Major sectors in the Baltic Sea spoke out about HELCOM pollution reduction targetsMarine environment protection was high in the agenda of the EUSBSR Strategy Forum in Stockholm this week
Major sectors in the Baltic Sea spoke out about HELCOM pollution reduction targets in this week’s seminar in the EUSBSR Strategy Forum in Stockholm.
International cooperation to respond to spillages of oil and other harmful substances in the Baltic Sea area moves ahead as the HELCOM Manual improvesThe need continues for continuous information exchange and sharing best practises as well as recent developments regarding shore response The substantial milestone of revising the HELCOM Response Manual Vol III about pollution has been reached by the assigned expert , wrapping up their meeting yesterday on a cruise ship voyage to Turku, Finland. The cooperation in combating spillages of oil and other harmful substances in the Baltic Sea area is based on the 1992 Helsinki Convention. The amendment to the Convention on explicit coverage of response on the shore, also drafted by the expert group, stepped into force in 2014. Experts on shore pollution response from seven Baltic coastal countries are happy for the successful completion of their key job.”Finishing the work on the thorough updating and extending of the Manual is a remarkable achievement. The Baltic Sea pollution response has longer traditions at sea than on the shore, and the practices, procedures and authorities in charge often significantly differ between shore and sea – nevertheless cooperation would be crucial in case of a major pollution incident,” says Heli Haapasaari, Chair of HELCOM Response Working who is overseeing the Expert Working Group on Response on the Shore. The Expert Working Group on Response on the Shore has completed its tasks for now but more work is still needed. The group had the consensus that further strengthening of the on shore response cooperation is necessary, and the future need remains for continuous information exchange, and sharing best practises as well as recent developments regarding shore response. “We look forward to still improve the HELCOM cooperation regarding the shore response and lift it to the next level. In the near future it should be a self-evident part of the response chain,” says Sonja Dobo, the Chair of the Expert Working Group on Response on the Shore. In the relatively small Baltic Sea, with its narrow Danish Straits and a large number of islands and skerries in the north, in case of a polluting accident there is probably not enough time or resources to recover all the oil or other harmful substance at sea – thus some will reach the shore. Pollution on the shore may be of such a magnitude that the national response resources are not adequate for effective counter pollution measures. For this end it is essential to have effective mechanisms established, also covering efficient operations, for international assistance between all the HELCOM countries. The 13th Meeting of the Expert Working Group on Response on the Shore was chaired by Sonja Dobo, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), Chair of the Group, and held on 22 September 2016. . Access to all documents. * * * Note for editors works to ensure swift national and international responses to maritime pollution incidents, including in case of accident the availability of appropriate equipment and the joint practice of response procedures in cooperation with neighbouring states. The group also coordinates the released into the Baltic Sea and help identify suspected polluters. The meetings of the HELCOM RESPONSE Group have been held regularly among all Baltic Sea countries and EU for over thirty years. The Response group includes Expert Working Group on Oiled Wildlife Response (), Expert Working Group on Response on the Shore (), Informal Working Group on Aerial Surveillance () and HELCOM Expert Group on Environmental Risks of Hazardous Submerged Objects (). 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:Sonja DoboChair of the HELCOM Expert Working Group on Response on the ShoreSwedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB)Tel: +46708108279E-mail: sonja.dobo@msb.se Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi
International cooperation to respond to spillages of oil and other harmful substances in the Baltic Sea area moves ahead as the HELCOM Manual improves.
