HELCOM has long collected various shipping and maritime-related data within the HELCOM Maritime Working Group, Expert Groups and projects. Now, this data is more accessible than ever with the launch of a new, user-friendly shipping data platform.
The platform is organized into three sections for easy navigation:
Dashboards: Interactive charts and figures displaying e.g. time series of amounts of illegal oil spills observed in the Baltic Sea
Stories: Stories and more in-depth information based on project results, showcasing various aspects of shipping in the Baltic Sea.
The shipping data platform utilizes datasets published in HELCOM Map and data service with customized visualizations tailored for these specific datasets. Datasets are results from specific projects or resulting from the annually collected data flows under HELCOM data collection policy. All datasets can be downloaded from the HELCOM Metadata catalogue.
Last year, only 32 harmful spills of mineral oil were detected in the Baltic Sea, according to a new HELCOM report. This marks a significant long-term decrease, compared to the 763 pollution occurrences reported in 1989, the first year of aerial surveillance.
The decline in detected oil spills, despite increased shipping and more intensive aerial surveillance, is likely due to a higher number of flight hours and the broader use of remote sensing equipment, such as Side Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR). Enhanced monitoring likely deters ships from making illegal discharges. Satellite surveillance also complements aerial efforts by covering larger areas and improving overall effectiveness of flights.
In 2023, Baltic Sea countries conducted 2,920 hours of aerial surveillance flights, the lowest number since the mid-1990s. This reduction was due to maintenance and technical issues, along with organizational changes in some countries. It is not unusual for the number of flight hours to vary each year during the regular regional aerial surveillance activities. Additionally, the flight hours reported only account for fixed-wing aircraft, excluding helicopters and drones to maintain consistency in long-term statistics. Aerial surveillance by helicopters and flights has been reported separately since 2019.
The key findings of the HELCOM Annual report on discharges observed during aerial surveillance in the Baltic Sea, 2023 can be explored via an interactive data visualization dashboard developed by the HELCOM Secretariat using Power BI. This tool provides users with a more detailed and analytical view of the aerial surveillance datasets since 1998.
Data on individual oil spills can also be viewed and downloaded from the HELCOM Map and data service (HELCOM MADS).
Aerial surveillance and response to spills in the Baltic Sea
Cooperation on aerial surveillance within the Baltic Sea area was established in the 1980s under the framework of HELCOM. The primary aim of regional aerial surveillance is to detect spills of oil and other harmful substances, thereby preventing violations of regulations on pollution from ships. These spills pose a significant threat to the marine environment of the Baltic Sea area. When possible, the source of pollution should be established, and samples of the spill should be taken from both the sea surface and the suspected offender to enable prosecution.
To monitor these commitments and to provide an overview of the situation in the region, the HELCOM Secretariat compiles annual data on discharges observed in the Baltic Sea area during national and jointly coordinated aerial surveillance activities. The HELCOM Expert Group on Aerial Surveillance (EG Surveillance) is responsible for implementing the aerial surveillance cooperation and commitments.
Twenty cubic meters of pop corn simulated oil on sea surface at BALEX DELTA 2024. Photo: Markus Helavuori.
The annual oil spill response exercise, BALEX DELTA 2024, reached its final day today in Klaipeda, Lithuania, the country which also holds the current Chairmanship of HELCOM from 1 July 2024 until June 2026. Three successful days of various rehearsals at sea, on the shore and at port have been completed in fine weather. Specially equipped ships and crews from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden took part in the drill at sea.
“The BALEX exercises are very important annual simulations that take place in a different host country each year. Coordination between the different countries and their capabilities as well harmonizing practices are essential. This is particularly important in the context of today’s regional geopolitical challenges, not only in the context of business as usual, but also in the case of the shadow fleet in the Baltic Sea”, says Vitalijus Auglys, Chair of HELCOM and the Head of the Pollution Prevention Policy Group with the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania, also attending the exercise personally.
