Category: MARITIME

Enhanced regional cooperation on alternative fuels for ships have been a key matter in the Meeting of HELCOM closing today, which has followed up various commitments of the HELCOM Copenhagen in October 2013. Other agenda items include safety of navigation; ballast water; sewage discharges and port reception facilities and the detection, investigation and prosecution of offenders of anti-pollution regulations he creation of a joint “Green Technology and Alternative Fuels Platform for Shipping” was agreed upon last month at the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting, attended by all the Baltic coastal states and the EU as HELCOM Contracting Parties. The idea behind the platform is to gather national administrations, industry, research community and NGOs involved in green technologies and alternative fuels. The platform is currently emerging and a joint event for 16 January 2014 is currently organised by HELCOM, the Finnish presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), Baltic Development Forum (BDF) and the Northern Dimension Partnership for Transport and Logistics (NDPTL). The platform is also related to the activities around the “St. Petersburg initiative”, an international network to unite governmental, business and financing organizations for Baltic Sea cooperation established at the St. Petersburg summit April 2013  revised HELCOM compilation of statistics on cruise ship visits and sewage port reception facilities in Baltic Sea ports was also discussed at the meeting. The latest meeting of the HELCOM Cooperation Platform on Port Reception Facilities in the Baltic Sea, organised on 25 November 2013, provided updates for this overview to be published in early 2014. The Platform works to support the HELCOM countries in their work to upgrade the facilities so they are in position to report to IMO that adequate port reception facilities are available for the MARPOL Annex IV Special Area regulations to take effect. he Meeting attracted 47 registered participants and it was chaired by Ms. Lolan Eriksson (Finland), the Chair of the HELCOM Maritime Group. * * *Note for editors:Maritime transportation in the Baltic Sea region has steadily increased during the past decade. On the average, 2,000 ships are at sea every day. By 2017, maritime transport of goods in the region has been estimated to double. The Maritime Group of the Helsinki Commission () identifies and promotes actions to limit sea-based pollution and ways for safer navigation. It also works to ensure enforcement and harmonized implementation of international shipping regulations.  – Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission – is an intergovernmental organisation 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 further information:Hermanni BackerProfessional Secretary HELCOM Tel:  +358 46 8509199 Skype: helcom02 E-mail: hermanni.backer@helcom.fi Johanna Laurila Information Secretary HELCOM Tel: +358 40 523 8988 Skype: helcom70E-mail: johanna.laurila@helcom.fi

Enhanced regional cooperation on alternative fuels for ships have been a key matter in the MARITIME Meeting closing today.

​An up to date compilation of relevant information on port reception facilities (PRF) and applicable fees from all main passenger ports in the region has been updated and further developed in a HELCOM expert workshop in Szczecin, Poland today. This is the result from efforts by the HELCOM Secretariat in cooperation with Baltic Ports Organisation (BPO) since the summer of 2013. Adequate management of sewage from passenger ships will reduce harmful nutrients polluting the Baltic Sea. Compiling real-time information on the current status is an important step in the work to upgrade sewage reception in Baltic ports. The preparations are needed so that the 2011 decision by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) concerning the Baltic Sea as a sewage “special area” for passenger ships according to the MARPOL convention can take effect. Furthermore, it will help to follow through the 2013 HELCOM Interim Guidance on sewage delivery to port reception facilities, adopted in the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting last month by all the Contracting Parties including the nine Baltic coastal states and EU. HELCOM countries have agreed to report to IMO, by 2014 (IMO MEPC 67), that adequate facilities are available. The IMO decision to designate the Baltic Sea as an Annex IV “special area” in 2011 was based on the proposal by HELCOM countries submitted in 2010. Moreover, in anticipation of the IMO decision, Baltic Sea Cooperation platform on sewage PRFs had been set up after HELCOM Moscow Ministerial Meeting in 2010. The platform has involved the shipping industry, technology providers, ports and national authorities for discussions on outstanding issues around the improvement of sewage PRFs in the region. The coastal countries shall report to IMO once the sewage reception facilities in the Baltic Sea ports fulfill the criteria of adequacy, before the “special area” regulations will take effect on 1.1.2016, at the earliest.  Note for editors: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. HELCOM has worked since 1974 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 further information, please contact:Mr. Hermanni BackerProfessional SecretaryHELCOMTel:  +358 46 8509199Skype: helcom02E-mail:  

HELCOM facilitates the IMO process to reduce sewage emissions from passenger ships in the Baltic Sea