Danish Naval Home Guard vessel MHV 904 Lyø sails 700 nautical miles with 12 crew from Esbjerg on the Danish Atlantic coast to participate in HELCOM oil response exercise off Klaipeda in the Baltic Sea Anyone who has participated or observed a HELCOM Balex Delta oil spill exercise cannot have missed the fleet of small but efficient Danish vessels, towing booms and darting between the bigger vessels. The Danish MHV904 was designated as a surprise team leader in the middle of the oil spill exercise, here towing the boom front left. Photo: Konrad Wrzecionkowski/WWF Poland.These vessels are a part of the Naval Home Guard, staffed with volunteers who often have another full time job. But make no mistake: these are no ordinary volunteers. They are true enthusiasts, many of whom spend another forty hour working week on board their vessels, resulting in highly professional and motivated crews. By a chance HELCOM Secretariat ended up sitting around the same table with the crew of Lyø – one of these Danish home guard vessels, and was inspired by the story behind their long voyage to Klaipeda, Lithuania in June. Last autumn the vessel Lyø, with home pier in Esbjerg, a town on the Atlantic side of Jutland, Denmark, received an invitation from the central office of Naval Home Guard to participate in the 2016 HELCOM Balex Delta in Lithuania. After some consideration the team replied that they would be willing to participate for the first time in this Baltic Sea exercise, despite the long distances. The crew of Lyø, including Frederik Michael Hansen and Kent Jensen pictured here, were happy that the weather was mild all through the way to Klaipeda. Photo: Christian Lindegaard Petersen/HVF 131Preparations for the week-long travel to the exercise took its time. “This kind of relatively long voyage takes long time to prepare. We needed to ensure that we have the right competence on board. In addition, many of us have full time jobs on the side and vacations need to be arranged,” says Communication officer of Lyø, Christina Hald-Andersen.Summer arrived and with it the departure to Lithuania and HELCOM Balex Delta. The voyage from Esbjerg took the crew and ship north along the Jutland coast, cutting through the Limfjorden from Thyborøn to Hals, southward to the Danish island of Bornholm and all the way to Klaipeda on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. The distance was in total around 700 nautical miles or 1300 km. On the way they had met the three other Danish home guard vessels and sailed in convoy the last bit across the southern Baltic.The exercise itself was a very positive experience according to Capitain Ole Thomassen pf MHV904. Photo: Konrad Wrzecionkowski/WWF Poland”We were very lucky with the weather all the long way to Klaipeda. The ship is somewhat small so rough weather can make life tough on board. However, little waves and light winds made the passage a real pleasure,” says Hald-Andersen.The exercise itself was a very positive experience according to Capitain Ole Thomassen. “We anticipated this as a way to top up our competence as the vessel is not usually participating in oil response exercises. However, we regularly attend international Search and Rescue (SAR) exercises, organised by Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.” “The exercise fulfilled our expectations and was really valuable for us – especially as we were designated team leaders in the second half of the exercise without any previous knowledge. This surprise made us work hard and put our skills to the test. I think we managed well taking into account the circumstances,” the capitain adds.After the exercise Lyø and the other home guard vessels spent a day in port and then set off for the homeward journey. “Next week we will be back on our daily jobs – but one very valuable experience richer,” says Deck Hand Christian Pedersen, offshore consultant in his civilian life. Capitain Ole Thomassen (left) receives the “Hjemmeværnets
Fortjensttegn” from Commander Anders
Frishøj (right) in Klaipeda. The Danish Homeguard medal is awarded after particular merits for the benefit of the Home Guard and impeccable character in the service and in private life.Photo: Christian Lindegaard Petersen/HVF 131 The Crew of Lyø (MHV904)Ole Thomassen, CapitainChristina Hald-Andersen, Communication officerHans Fredrik Kristensen, NavigatorKent Jensen, MedicMichael Hansen, Deck handPer Madsen, Deck HandChristian Pedersen, Deck handSv. Aage Nielsen, Deck handMargit Korsager, Deck handTorben Peytz, EngineerBirger Olesen, EngineerKim Samsoe, Cook * * *BackgroundBalex Delta operational response exercises have been held annually since 1989. Throughout this time HELCOM has steadily improved the readiness of the countries around the Baltic to jointly respond to oil spills at sea. Regional cooperation on preparedness and response to pollution incidents has however much longer roots, being a part of the first 1974 Helsinki Convention and followed by a series of related Recommendations right at the start of the permanent HELCOM activities in early 1980s. HELCOM is an intergovernmental organization made up of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union. Founded in 1974, its primary aims as a governing body are to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution, as well as to ensure safe maritime navigation. The official name of HELCOM is the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission; it is the governing body of the Helsinki Convention. * * * For more information, please contact:Hermanni Backer Professional Secretary for Maritime, Response and Fish groups HELCOM Tel: +358 46 8509199 Skype: helcom02 E-mail: hermanni.backer(at)helcom.fi
Danish Naval Home Guard vessel MHV 904 Lyø sails 700 nautical miles with 12 crew to participate in HELCOM oil response exercise off Klaipeda in the Baltic Sea.