“The annual BALEX exercises conducted by the Contracting Parties to the Helsinki Convention, ongoing since the late 1980s, have significantly enhanced the readiness of Baltic Sea coastal countries to respond collectively to major pollution incidents. This year makes no exception and all involved countries benefited from this well-organized event. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Basin, known as the Helsinki Convention. Since its inception, the HELCOM Response Working Group has been committed to ensuring that all related procedures and plans are in place and regularly updated as needed”, says Markus Helavuori, HELCOM Deputy Executive Secretary and Professional Secretary for the HELCOM Maritime, Response and Sea-based pressures Working Groups.
The main organizers of BALEX DELTA 2024 were the Lithuanian Navy, Klaipeda Fire Rescue Department of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania, Klaipeda State Seaport Authority, and the Baltic Sea Rehabilitation Center of the Lithuanian Maritime Museum. Observers representing various organizations such as WWF and HELCOM participated in the exercise.
During the BALEX 2024 exercise, various tasks were carried out such as a BALEX ALPHA table-top exercise on response to incidents with Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) cargo, pollution detection with EMSA CleanSeaNet service support, pollution monitoring from the air, pollution dispersion modeling (SeaTrackWeb), response of pollution (simulated by 20m3 of popcorn) at sea, in the port and on shore, ships to ships transfer of oil (STS) as well as providing help for wildlife affected by oil.
Firefighting teams from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia carried out an on shore response operation in the Curonian Lagoon. Rendering assistance to birds affected by oil was practiced by the Baltic Sea Rehabilitation Center of the Lithuanian Maritime Museum.
About BALEX DELTA
The annual international marine pollution response exercise in the Baltic Sea, BALEX, is held in accordance with the 1992 Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (the Helsinki Convention). The Convention mandates cooperative responses and preparedness among the Baltic Sea States for large-scale accidents. The general objective of the BALEX exercises is to ensure that every Contracting Party is able to lead a major response operation.
BALEX exercises are hosted by the Contracting Parties according to a schedule agreed on by the HELCOM Response Working Group. BALEX has been held every year since 1989.
Contact
Johanna Laurila Communications Advisor, HELCOM Johanna.laurila@helcom.fi Tel +358 40 647 3996
Markus Helavuori Deputy Executive Secretary, Professional Secretary (WG Maritime, WG Response, WG Sea-based pressures) Markus.helavuori@helcom.fi Tel +358 40 162 6520
The annual international Baltic Sea pollution response exercise BALEX 2023 is set to take place in the Gulf of Riga and its coastal region from 30 August to 1 September 2023.
The exercise aims to test the coordinated operation of the Baltic Sea response fleet units in addressing pollution incidents at sea. It will involve 11 military and civilian vessels from eight Baltic Sea countries: Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, Germany, Sweden, and Latvia. These vessels are equipped with specialized pollution recovery equipment.
The coordination of BALEX rotates annually between the Baltic Sea states, and this year the exercise is organised by the State Environmental Service of Latvia, in cooperation with the Latvian National Armed Forces Coast Guard Service, and the State Fire and Rescue Service.
The participating Baltic Sea states’ agencies responsible for pollution response are aiming to enhance cooperation and communication among vessels carrying out the recovery of oil pollution at sea, examine the use of oil recovery equipment for shoreline the pollution incidents and the involvement of volunteers in rescuing animals.
BALEX 2023 will commence with a table-top simulation of an accident involving hazardous and noxious substances. The scenario is based on an actual accident where the engine room of a container ship caught fire near the Latvian coast in the Gulf of Riga.
During the second day of the exercise, practical drills will focus on an oil pollution accident and mitigating its impact in the Gulf of Riga and on the coast north of the port of Skulte. The scenario entails a fictional oil tanker grounding in the Gulf of Riga, leading to the spillage of diesel fuel, heavy fuel oil and marine fuel.
In parallel with BALEX on 31 August 2023, the Multipurpose Maritime Operation (MMO) led by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), which has been taking place in the central and eastern part of the Baltic Sea will be completed.
