanni.backer(at)helcom.fi Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988Skype: helcom70E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi

The HELCOM AIS system, online since 2005, provides almost real time information on the position and characteristics of all the larger ships in the entire Baltic Sea.

​​​​​​The summary on key results of a large project on coordinated environmental monitoring in the Baltic Sea has recently been released, available both in print and online. Baltic Sea pilot project , running from October 2013 until May 2015, has focused on improving the coordination of environmental monitoring in several areas. Many of its results have already been immersed with the long-lasting regular monitoring activities of HELCOM. Environmental monitoring has a
major scientific role by revealing long-term
trends that can lead to new knowledge and
understanding​. Photo: Metsähallitus NHS.The BALSAM project, co-funded by EU, collected information on the current monitoring programmes and activities in the Baltic, which were included into the extensive HELCOM Monitoring , published in October 2014. With its 18 from eight coastal countries surrounding the Baltic Sea, the project also studied and made guidelines on how coordinated monitoring could be enhanced for , and non-indigenous in the future. The project also investigated how could be used in a more harmonized and cost-effective way, e.g. through online information exchange on such vessels and their planned cruises. Moreover, BALSAM activities were tightly linked to the work of HELCOM and its working groups, in order to ensure that the results are policy-relevant and in line with the needs identified by HELCOM countries. This has been seen as one of the strengths of the project.The rest of the project results, including guidelines for seabird and benthic habitat monitoring in the Baltic, databases for seals and seabirds, and a work plan to improve data management and infrastructure, will be available by the end of May 2015.* * * Note for editors: The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as HELCOM, is an intergovernmental organization of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to ensure safety of navigation in the region. Since 1974, HELCOM has been the governing body of the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, more commonly known as the Helsinki Convention.HELCOM (2013-2015) is an EU co-financed Baltic Sea pilot project: “Testing new concepts for integrated environmental monitoring of the Baltic Sea” with a budget of 0.46 M€. The project aim was to enhance the capacity of the Baltic Sea Member States to develop their marine monitoring programmes.  * * * For more information, please contact: Johanna Karhu Project Coordinator, BALSAM HELCOM Tel: +358 40 661 9040 Skype: helcom63 E-mail: johanna.karhu@helcom.fiJohanna Laurila Information Secretary HELCOM Tel: +358 40 523 8988 Skype: helcom70 E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi​

Key results of a large project on coordinated environmental monitoring are available, covering seals, non-indigenous species, research vessels, among others.

​HELCOM has released a of the HELCOM Overview on Baltic Sea Sewage Port Reception Facilities 2014. The report provides information on port reception facilities for sewage as well as their use by international cruise ships in the Baltic Sea area.Based on the analyses of ship movements, ​passenger capacity and port facilities, the report also helps to clarify what the real needs of cruise traffic might be in terms of sewage management in the Baltic Sea cruise ports.Cruise ship calls – updated figures. The new version includes additional information and builds on the feedback received after the>first release on 4th of February 2015.>>Additional cruise ships have been included to the list of ships used in the analysis based on Automatic identification System (AIS) data, information on port facilities have been updated and also other changes have been made. The revisions are based on the new information received from ports and administrations of Denmark, Finland, Latvia, Russian Federation and Sweden.The second edition can be downloaded from .> The overview repor​t has identical, user-friendly spreads of 33 ports in the Baltic
Sea, including locator maps.Main findings:​79 different cruise ships owned by 42​ operators sailed in the Baltic Sea during the 20​14 cruising season. Half of these were smaller vessels with a maximum capacity of 1,500  ​pe​rsons or less, including staff and passengers. Six vessels, or 7,6%, were large vessels with a maximum capacity of 4,000 persons or more. Five main destinations – St. Petersburg, Copenhagen, Tallinn, Helsinki and Stockholm – account for 65 % of the cruise ship traffic in terms of calls. In total, cruise ships visited in 33 ports during 2014. Nearly half of the 33 ports had eleven or fewer visits, five only one visit. In four ports, including Visby, large ships anchor outside the port and use shuttle boat transportation to the shore.Voyages between two ports lasted commonly between 8 and 20 hours at sea, and the cruise ships stayed usually in port between 8-10 hours. The international cruise ship voyages involved in total 7,15 million person days, comparable to year-around habitation of 19 600 people.88 % of the international cruise ship calls were intra-Baltic travels, or calls where both the previous port visited and the current port are in the Baltic Sea. There were 2,125 international cruise ship calls in total.In a small fraction of visits the ships travelled a long time at sea from previous port, stopped for a short time and had a high maximum number of persons on board. Such visits create challenges for ports if the assumption is that all sewage is to be delivered in ports between voyages. 6​0 % of cruise ship visits in the region have a maximum sewage discharge need of less than 42 m3 sewage per hour in port – if a daily sewage production of 0,17 m3 per person and per day is assumed.​* * * Note for editors:The
of HELCOM identifies and promotes actions to limit sea-based pollution
and ways for safer navigation in the Baltic Sea. It also works to ensure
enforcement and harmonized implementation of IMOs international
shipping regulations in accordance to the 1992 Helsinki Convention.The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as ,
is an intergovernmental organization of the nine Baltic Sea coastal
countries and the European Union working to protect the marine
environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to
ensure safety of navigation in the region. Since 1974, HELCOM has been
the governing body of the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine
Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, more commonly known as the Helsinki
Convention.  * * * For more information, please contact:Hermanni Backer Professional Secretary for Maritime, Response and Maritime Spatial Planning HELCOM Tel:  +358 46 850 9199 Skype: helcom02 E-mail: hermanni.backer(at)helcom.fi Johanna Laurila Information Secretary HELCOM Tel: +358 40 523 8988 Skype: helcom70 E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi​​>