Latvia and Lithuania demonstrate joint onshore capacity at Balex Delta 2016. During Balex Delta regional exercise in Klaipeda this week, Latvian and Lithuanian teams worked side by side on the shore. This international dimension of the onshore exercise is a new aspect in HELCOM context and demonstrate how the regional response cooperation in the Baltic Sea evolves.Laura Mazmaca from the Latvian State Environmental Service is happy about the cross-country cooperation. “Latvia and Lithuania have always been close neighbours but lately especially our onshore response cooperation has developed. After a joint firefighting operation in the Neringa area in 2012, our firefighting services purchased joint onshore response equipment as a part of an EU project in 2013. In Balex Delta 2016 we can show the benefits of such close cooperation also to the rest of the Baltic Sea region.” Photo: Konrad Wrzecionkowski/WWF PolandA ten-person team from the Liepaja department of the Latvian state fire and rescue service participated in this year’s exercise in Klaipeda, 100km to the south from their home across the border in Lithuania. The Latvians exercised alongside four teams from Lithuanian coastal fire and rescue services, seaport authority, municipalities and private companies. In total around a hundred staff participated in the on shore exercise. The Baltic Sea coastal countries have worked hard during last years to enhance regional work on response on the shore. The 1992 Helsinki Convention, the legal basis of HELCOM work, was changed in 2013 to more explicitly cover spill response during situations when pollution has reached the shore. In addition to this formal legal step a targeted expert group, HELCOM Shore, has polished common regional best practices for such international on shore response. But how this international onshore dimension should be exercised in the region is still somewhat open. Sonja Dobo, Chair of the HELCOM regional shore group and coordinator for oil spill preparedness and response at the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency explains: “Multilateral onshore exercises in the Baltic Sea region is still a rather new and unexplored field and on a very different level of maturity compared to offshore exercises. Roughly a handful of bi- or multilateral onshore exercises have been conducted since 2011 when we got our first experience from Sweden. At that time, four nations in the central Baltic – Sweden, Estonia, Finland and Russia – participated in both a table top and a field exercise on the shore as part of the EU project ENSACO. More than a hundred organisations from eleven counties took part in total.”Photo: HELCOMHELCOM has an ongoing process to develop Balex Delta operational exercises to make best use of the equipment and staff gathered. Many lessons have been learnt so far as the countries have practiced together at sea for decades while the onshore exercises on a larger scale are only a couple of years old. Ms Dobo continues: “One thing we learned since the big exercise in 2011 is to keep it simple and focused. Onshore response is a complex field. There are big differences between countries’ legislation and organisational structures as well as our different cultures and languages.””Setting clear aims and goals for the exercise is necessary as well as giving high priority to the evaluation. Every exercise has given a lot of new important knowledge and we need to share these experiences with each other,” she says.However, while field exercises require a lot of resources, planning and conducting a simple table top exercise may also provide much new knowledge for the regional community and could also be explored as a regular element. BackgroundOn the shore response is commonly under the responsibility of municipalities or rescue services and for this reason commonly require additional coordination with the offshore response units. In addition, as the Baltic Sea is a relatively small sea area, a large scale spill may contaminate several kilometres of shoreline and affect both the vegetation and the animals – and require international assistance. In order to be prepared for such severe situations it is essential that effective mechanisms for international assistance between the Helsinki Convention Contracting Parties for pollution incidents on the shore are well established and ready to operate efficiently. HELCOM Response Manual Volume III covers international cooperation on combating spillages of oil and other harmful substances on the shore and the HELCOM Expert Working Group on Response on the Shore (EWG SHORE) works to improve the cooperation.* * *The
works to ensure swift national and international responses to maritime
pollution incidents, including in case of accident the availability of
appropriate equipment and the joint practice of response procedures in
cooperation with neighbouring states. The group also coordinates the aerial
surveillance of maritime shipping routes to detect oil spills and other potentially harmful substances released into
the Baltic Sea and help identify suspected polluters. The meetings
of the HELCOM Response Group have been held regularly among all Baltic Sea
countries and EU for over thirty years. * * * For more information, please contact:Hermanni BackerProfessional Secretary for Maritime, Response and Fish groupsHELCOMTel: +358 46 8509199Skype: helcom02E-mail: hermanni.backer(at)helcom.fi
Latvia and Lithuania demonstrate joint onshore capacity at Balex Delta 2016. This international dimension of the onshore exercise is a new aspect in HELCOM context.