The annual international marine pollution response exercise in the Baltic Sea BALEX is held in accordance with the 1992 Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (the Helsinki Convention). This convention mandates cooperative responses and preparedness among the Baltic Sea States for large-scale accidents. The BALEX exercise has been held every year since 1989.
For more information please contact Laura Mazmača, Senior Inspector, State Environmental Service of Latvia. Tel. +371 29544526, laura.mazmaca@vvd.gov.lv
The light and white corn product has been used again in a severe context, when the Baltic Sea nations prepared for the worst to happen in the international oil spill response exercise BALEX DELTA, held in August 2022. Popcorn simulates oil, which floats on the water’s surface and may quickly disperse into vast areas, especially with high winds.
The annual drill was hosted this year by Germany, the exercise was a success, and the video about it is worth a watch.
* * * Held every year since 1989, the HELCOM BALEX DELTA is an annual operational exercise designed to test the readiness for responding to pollution incidents such as oil spills or chemical leakages from shipping accidents in the Baltic Sea. It checks our alarm procedures, the know-how and operational capability for responding to spills, and the cooperation between the Baltic Sea countries.
The recently updated online tool HELCOM Explorer allows to easily see how HELCOM cooperation bears fruit, and how the countries’ actions are being fulfilled when reaching the majority of their ambitious HELCOM targets and the ultimate goal: Baltic Sea in good ecological state.
The actions listed in the Explorer include the entire updated Baltic Sea Action Plan (2021), HELCOM Ministerial Meeting commitments from 2010 onwards as well as selected HELCOM Recommendations. The updated BSAP contains 199 concrete actions and measures addressing biodiversity, eutrophication, hazardous substances, and sea-based activities such as shipping and fisheries. In addition, it includes new actions on emerging or previously less highlighted pressures such as climate change, marine litter, pharmaceuticals, underwater noise, and seabed disturbance.
As most actions of the 2021 Baltic Sea Action Plan have a deadline years ahead, they now show red, Not accomplished, in the HELCOM Explorer.
“As the HELCOM Explorer provides a comprehensive overview and a great amount of information on both joint and national actions, with easy filtering tools, it is quite a unique system in regional marine governance. Moreover, it is a very concrete indicator of transparency for our stakeholders and to the broader audiences”, says Rüdiger Strempel, Executive Secretary of HELCOM.
Joint actions are carried out together by all HELCOM Contracting Parties, for example creating a new Recommendation, joint management guidelines, or assessments of environmental status. National actions are implemented at the country level, and they include e.g. incorporating the provisions of a HELCOM Recommendation into relevant national legislation or guidelines.
The Explorer allows for easy overview browsing, but also for more detailed filtering, according to the details of the actions in the Baltic Sea Action Plan such as segment, theme, or target year. The tool further provides information on why the action is needed (rationale), what pressures or activities are addressed by the action in question, and, for some, what is the potential effect of the measure to reduce pressures or improve the state of the Baltic Sea. All data is available for download.
The HELCOM Explorer tool to track the progress on the implementation of HELCOM commitments was first launched in 2016, and the interface was updated in 2020.
The reporting on the implementation of the joint actions is done by relevant HELCOM Working Groups and the reporting on the national actions by the countries. The first reporting on the implementation of actions in the 2021 BSAP is planned to take place in 2025, followed by the second reporting round in 2029.
Contact
Laura Kaikkonen
Project Researcher
laura.kaikkonen@helcom.fi
Susanna Kaasinen
Associate Professional Secretary
susanna.kaasinen@helcom.fi
About the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP)
The Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) is HELCOM’s strategic programme of measures and actions for achieving good environmental status of the sea, ultimately leading to a Baltic Sea in a healthy state.
Initially adopted by the HELCOM Contracting Parties in 2007, the 2021 BSAP is based on the original plan and maintains the same level of ambition. It also retains all actions previously agreed on that are still to be implemented, while, in addition, includes new actions to strengthen the existing efforts and tackle emerging concerns.