The new version includes additional information and builds on the feedback received after the first release on 4th of February 2015.

Update on the HELCOM process on the Baltic Sea status as a special area
for passenger ship sewage

​This week, during the HELCOM Annual 3-4 March 2015, the Contracting Parties continued to address the issue of limiting passenger ships’ sewage ending up in the Baltic Sea. The negotiations concerned various options to be able to be in a position that a joint notification by HELCOM countries could be sent to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). The deadline for documents for the next meeting of the IMO decision making body (MEPC 68 in May 2015) is today, Friday 6 March.The notification document has the function to notify that the relevant Baltic regional ports have adequate capacity to receive passenger sewage, as this is a prerequisite for the existing IMO Special Area status on sewage for the Baltic Sea to take effect. The HELCOM Heads of Delegations considered the issue, in addition to the plenary, during two working sessions on 3 March. At that time an agreement could not be reached regarding a notification covering all the Baltic Sea countries.  As the HELCOM Chair stated in the meeting, HELCOM will follow developments at IMO and also continue the technical cooperation within the Port Reception Facilities (PRF) Cooperation Platform on sewage delivery between the administrations, industry stakeholders and the civil society. Sweden – leading the drafting of the notification document – informed at the meeting to be prepared to continue to lead the drafting process to finalize the notification to MEPC 68 with the interested Contracting States. On the other hand, the Russian Federation informed of the need to be aware of the shipping companies’ policy regarding the implementation of the more stringent standards for sewage treatment, whether they have plans in place to install new or upgrade existing sewage treatment plants on their passenger ships. The Russian delegation urged for a complex economic assessment of the consequences of the enforcement of the Special Area status.All Contracting Parties informed in HELCOM that their reception facilities in relevant passenger ports are adequate. BackgroundIn July 2011, a milestone in Baltic protection was reached when IMO decided to establish the Baltic Sea as a special area for sewage from passenger ships, by amending the Annex IV of the MARPOL Convention. The resolution was the culmination of long negotiations among HELCOM countries, resulting in a joint HELCOM application of such a status to the IMO.The amendments by IMO concerning the Baltic Sea, as described above, entered into force on 1 January 2013. Since this date the Baltic Sea is thus already de jure a Special Area for sewage.However, the effective application of this already existing legal status is subject to the availability of adequate sewage Port Reception Facilities (PRF) in the region. The adequacy of sewage PRF has to be separately notified to IMO MEPC and this can be done jointly or individually by the coastal countries. The dates of the enforcement of the 2011 IMO resolution are an unfinished topic. According to the 2011 resolution, discharge of sewage from passenger ships within a special area would be prohibited from 1 January 2016 onwards for new passenger ships, and from 1 January 2018 for existing passenger ships. These dates cannot be met any longer. The new dates discussed are 1 June 2019 and 1 June 2021, respectively.Port reception facilities have been on HELCOM agenda since long. Its first Recommendation 1/1 from 1980 was about measures to ensure the use of reception facilities for wastes from ships.This
week, HELCOM has also  on port reception facilities on 5 March 2015 at the “Pan European Dialogue between cruise operators, ports and coastal tourism stakeholders”. * * *Note for editorsThe Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as,
is an intergovernmental organization of the nine Baltic Sea coastal
countries and the European Union working to protect the marine
environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to
ensure safety of navigation in the region. Since 1974, HELCOM has been
the governing body of the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine
Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, more commonly known as the Helsinki
Convention. * * *For more information, please contact:

Hermanni BackerProfessional Secretary for
Maritime, Response and Maritime Spatial PlanningHELCOMTel:  +358 46 8509199Skype: helcom02E-mail:
hermanni.backer(at)helcom.fi

Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988Skype: helcom70E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi

Update on the HELCOM process on the Baltic Sea status as a special area for passenger ship sewage

The Regional action plan for marine and the Recommendation
on the conservation of in the Baltic Sea are both expecting
adoption this week as the highest body of HELCOM, the Annual Meeting, convenes
in Helsinki, Finland. The delegates of the Contracting Parties of the Helsinki
Convention, representing the nine coastal Baltic countries as well as the EU,
will also address the on effective regional work between HELCOM and the
EU Strategy of the Baltic Sea Region, as the revision of the Action Plan of the
Strategy is about to be finalized soon.

 op-10 items found in the Baltic Sea as well as micro-plastics have special measures reserved in the marine litter action plan. Photo: Bo Eide/Flickr.

Marine litter is a growing concern globally as well as regionally, and the HELCOM Recommendation on Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter is the first comprehensive approach to the problem in the Baltic Sea region. The HELCOM commitment from 2013 is to achieve a significant quantitative reduction of marine litter by 2025, compared to 2015.  The plan integrates the actions required at regional level as well as the national actions by countries according to their needs. Special measures are addressed to the top-10 items found in the Baltic Sea as well micro-plastics. The document also highlights the importance of environmental education and recommends coordinated monitoring programmes for the common marine litter indicators. The Marine litter action plan, to be successfully implemented, will require the countries’ leadership for specific actions as well as wide involvement of stakeholders in the region. Close cooperation with other Regional Seas Conventions, and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, has also been brought up as a way to realize a wide ranging measures. Moreover, adequate protection for the will take shape after the expected adoption of the new HELCOM Recommendation. The new Recommendation follows up on the critical situation of many Baltic Sea species as concluded in the 2013 HELCOM Red List of Baltic Sea in danger of becoming extinct (). Preparation of a Recommendation on the Conservation of is expected to begin shortly. The Annual Meeting, held on 3-4 March, will also follow up on the recent to institutionalize the cooperation under HELCOM policies and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, for better defining the complementarity of the roles and specific tasks. As both in HELCOM and under EUSBSR there are shared action areas, more systematic cooperation will save resources and add to the efficiency in reaching the mutual goals. Other key topics under negotiations:-          Finalization of the HELCOM Recommendation on sustainable aquaculture. Substituting the existing HELCOM Recommendation (25/4) aims to limit potential environmental impacts of aquaculture activities such as the introduction of non-indigenous species, ecological and genetic impacts on wild fish stocks from unintended releases of farmed species, nutrient pollution, as well as introduction of antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals. Aquaculture, including fish farming, is a growing food production industry that continues to have large potential for green technologies and environmentally friendly production methods, both in marine and fresh waters.-          Adoption of the Revised HELCOM Guidelines for Management of Dredged Material at Sea.-          Adopting the revised HELCOM Recommendation 25/7 on safety of winter navigation in the Baltic Sea Area, including a new harmonization of approximate correspondence of ice classes-          Adopting the revised HELCOM Recommendation 34E/4 “Airborne surveillance with remote sensing equipment in the Baltic Sea area”-          Finalization of a work plan to improve regional coherence, in the implementation of different marine policies to reach Good Environmental Status –          Cooperation with other Regional Seas Conventions and organizations – newest developments * * *Note for editorsThe Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as, is an intergovernmental organization of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to ensure safety of navigation in the region. Since 1974, HELCOM has been the governing body of the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, more commonly known as the Helsinki Convention. * * *For more information, please contact:Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988Skype: helcom70E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi

Marine litter, Recommendation on threatened species and the revision of the EU Regional Strategy Action Plan and HELCOM are top items of the HELCOM Annual Meeting.