Ten cubic meters of popcorn played the leading role of a large oil slick today offshore Klaipeda, Lithuania, in the annual Baltic Sea pollution response exercise 2016. Fourteen ships from eight Baltic coastal states formed the HELCOM fleet simulating real life disaster response in a collision between an oil tanker and a trawler, involving a risk of damaging the nearby highly sensitive nature areas with 5,000 tons of crude oil. A large-scale national onshore exercise was organized simultaneously for deployment of the clean-up units as well as coordination between all the actors involved. The simulated oil accident took place in the middle of particularly sensitive marine and coastal areas north of Klaipeda. The largest maritime counter-pollution drill of its kind in the Baltic Sea area – and one of the largest worldwide – has been a regular HELCOM practice for almost thirty years, in one of the most vulnerable and busiest sea areas in the world. All HELCOM member states take turns in hosting the annual exercise. Igor Kuzmenko, Chief Coordinator of the exercise was pleased with the proceedings. “Today we set up a full-scale oil recovery operation at the site of the accident, and for the first time some countries’ response vessels, from Denmark, Finland, Latvia and Poland, arrived straight to the spill area, ‘on call’, for added realism. The ships were successfully deploying oil containment booms and skimming equipment”, he said. The annual HELCOM Balex Delta was hosted this year by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre of the Lithuanian Navy. The shore operation was coordinated by Klaipeda City Fire and Rescue Service. More than forty persons, many from outside the region, signed up as observers of the exercise.The aim of Balex Delta is to test the alarm procedures and the response capability of the HELCOM countries. Cooperation between combating units as well as staff functions are tested and trained for. Communication between the involved units during the exercise is also practiced by all the participating countries, as well as the interaction between offshore response units and shoreline clean-up units. At the same time, thanks to this year’s large onshore response exercise, the national capabilities and alert procedures concerning shoreline clean-up will also be tested. The response vessels of HELCOM fleet were successfully deploying oil containment booms and skimming equipment.Background operational response exercises have been held annually since 1989. Throughout this time HELCOM has steadily improved the readiness of the countries around the Baltic to jointly respond to oil spills at sea. Regional cooperation on preparedness and response to pollution incidents has however much longer roots, being a part of the first 1974 Helsinki Convention and followed by a series of related Recommendations right at the start of the permanent HELCOM activities in the early 1980s. The first meeting of the expert group on pollution response took place in 1977. Today, with 80 per cent of global merchandise trade by volume carried by sea and handled by ports worldwide[1], the economic importance of maritime transport – and the risk of collisions and other accidents – cannot be overemphasized. In the Baltic Sea, ship traffic is dense and maritime transport has been in the increase in the recent past.[1] UNCTAD, Review of Maritime Transport 2013. * * * Note to Editors:The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as the Helsinki Commission, or , is an intergovernmental organisation of all the nine Baltic Sea countries and the EU which works to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution. HELCOM is the governing body of the “Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area,” known as the Helsinki Convention. * * * For more information, please contact:Heli HaapasaariChair of HELCOM Response Working GroupFinnish Environment Institute – SYKETel: +358 40 1793050E-mail: heli.haapasaari(at)environment.fi Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988Skype: helcom70E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi Hermanni BackerProfessional Secretary for Maritime and ResponseHELCOMTel: +358 46 8509199Skype: helcom02E-mail: hermanni.backer(at)helcom.fi
Fourteen ships formed the HELCOM fleet today offshore Klaipeda, Lithuania, which took action in disaster response simulation involving an oil tanker and a trawler.
What Oil response exercise HELCOM Balex Delta 2016 When Tuesday 21 June 2016 at 09.00–15.00 (CET). Operational phase at sea and on the shore. Debriefing at 18.00–19.00 Who Fifteen specially equipped response vessels from eight Baltic coastal countries; Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden, and around 120 participants of the national shoreline response exercise. Where Exercise area at sea: North of Klaipeda port, LithuaniaExercise area on the shore: Karkle beach, north of Klaipeda town in front of Zilvitis camp Exercise debriefing: Amberton Klaipeda Hotel, Naujojo Sodo g. 1C WhyThe HELCOM Balex Delta exercise simulates a large real life oil catastrophe in one of the most vulnerable – and busiest – sea areas in the world. The goal is to recover as much oil as possible in the open sea before it would reach the shores, as estimates are that this is roughly ten times more cost-efficient than shoreline clean-up. The annual HELCOM Balex Delta is hosted this year by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre of the Lithuanian Navy. The shore operation is coordinated by Klaipeda City Fire and Rescue Service. More than forty persons, many from outside the region, have signed up as observers of the exercise. The exercise programme, list of participating units at sea and on shore, as well as the list of vessels and equipment are provided as attachments. HELCOM Balex Delta, organized since the late 1980s, test the procedures documented in the HELCOM Response Manual and the response capability of the HELCOM member countries in case of a major accident and an international response operation. The general objective of the Balex Delta exercises is to ensure that every Contracting Party is able to lead a major response operation. Media representatives are asked to apply for accreditationby 17 June 2016, by providing contact information (name, media, e-mail, phone number) to:antanas.brencius@mil.lt. * * *Note for editors: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.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, from 1974. * * *For further information, please contact:Johanna Laurila (Ms)Information SecretaryHELCOMMobile: +358 40 523 8988E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi Antanas Brencius (Mr.)Civil-Military Co-operation (CIMIC) OfficerMaritime rescue coordination centerTel: +370 46 391 207Mobile: +370 698 18 196E-mail: antanas.brencius@mil.lt
The annual oil response exercise HELCOM Balex Delta 2016 will be held in Klaipeda, Lithuania on 21 June – please accreditate by 17 June 2016.