Guided by the HELCOM vision of “a healthy Baltic Sea environment with diverse biological components functioning in balance, resulting in a good ecological status and supporting a wide range of sustainable economic and social activities”, the updated BSAP is divided into four segments with specific goals: biodiversity, eutrophication, hazardous substances and sea-based activities.
About HELCOM Recommendations
One of the most important duties of the Helsinki Commission is to make Recommendations on measures to address certain pollution sources or areas of concern. Since the beginning of the 1980s HELCOM has adopted some 260 HELCOM Recommendations for the protection of the Baltic Sea. The implementation of various HELCOM recommendations by the HELCOM Contracting Parties plays an important role in achieving the objectives of the Baltic Sea Action Plan. The HELCOM Explorer covers the reporting on the implementation status of selected HELCOM Recommendations.
About HELCOM
The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission – also known as the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) – is an intergovernmental organization (IGO) and a regional sea convention in the Baltic Sea area, consisting of ten members: the nine Baltic Sea countries Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden, plus the European Union. A platform for environmental policy making at the regional level, HELCOM works for a healthy Baltic Sea. Its mandate stems from a regional treaty, the Helsinki Convention, whose implementation it oversees. The HELCOM Secretariat is located in Helsinki, Finland.
Last year, 52 harmful spills of mineral oil were detected in HELCOM countries’ waters, according to the Annual report on discharges observed during aerial surveillance in the Baltic Sea 2021. The long-term decreasing trend is remarkable, as in the starting year of aerial surveillance of spills in 1989, 763 pollution occurrences were reported.
“The decreasing number of harmful spills in the Baltic is likely a result of intensive aerial surveillance, even if the density of shipping has grown. It acts as a deterrent, as the vessels are aware that they are constantly being watched”, comments Markus Helavuori, Professional Secretary of HELCOM.
Over the years, the aerial surveillance activity in the countries has substantially improved. For example, the remote sensing equipment on board aircrafts and satellite surveillance is in good use to enable bigger area coverage and optimization of flights effectiveness. While in 2021, staff absence caused by covid-19 and technical reasons caused a dip in the annual flight hours, overall, the high number of annual flight hours has been maintained.
Aerial surveys of oil spills have been carried out by Contracting Parties of HELCOM with standardized methods for several years, covering nearly the entire Baltic Sea. That is why it has been a substantial part of the HELCOM indicator on oil spills affecting the marine environment and, the confidence of the indicator evaluation has been considered high. The update of all HELCOM indicators will soon be finished as they form an elementary part of the next Holistic Assessment of the Baltic Sea (HOLAS 3), to be released in 2023.
Collecting data on the frequency, size and nature of such spills is essential to understanding the environmental impacts of different kinds of substances on the Baltic Sea. Out of the 52 mineral oil spills identified in the Baltic Sea by air in 2021, the overwhelming majority (98%) were smaller than one cubic metre (1 m3) – small sizes of detected spills being another long-standing trend.
Interactive dashboard on observed discharges in the Baltic Sea (1998-2021)
An interactive data visualization dashboard has been developed by the HELCOM Secretariat to offer users a more open and analytical view into the aerial surveillance dataset (dashboard accessible here). This dashboard presents data on detected spills of mineral oil in the Baltic Sea from 1998 until 2021. Reporting on spills of other substances and unknown substances is also included from 2014 onwards. The dashboard has been developed using ‘Power BI’ a data visualization software by Microsoft.
The dashboard is interactive meaning that users can filter data based on fields of interest. Users can drill-down into the dataset by simply selecting a data field via the visual, dropdown, or map.