As a pioneering region in spatial planning, experts, industries and managers from around the Baltic Sea join for two days of workshops on fisheries sector, aquaculture and harmonized planning of the marine area. The growing use of marine space requires clever planning and management across several national borders and sectors.  , holding the joint horizontal leadership in maritime spatial planning with Vision and Strategies around the Baltic Sea (VASAB) in EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea (EUSBSR), organizes . It is co-financed by the EU through technical assistance under EUSBSR.  The intention is to discuss the many aspects of cross-border planning; to further assess the benefits and challenges of integrating fisheries in maritime spatial planning (MSP); as well as MSP data needs. The outcome and recommendations of the first day, with a main focus on the Baltic Sea, will be passed on tomorrow Friday to the European Commission’s stakeholder on all EU seas. Even though positively acknowledged e.g. regarding the low numbers of overfished stocks, Baltic fisheries are not yet fully sustainable or integrated into the overall maritime planning. The discussions today will ponder on the aspects of interaction between fisheries and other sea users, such as essential fish habitats in MSP; consultation of fishery stakeholders; spatial and temporal dimension of MSP as regarding seasonality in fisheries and planning; and fishery data challenges in MSP.  The importance of fisheries has been increasingly recognized in maritime spatial planning. Knowledge is a necessity that underlies sound management decisions but many challenges prevail, particularly in successfully applying such relevant knowledge. The fishing sector needs to be better involved in the planning process if spatial measures that affect fisheries, nature conservation and other uses of the sea, are to be decided.As a part of the continuous work of the joint HELCOM-VASAB Working Group on MSP, established in 2010, the Regional Baltic MSP Roadmap for 2013–2020 has just been adopted in the HELCOM Copenhagen last month. The HELCOM workshop is coorganized with PartiSEApate, Baltic Sea RAC and International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).* * *Note for editors:A joint co-chaired (MSP) was established to ensure cooperation among the Baltic Sea region countries for coherent regional MSP processes in the Baltic Sea. The Group, launched in October 2010 by HELCOM and the Vision and Strategies around the Baltic Sea () meets regularly; and follows and examines as well as makes use of the outcomes and findings of regional project activities relevant to MSP, such as , and . The HELCOM Fisheries and Environment Forum () enhances dialogue between fisheries and environmental authorities on the Baltic fisheries and fish stocks in the context of protection and sustainable use of the Baltic Sea marine environment. The key focus of the Forum, established in 2008, is to facilitate the successful implementation of the fisheries related actions in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan.The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as , is an intergovernmental organisation 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 governed 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:Marco Milardi Project ResearcherHELCOMTel: +358 40 557 5631 Skype: helcom51E-mail:  Johanna Laurila Information Secretary HELCOM Tel: +358 40 523 8988 Skype: helcom70 E-mail:  

As a pioneering region in spatial planning, experts, industries and managers from around the Baltic Sea join for two days of workshops on fisheries sector…

Statement by HELCOM Chair at today’s plenary, on Macro-regional strategies – to boost smart and sustainable growth.

Underestimated potential of the Baltic Sea explored by science and policy experts The many benefits of ecosystems and wise marine management in the Baltic Sea area top the agenda of a workshop starting today, bringing together regional, European and global science and policy experts to share knowledge, experiences and forward-looking ideas.  The general understanding of values and benefits that the ecosystem services bring to human societies is still limited and mainly focuses on terrestrial ecosystems. The presents examples and practical guidance on how this can be changed in the future to support marine management and decision-making. The 2-day workshop is organized by Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (), ,   and , and co-funded by the .   “The potential of well-maintained marine environment is not acknowledged to its full by economic sectors and in maritime spatial planning,” says Monika Stankiewicz, HELCOM’s Executive Secretary. “The Baltic Sea supplies many ecosystem services that contribute to human well-being, ranging from fish resources and regulation of climate conditions to biogeochemical nutrient cycling, which in turn impact various sectors of regional economy, e.g. fisheries, shipping and tourism. As benefits provided by nature are not sufficiently recognized, political and management decisions regulating these and other sectors may not be optimal in terms of sustainable use of the Baltic Sea resources.”    Knowledge on the benefits provided by marine and coastal ecosystems can support reaching the objectives of the , and also assist in the implementation of other requirements such as the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Valuation of ecosystem services draws attention to the trade-offs between the protection of the marine environment and other economic activities, and might, therefore, assist in designing and executing policies more efficiently. It also allows for comparing the estimated benefits of environmental protection measures with their costs to assess the economic efficiency of environmental projects and programmes.  The cost-benefit analyses can be also useful in setting environmental targets and in deciding how to allocate public spending. In addition, valuation is one of the ways to take into account public values of favourable environmental condition and encourage public participation in decision-making. The latter process still underutilises the role of ecosystem values and benefits as a supporting tool, due to lacking coherent methodology.  The Workshop in Stockholm will pave the way for better use of the instrument of evaluating ecosystems in both national as well as regional decision-making, for reaching good environmental status of the Baltic Sea.        * * * Note for editors: 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 governed the ‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’, more commonly known as the Helsinki Convention. * * *For further information, please contact:Ms. Heini AhtiainenProject ResearcherHELCOMSkype: helcom62E-mail: heini.ahtiainen@helcom.fi Ms. Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988Skype: helcom70E-mail: johanna.laurila@helcom.fi