Half of detections substance other than oil The number of oil spills in the Baltic Sea detected through daily aerial surveillance reached an all-time low again in 2015. According to the annual now available, also the size of spills spotted in the region continue to decline following long-term trends. Striking is that half (49%) of all spill detections were identified as substances other than oil or as unknown observations—highlighting the ongoing need to track various kinds of spills. Nonoil-based discharges, which only have been reported to HELCOM since 2014, are not as strictly regulated as oil in the Baltic Sea and may cause threats to the marine environment. 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. According to the HELCOM report, a total of 82 mineral oil spills were identified in the Baltic Sea by air in 2015, with the overwhelming majority (98%) limited to an area of one cubic metre (1 m3) or less. Almost three-quarters (78%) were smaller than 100 litres or 0.1 m3.The total flight time dedicated to spill detection by the HELCOM member countries has dropped in recent years with an average of around 4,000 hours per year being logged in 2014 and 2015. This is a significant fall from the 10-year average of over 4,500 flight hours a year—a fact that may play a factor in the decreasing number of detections made. Regional aerial continues to be vital to detecting oil spills and other potentially harmful substances released into the Baltic Sea. It also acts as a deterrent to ships, thus preventing violations to regulations on ship pollution. When a spill is discovered, if possible, the identity of a polluter is established and the spill is sampled from both the sea surface and on-board the suspected offending ship to enable prosecution.In addition to regular, nationally led flights, high-intensity operations are organized on a yearly basis to bolster compliance levels to anti-pollution regulations. During such operations a selected area is continuously surveyed together by a number of countries up to several days. * *Note for editors:Cooperation between Baltic coastal countries on spill-related dates back to the 1980s as a result of HELCOM efforts to protect the marine environment. Data on ship spills identified by aerial surveillance is reported on a yearly basis by most HELCOM member states; the current HELCOM annual report covers data conducted with fixed-wing aircraft from 1988 to 2015. The purpose of aerial surveillance is to detect spills of oil and other harmful substances which can threaten the marine environment. If possible, the identity of a polluter should be established and a spill sampled from both the sea surface and the suspected offender on board.Data on illegal discharges observed during national aerial surveillance activities of the coastal states in the Baltic Sea area are compiled by HELCOM every year.Co-operation on aerial surveillance within the Baltic Sea area has been established within the framework of the Helsinki Convention and coordinated by the Informal Working Group on Aerial Surveillance (). This requires the Contracting Parties to conduct regular surveillance outside their coastlines and to develop and apply, individually or in cooperation, surveillance activities covering the Baltic Sea area in order to spot and monitor oil and other substances released into the sea. Contracting Parties are also supposed to coordinate surveillance activities which take place outside territorial waters. * * *Working to safeguard the marine environment from pollution and ensure safe navigation in the Baltic Sea, acts as the governing body of the 1974 Helsinki Convention. Its official name is the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission. * * * For more information, please contact:Laura Meski Assistant Professional Secretary HELCOM +358 40 162 2053 Skype: helcom82 E-mail: laura.meski(at)helcom.fi Johanna Laurila Information Secretary HELCOM Tel: +358 40 523 8988 Skype: helcom70 E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi
Striking is that half (49%) of all spill detections were identified as substances other than oil or as unknown observations—highlighting the ongoing need to track various kinds of spills.