About aerial surveillance for spills in the Baltic Sea
Currently coordinated by the HELCOM Informal Working Group on Aerial Surveillance (IWGAS), the surveillance of spills started in 1989 to detect spills of mineral oil. Since 2014, spills of other and unknown substances have been added to the reporting, among them garbage, litter and floating objects. Spills of unidentified chemical substances and novel fuel types warrant particular attention with regard to improving detection and response capabilities, especially in light of higher risks for accidents as a result of increased marine traffic and extreme weather conditions due to climate change.
Through the Helsinki Convention (Article 14, Annex VII, Regulation 7), the HELCOM Contracting Parties – the nine Baltic countries and the European Union – have agreed to monitor pollution incidents and spills, making “necessary assessments of the situation and [taking] adequate response action in order to avoid or minimize subsequent pollution effects.”
The HELCOM Recommendation 34E/4 further advises to monitor the whole of the Baltic Sea area with regular airborne surveillance, to develop and improve the existing remote sensing systems, and to coordinate surveillance activities which take place outside territorial waters.
Contact
Laura Meski
Associate Professional Secretary
laura.meski@helcom.fi
Markus Helavuori
Professional Secretary
(Maritime, Response, Fish)
markus.helavuori@helcom.fi
International partners practice at sea and on the shore
The Bay of Mecklenburg and the beach of Warnemünde are the scene of the largest oil spill-response exercise in the Baltic Sea, BALEX, from 22nd until the 25th of August 2022. During this international exercise, multi-discipline specialists and crew members from countries in the Baltic Sea region train their skills on combating widespread oil spills. As the Baltic Sea is one of the most vulnerable sea areas in the world, it is crucial to prepare for the worst.
Ships from BALEX DELTA exercise in 2016. Photo: Konrad Wrzecionkowski/WWF Poland.
The organizing of BALEX exercises rotates annually between all bordering states of the Baltic Sea. This year Germany is the host country. Central Command for Maritime Emergencies in Cuxhaven, responsible party for national maritime emergencies, leads the exercise.
About 400 specialists from different countries and 17 vessels are involved in the exercise, supported by helicopters and the German surveillance airplane “DO-228“.
The regional cooperation has long roots. This year, international units consist of diverse organizations from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden as well as the European Safety Agency (EMSA).
At the German side, the Navy, Federal Police, the Water and Shipping Directorate, five fire departments as well as the Central Command for Maritime Emergencies join forces.
The exercise plan is multi-sectional and spreads over four days. Main components are a Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) scenario in vicinity of the Kadet trench, between Germany and Denmark (23 August) and an oil spill event that demands counter pollution in Mecklenburg bay.
The exercise is crucial in improving the communication and the series of operations between the involved units of all participating organizations and international attendees. The BALEX DELTA drill is sometimes topped with onshore response, like this year, and it has elements of other exercises such BALEX ALPHA (table-top), BALEX BRAVO (alarm), BALEX CHARLIE (functional), etc.
What is BALEX DELTA
Held every year since 1989, the HELCOM BALEX DELTA is an annual operational exercise designed to test the readiness for responding to pollution incidents such as oil spills or chemical leakages from shipping accidents in the Baltic Sea. It checks our alarm procedures, the know-how and operational capability for responding to spills, and the cooperation between the Baltic Sea countries.
A multi-regional manual for the response to maritime pollution incidents involving hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) was recently jointly developed by the Bonn Agreement, HELCOM and REMPEC.
The guidance includes specific annexes for the Mediterranean, Baltic and Greater North Sea. The decision to develop the manual was taken during the Thirteenth Inter-Secretariat Meeting between Regional Agreement Secretariats, DG ECHO and EMSA that was held in Lisbon, Portugal in 2017.
The manual was also presented during the closure event of the West MOPOCO project that was held online on 14 April 2021. West MoPoCo supports Algeria, France, Italy, Malta, Morocco, Spain and Tunisia, in collaboration with Monaco, in their cooperation on oil spills and HNS marine pollution. The project was supported by HELCOM.
More milestones on the now imminent update of the Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) were reached during the 42nd Meeting of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM 42-2021), held online from 17 to 18 March 2021, keeping the work on the new plan well on track and within the planned schedule.