​​​(Please note that a of the report has been released on the 6th of March. The new version includes different numbers than those indicated below)A HELCOM released today provides information on port reception facilities for  (PRFs) and their use by international cruise ships in the Baltic Sea area during 2014.  Cruise ship visits per city and traffic density. Cruise ships operating in the Baltic Sea, their length of sea voyages as well as frequency and duration of port visits are described in detail. Also the ports visited by cruise ships and the sewage facilities are covered in terms of facilities and traffic trends. The report is based on information from obligatory AIS (Automatic Identification System) position reports received from a comprehensive list of cruise ships operating in the region. It provides thus a nearly complete coverage of cruise ship movements during 2014. Based on the analyses of ship movements, passenger capacity and port facilities, the new report helps also to clarify what the real needs of cruise traffic might be in terms of sewage management in the Baltic Sea cruise ports. Main findings:Around
77 different cruise ships owned by 37 operators sailed in the Baltic
Sea during the cruising season 2014. Half of these were smaller vessels
with a maximum capacity of 1,500 persons or less, including staff and
passengers. Eight vessels, or 10 %, were large vessels with a maximum
capacity of 4,000 persons or more.Five
main destinations – St. Petersburg, Copenhagen, Tallinn, Helsinki and
Stockholm – account for 67 % of the cruise ship traffic in terms of
calls. In total, cruise ships visited in 31 ports during 2014. Half of
the 31 ports had eleven or fewer visits, six only one visit. In three
ports, including Visby, large ships anchor outside the port and use
shuttle boat transportation to the shore. Voyages
between two ports lasted commonly between 8 and 20 hours at sea, and
the cruise ships stayed usually in port between 8-10 hours. The
international cruise ship voyages involved in total 6,55 million person
days, comparable to year-around habitation of 18 000 people. 80
% of the international cruise ship calls were intra-Baltic travels, or
calls where both the previous port visited and the current port are in
the Baltic Sea. There were 2,252 international cruise ship calls in
total.In a small
fraction of visits the ships travelled a long time at sea from previous
port, stopped for a short time and had a high maximum number of persons
on board. Such visits create challenges for ports if the assumption is
that all sewage is to be delivered in ports between voyages.  70
% of cruise ship visits in the region have a maximum sewage discharge
need of less than 42 m3 sewage per hour in port – if a daily sewage
production of 0,17 m3 per person and per day is assumed.> * * * Note for editors:The of HELCOM identifies and promotes actions to limit sea-based pollution and ways for safer navigation in the Baltic Sea. It also works to ensure enforcement and harmonized implementation of IMOs international shipping regulations in accordance to the 1992 Helsinki Convention.The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as , is an intergovernmental organization of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to ensure safety of navigation in the region. Since 1974, HELCOM has been the governing body of the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, more commonly known as the Helsinki Convention.  * * * For more information, please contact:Hermanni Backer Professional Secretary for Maritime, Response and Maritime Spatial Planning HELCOM Tel:  +358 46 850 9199 Skype: helcom02 E-mail: hermanni.backer(at)helcom.fi Johanna Laurila Information Secretary HELCOM Tel: +358 40 523 8988 Skype: helcom70 E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi​

A HELCOM report released today provides information on sewage port reception facilities and their use by international cruise ships in the Baltic Sea area during 2014.

The International Maritime Organization () has considered how to carry out exemptions and exceptions to the rules of the Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC) during a meeting closing today. HELCOM has been actively working on regional aspects of the Convention for over a decade.This week’s meeting of the IMO Pollution Prevention and Response sub-committee (PPR) considered various proposals on the subject matter, including the joint HELCOM-OSPAR procedure on exemptions adopted in 2013.In the ensuing discussion, views were expressed that the harmonized procedure on exemptions developed and adopted by HELCOM and OSPAR in 2013 is a good example of regional cooperation on these matters which other regions may use as an example.The IMO sub-committee agreed that further discussion on the relevant regulations (BWMC A-3 and A-4) and Guidelines (G7) was needed with a view to clarifying their application in the context of exceptions and exemptions under the BWM Convention.The meeting finally invited the 68th session of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), scheduled to take place 11-15 May 2015 in London, to consider the views expressed and advise on any follow-up actions. * * * Note for editors:The of HELCOM identifies and promotes actions to limit sea-based pollution and ways for safer navigation in the Baltic Sea. It also works to ensure enforcement and harmonized implementation of IMOs international shipping regulations in accordance to the 1992 Helsinki Convention. The Commission was set up by the 1992 OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, which unified and updated the 1972 Oslo and 1974 Paris Conventions. It brings together the governments of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, together with the European Community. The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as , is an intergovernmental organization of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to ensure safety of navigation in the region. Since 1974, HELCOM has been the governing body of the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, more commonly known as the Helsinki Convention. * * * For more information, please contact:Hermanni Backer Professional Secretary for Maritime, Response and Maritime Spatial Planning HELCOM Tel:  +358 46 850 9199 Skype: helcom02 E-mail: hermanni.backer(at)helcom.fi​