Dear Colleagues,The milestone of the year 2015 was the adoption of the Regional Action Programme for Marine Litter in June. Concrete work for the plan started in May 2014, following the Ministerial commitment in 2013 binding all the Baltic coastal governments and EU. The drafting process, led by Germany, benefited from the expertise of non-governmental organizations, research institutions, industry, administration and authorities. Thanks to the wide consultations the plan is very comprehensive and includes an excellent set of actions to combat marine litter. Now the challenge is to find leaders and implementers for each action so that fine ideas are followed by concrete work and results. I am glad that we could take this forward in the HELCOM Marine Litter Stakeholder Conference held on Wednesday.In October the modernized database of Baltic Sea Marine Protected Areas (HELCOM MPAs) was released. The database provides easy and user-friendly access – for anybody interested – to detailed and new information on coastal and marine HELCOM MPAs such as on human pressures, threat categories and monitoring of species, biotopes and biotope complexes as well as about national protection status. I can proudly say that the HELCOM MPA database stands out among other similar databases on regional and global levels, particularly because of its vast coverage and because the information is contains is current. The comparable data sets and assessments of pollution loads cover both the nine HELCOM countries and also more distant transboundary sources; they are unique from a worldwide perspective. Without this data it would be impossible to assess major pressures from human activities. Last year a new approach was introduced and agreed to the future Pollution Load Compilation (PLC) assessments. This will ensure more clearly distinguished products, smooth and operationalized regular updating of the products, and better sharing of responsibilities of different actors for timely delivery.One of these new products prepared and released in December was the assessment of progress towards reaching Country-allocated Reduction Targets. This was a major scientific achievement considering the complexity of the issue and high political interest, and we thank all the dedicated scientists and experts for the product. At the same time, it has become evident that there is a new need for a more concise product for policy-makers. Implementing this approach in PLC remains a main task – for all of us – also for this year, but it can only happen with the active involvement of more Contracting Parties. I am especially proud what we have managed to achieve within the project on making HELCOM eutrophication assessments operational (EUTRO-OPER). This project resulted in a tool for the integration of indicators, an assessment protocol, and a solution to increase the comparability of assessment of open sea and coastal waters. But importantly, work and data flows have been automated, including in-built step-wise approval procedure by national experts of the assessment product, providing a solid system for easy updates of the eutrophication assessment in the future. This was accomplished in partnership with ICES. The ambition is to follow this approach also for other themes as far as possible, within the work on the Second Holistic Assessment of the Ecosystem Health of the Baltic Sea (HOLASII). The preparation of HOLAS II was at full speed last year and will continue to be the major umbrella activity of HELCOM in the near future. The aim is not only to produce a single assessment publication, but to create a longer-lasting and web-based system to serve future updates, and to enable better use nationally and increased outreach. This means improved documentation, semi-automation and use of the HELCOM working structure to maintain the system as opposed to project-maintained assessment.All necessary ingredients for making HOLAS II a success are in place – it has been planned in detail and is well coordinated, Contracting Parties are committed and their best experts are engaged, and for the first time ever I can state that I feel comfortable in terms of available resources for the exercise (albeit not all needs can be secured yet). EU grants for two actions we call BalticBOOST and HELCOM TAPAS projects have significantly helped in this respect and are very much appreciated.This carefully planned assessment will also be truly holistic, as it will include integrated assessment of themes on eutrophication, hazardous substances and biodiversity, and results of separate HELCOM Maritime Assessment will be used as well. Commercial fish species, as they are part of the marine ecosystem, will also be assessed, along with cumulative pressures and impacts from major human activities, based on the improved data and information. Marine litter and underwater noise, not assessed previously, will be new elements. For the first time, a social and economic analysis will also be truly incorporated into the HELCOM assessment by linking human activities to pressures and impacts on ecosystem components within one holistic framework. The work on social and economic analysis that started last year may prove itself to be one of the milestones or a break-through for future HELCOM work. Such aspect has been largely lacking in HELCOM work so far, which has prevented full use of HELCOM results in many spheres and sectors. We have now fair chances to rectify this obvious shortcoming. So we stand firm in terms of preparing HOLAS II in HELCOM. But there are other circumstances and processes that influence our work and need to be catered for. On the European level a parallel process takes place to make assessments. It makes no sense to duplicate the work, and the HELCOM countries that are also EU members have already agreed to use HOLAS II as the basis of the national assessments under the EUMSFD.>While I am absolutely convinced it will be possible to cater also for this need, I find it of paramount importance that both immediate national management needs and longer-term HELCOM policy needs are met, and that:the HELCOM assessment system improves and is based on the best available sciencethat we are able to compare the outcome to the previous assessment that we show how far from reaching the Good Environmental Status (GES) we are – as likely most of the areas in the Baltic Sea will be still short of the target – and that we also show progress and improvement.We will not be in a position to maintain political attention unless we start demonstrating the effects our decisions and actions are bringing.Last but not least, two issues that have been or are about to be concluded during this Meeting are important accomplishments as well: a new HELCOM Recommendation on sustainable aquaculture, efficiently led by the Fish group, established not so long ago but already working at full speed, and a decision to submit the proposal by HELCOM countries to designate the Baltic Sea as a NECA IMO MEPC 70, in parallel with the North Sea NECA submission. This has been a splendid meeting of the Helsinki Commission, thank you Contracting Parties, Observers and colleagues in the Secretariat.