A second full draft of the updated Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) was presented at the meeting. Further refinements will now take place in the various HELCOM bodies tasked with the drafting of the update. The BSAP, in addition to actions and measures, will now also include a list of environmental hotspots that will need to be resolved as part of the plan’s implementation.
The updated Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) is due to be adopted during the next HELCOM Ministerial Meeting which will be hosted by Germany and is scheduled to take place on 20 October 2021 in Lübeck, Germany. HELCOM Ministerials take place every three years and bring together the competent Ministers from the HELCOM countries and the EU Commissioner for the Environment.
The HELCOM Contracting Parties also approved, in principle, the draft HELCOM Regional Action Plan on Underwater Noise. Due to be adopted in June 2021 by the HELCOM decision-makers pending final refinements, the plan will contain a set of regional and national actions for the monitoring and management of man-made underwater noise in the Baltic Sea.
On hazardous substances, the Contracting Parties agreed to modernize the overall HELCOM framework dealing with the issue, to allow a faster and more efficient response to emerging challenges caused, for instance, by a relentless introduction of new chemicals used in industry and consumer products. The new strategic direction will also enable a better understanding of the full diversity of sources and pathways of contaminants to the Baltic Sea.
Serving as a basis for this decision, HELCOM had, earlier in 2020, drafted a strategic regional policy document on hazardous substances, in cooperation with the Stockholm University Baltic Sea Centre and with the support of the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM).
In a bid to improve response to spills in the Baltic Sea, the Contracting Parties also adopted the revised HELCOM Response Manual as well as the draft Multi-regional Marine HNS Response Manual which will replace the current HELCOM Response Manual Volume 2. Both manuals are primarily intended for the authorities dealing with transboundary maritime incidents affecting the waters of several countries and are intended to facilitate the coordination of international response efforts.
At HELCOM 42-2021, the revised HELCOM Recommendation 31E/6 Rev on integrated wildlife response planning in the Baltic Sea area was also adopted. The Recommendation lays out options and strategies for the response to maritime accidents such as oil spills in order to guarantee a swift mobilization of resources to safeguard and attend to affected wildlife.
To improve the protection of habitats and species in the Baltic Sea, the HELCOM Contracting Parties further agreed to cooperate with FAO and IUCN in organizing a regional HELCOM workshop on “other effective area-based conservation measures” (OECMs) in early 2022. OECMs are geographically defined areas other than marine protected areas (MPAs) but that have a positive effect on the conservation of biodiversity.
The meeting was also an opportunity for the HELCOM Executive Secretary, Rüdiger Strempel, to highlight the achievements of the organization in 2020, noting, in his statement, that “despite the unprecedented challenges posed by the Corona pandemic, HELCOM work progressed largely as planned in 2020.” The HELCOM Activities report for the year 2020 was also presented on the same occasion.
The outcomes of the recently held HELCOM Stakeholder Conference 2021 “Practically Implementing Ecosystem-Based Management” (HSC2021) were also presented. In addition to being one of the HELCOM Voluntary Commitments to the UN Ocean Conference 2021, the HSC2021, held as an online workshop, also offered the possibility to gather considerations on Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) from stakeholders as possible input for the BSAP update process, the HELCOM Science Agenda and HELCOM’s future work on implementation on the ecosystem approach. The results of the HSC2021 are now due to be forwarded to the relevant HELCOM groups for further consideration.
The HELCOM 42-2021 meeting was chaired by the Chair of the Helsinki Commission, Lilian Busse, Germany and the Vice-Chair of HELCOM 2020-2021, Mr. Johannes Oelerich, Germany. Attended by all Contracting Parties, it was also the first official meeting for the newly appointed Heads of Delegation of Lithuania and Poland and, Ms. Agnė Lukoševičienė from the Ministry of Environment of Lithuania, respectively Ms. Ewelina Fałowska from the Ministry of Infrastructure of Poland.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