Harmonized procedure on exemptions developed and adopted by HELCOM and OSPAR in 2013 is perceived a good example of regional cooperation.

The cooperation between HELCOM and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) is expected to smoothen.  For the first time, a dedicated session with the representatives from relevant EUSBSR Priority Areas and Horizontal Actions was successfully organized as a part of this week’s of HELCOM Heads of Delegation representing all the Baltic coastal countries as well as the EU. The full meeting is now available online, listing all the issues addressed and decided on in the meeting for the benefit of the Baltic marine environment.Improving cooperation in practice was the key topic of HELCOM session with representatives from the EU Strategy for the Baltic sea Region. Photo: Dodik Putro.Concrete proposals on why and how to improve the synergies between HELCOM and EUSBSR have been listed in the meeting outcome. The shared goal would be to better communicate the policy directions and needs by HELCOM, which then can be met with and supported by the EUSBSR work and projects. The meeting recommended practical ways for better use of the expertise of HELCOM groups. Using the existing forums, co-chairing, back-to-back meetings, opportunity for involving Russian experts, and helping HELCOM countries in tapping into EU funding were also mentioned as practical solutions for more effective regional cooperation. The timing for the joint HELCOM-EUSBSR meeting was particularly adept, as the HELCOM streamlining process has been completed few months ago while the Action Plan of the EUSBSR is currently under revision, expecting launch at the Strategy’s Annual Forum in mid-June 2015. As per other results of the Heads of Delegation meeting, HELCOM “sub-hot spot” No. 18.1 “Construction of new sewer connections” was deleted, concerning the waste water treatment system of St. Petersburg. A large-scale environmental project for the construction of the northern tunnel collector of the city of five million inhabitants was finalized in October 2013, preventing the discharge of untreated waste water into the Neva River by approximately 122 million m3 per year. Since then, 98.4% of waste water has been estimated as adequately treated in St. Petersburg. HELCOM originally included 162 of the region’s significant sources of pollution, out of which over two thirds have since been mitigated.   Adequate reception for passenger ships was also negotiated by the Meeting, being part of the larger process of complying with the Baltic’s status as a sewage special area as decided by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in 2011. The consultations for a joint notification on the adequacy of ports’ reception facilities will continue via correspondence early next year. The meeting was held on 9-10 December 2014 and it was chaired by the current Estonian Chair of HELCOM, Mr. Harry Liiv. ..  * * * Note for editorsThe European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region () is the first macro-regional strategy in Europe. It aims at reinforcing cooperation within this large region in order to face several challenges by working together as well as promoting a more balanced development in the area. The Strategy also contributes to major EU policies and reinforces the integration within the area. The (HOD) of HELCOM usually meet few times a year. While the Annual Meeting of HELCOM remains the Commission’s highest decision-making body, the Heads of Delegation have a relatively high authority over most major issues.  The working structure of HELCOM, supported and administered by the Secretariat, comprises of the Helsinki Commission, the Heads of Delegation, and eight main working groups, together with tens of expert groups, correspondence groups and projects. The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as , is an intergovernmental organization of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to ensure safety of navigation in the region. Since 1974, HELCOM has been the governing body of the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, more commonly known as the Helsinki Convention. * * * For more information, please contact:Johanna Laurila Information Secretary HELCOM Tel: +358 40 523 8988 Skype: helcom70 E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi​

For the first time, a dedicated session with the representatives from relevant EUSBSR areas was organized as a part of this week’s meeting of HELCOM Heads of Delegation.