The many benefits of ecosystems, their underestimated potential and wise marine management top the agenda of a workshop starting today in Stockholm.

In May 2013 the HELCOM Secretariat received an unexpected email from Vietnam, asking for permission to translate the book “Planning the Bothnian Sea” to Vietnamese. The book, the final report of a HELCOM-led project on planning the future of the offshore Bothnian Sea, a part of northern Baltic Sea situated between Åland Islands and the Quark (Umeå-Vasa), had been released a year earlier. The initiative has been part of HELCOMs efforts to develop transboundary ecosystem based maritime spatial planning (MSP) in the region in cooperation with VASAB, another regional organization.Even if the book had already received international recognition for its substance and particularly for its design, most of the attention so far had been European. We were charmed by this sudden overseas interest and naturally replied positively.Five months later, in October 2013, we were quite astonished when we received an email with a complete Vietnamese version of the book. Every single word and graph on the 153 original pages had been meticulously translated by Department of Sustainable Development and Response to Climate Change at the Hanoi-based . The effort and devotion that our distant colleagues had spent on our publication exceeded all our expectations. .After the initial excitement had worn off we quickly developed a curiosity on the purpose behind the translation. To find out more we decided to ask one of the Vietnamese translators, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hai, some questions about why they thought it worthwhile to make the book, about planning in a far-away northern sea, available also to Vietnamese readers.Please find the full interview at .***For more information:Mr. Hermanni BackerProfessional SecretaryBaltic Marine Environment Protection Commission

Every single word and graph on the 153 original pages had been meticulously translated.

The Ministers of the Environment and High-Level Representatives of the nine Baltic coastal countries and the European Union, convened in a HELCOM Meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark today, have reached an agreement on a package of extensive actions and measures. This will open up new themes to be addressed in the protection of the Baltic Sea. After a year of negotiations, the new HELCOM Ministerial outcome expresses the ambition of the Baltic Sea region to become a model for good management of human activities and to steer regional actions for reaching a healthier marine environment for the Baltic Sea.  Today the Ministerial Meeting has adopted an overarching scheme for combatting eutrophication in the Baltic Sea. Within the scheme, each country commits to fulfil particular targets for reducing nutrient pollution, through measures addressing discharges and emissions from land and via air. The updated targets represent the best available knowledge and give guidance to sharing responsibility for reducing nutrient inputs originating from both HELCOM and non-HELCOM countries, as well as from shipping and sources outside the region.  Agriculture was singled out as a crucial sector for the success of reaching good environmental status of the Baltic. Regarding sustainable agricultural production, the Meeting agreed, among others, on measures that include annual nutrient accounting at farm level and environmentally sound utilization of manure nutrients to be achieved by the specific deadlines.  The future designation of the Baltic Sea as a Nitrogen Oxide Emission Control Area (NECA) under the MARPOL Convention of the International Maritime Organisation emerged as the main topic for negotiations among the Ministers. After lengthy negotiations the Meeting concluded by recalling the earlier commitment regarding the designation, and specified that it would lead to a reduction of nearly 7000 tons of nitrogen to the sea every year. The outcome further stresses that the achievement of the Baltic Sea unaffected by eutrophication relies on additional reduction efforts by shipping sector. The regional cooperation on preparedness and response to pollution especially on shoreline will now improve thanks to the adoption of an amendment to the Helsinki Convention providing the legal basis for HELCOM work. Furthermore, the new HELCOM Recommendation on airborne surveillance of illegal spills from ships enables more flexible border crossings of the patrol aircrafts, for more efficient gathering of evidence on environmental offenses.   The new Declaration also contains actions on Baltic marine protected areas. Some of them target fisheries practices with negative impacts in protected areas and others overall upgrading of the network of the areas. Furthermore, conservation plans for species, habitats and biotopes which are at risk of extinction will be developed.  New ways of biodiversity protection include a regional action plan for marine litter, to be developed within two years, as well as actions on negative impacts of underwater noise.  The Contracting Parties agreed that the implementation of all commitments in the declaration will be continuously reviewed by the Ministers. To support the continuous assessment of the state of the sea, the Meeting agreed on a new Monitoring and Assessment Strategy. Since the adoption of the Baltic Sea Action Plan in 2007, this is the second Ministerial Meeting, following the Ministerial Meeting in Moscow in 2010, to assess the effectiveness of the Action Plan and subsequent progress towards good environmental status of the Baltic Sea.  Out of all the measures and actions agreed in the Baltic Sea Action Plan as well as following up the 2010 Ministerial Declaration, about one third of agreed actions have been accomplished. Six out of ten measures have been partly accomplished or are still on-going with varying degree of implementation in different countries, and the remaining ten per cent are still to be initiated. * * *Reduction targets Changes in the country-wise nutrient reduction targets for nitrogen and phosphorus per country: 2007 – as in HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Pla2013 – as adopted by the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting on 3 October 2013* = figures after ‘+’ refer to loads originating from the country but being discharged to the Sea via another country; additional specific footnotes to the above table can be found in the text of the Ministerial Declaration * * *Note for editors: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. HELCOM has worked since 1974 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. Associated documents for the Ministerial Meeting at:   * * *For further information, please contact:Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988E-mail: Skype: helcom70 

The new HELCOM Ministerial outcome, issued today, expresses the ambition of the Baltic Sea region to become a model…

​01.10.2013Note new time at 11:45 – MEDIA ADVISORYHELCOM Ministerial Meeting 2013 in CopenhagenNine Environment Ministers and EU Commissioner gather for Baltic Sea health checkWHAT Press conference
following the HELCOM 2013 Ministerial MeetingWHEN Thursday 3 October
2013, at 11.45 – 12.30 (local time)WHERE Eigtveds Pakhus,
Asiatisk Plads 2G, Copenhagen, DenmarkWHYThe high-level representatives from all nine Baltic coastal
states and EU will gather to discuss priorities and agree on actions for
improving the Baltic Sea marine environment. HELCOM Contracting Parties have
committed to implement the Baltic Sea Action Plan (2007–2021), and now the
progress will be reviewed. The outcome – 2013 Ministerial Declaration – is the
master blueprint for stronger efforts for a healthier Baltic Sea, following the
long tradition of regional HELCOM cooperation. Any interested media are invited to apply for
accreditation by sending name, media represented, and contact information to
HELCOM Secretariat (johanna.laurila@helcom.fi), by Tuesday 1 October
2013.Dedicated webpages: ( Temporary
disruptions possible on 1 October)New documents uploaded today
and tomorrow:
(or, visit ;
folder: Commission Meetings (HELCOM) / HELCOM Ministerial 2013. No log-in
required)* * *For further information, please
contact Johanna LaurilaInformation
SecretaryHELCOMHelsinki, FinlandE-mail:
johanna.laurila@helcom.fiTel: +358 40 523 8988Jonatan Lykke-OlesenPress and Communication
DepartmentNature Agency, Ministry of the EnvironmentCopenhagen,
DenmarkE-mail: jolyk@nst.dkTel: +45 41 11 22 84  Note for editors: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,
including response to spills and clean and safe shipping. HELCOM governs a legal
treaty from 1974, “Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the
Baltic Sea Area,” aka the Helsinki Convention High-level representatives attending the press
conference:Ms. Ida AukenMinister of the Environment, DenmarkMs. Keit Pentus-RosimannusMinister of the Environment,
EstoniaMr. Karl FalkenbergDirector General, DG Environment,
European CommissionMr. Ville NiinistöMinister of the Environment,
FinlandMr. Fritz HolzwarthDeputy Director-General, Federal
Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety,
GermanyMr. Edmunds SprūdžsMinister of Environmental
Protection and Regional Development, LatviaMr. Almantas PetkusVice-Minister of the Environment,
LithuaniaMr. Stanisław GawłowskiVice-Minister of the
Environment, PolandMr. Nuritdin Inamov Director of International
Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Russian
FederationMs. Lena EkMinister of the Environment, Sweden

The high-level representatives from all nine Baltic coastal states and EU will gather to discuss priorities and agree on actions for improving the Baltic Sea marine environment, along with observer organizations, financing institutes and other stakeholder