The Statement of Executive Secretary on the work of HELCOM Secretariat including her comments and evaluation of the work of the Commission and its subsidiary bodies.
Crew of Kapitan Poinc from Gdynia, Poland deploying the oil boom of 600 meters.Twenty ships under the HELCOM flag conducted today a successful operation to contain and recover two simulated oil spills from vessels collided off the Polish coast in the Pomeranian Bay, as part of the annual Baltic Sea pollution response exercise Balex Delta 2015. A large-scale national onshore exercise was organized simultaneously for deployment of the clean-up units as well as coordination between all the actors involved. For over 25 years HELCOM has sustained the international operational preparedness in maritime emergencies and polluting accidents at sea, in one of the most vulnerable and busiest sea areas in the world. The largest maritime emergency and counter-pollution drill of its kind in the Baltic Sea area – and one of the largest worldwide – involve the release of simulated oil; the mobilization of pollution response vessels from several coastal countries; as well as the establishment of a unified command structure and communication system. In addition, a full-scale oil recovery operation at the site of the accident was set up, including actual deployment of oil containment booms and skimming equipment along with the onshore response of more than a hundred trained staff and 40 fire engines, and other necessary equipment. Eight HELCOM Member States – Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden – took part in the exercise with both pollution-combating ships and smaller vessels with over 400 participants in total. Almost 50 observers from all the nine HELCOM countries as well as Brazil, Canada, Portugal and USA monitored the actions of the response units. The Exercise Evaluation Team consisted of representatives of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. “The fact that the HELCOM member states send their vessels each and every year for an international oil drill is globally rather special, as such a well-established framework is rare in other parts of the world. The Baltic Sea country crews have established a smooth cooperation over the years, and this was again a good opportunity to see what we’re ready for and what needs further improvement,” says Heli Haapasaari, Chairman of HELCOM’s Response Group. “With such a large coinciding national drill on the shore, the exercise gave the host nation a bigger-than-usual opportunity to test its own capacity to command an international operation with a large response fleet, in addition to the action at shore with more complex communication and coordination tasks.” The aim of Balex Delta is to test the alarm procedures and the response capability of HELCOM members as well as national alarm procedures, including the capacity of each country to command a large international drill, and also evaluate staff functions and the cooperation between the countries’ combating units. This year the goals extended to the shore, for trying in practice the national onshore clean-up capabilities and the national wildlife response alert procedures. In addition, the 2015 drill had a main focus on communication between the involved units as well as the interaction between offshore response and clean-up units on the shore. This year’s HELCOM annual exercise was organized by the Polish Maritime Search and Rescue Service, Gdynia (Maritime part), and the West Pomeranian Regional Headquarters of the State Fire Service (Onshore part). The exercise involved a scenario where a middle size tanker collides with a smaller container vessel, resulting in oil slicks of 500 m3 and 150 m3 of heavy fuel oil from the drifting ships. Units from the HELCOM countries were tasked to jointly prevent the oil slicks from coming ashore to the nearby National Park and Natura 2000 areas. Having two sources of pollution on different locations, the pool of response vessels were divided into two groups. The oil spilt during the exercise was simulated by two large releases of environmentally-friendly expanded perlite (15 and 5 cubic metres). Expanded perlite is volcanic amorphous glass, fully non-toxic and similar than beach sand. BackgroundBALEX DELTA operational response exercises have been held annually since 1989. Throughout this time HELCOM has steadily improved the readiness of the countries around the Baltic to jointly respond to oil spills at sea. Regional cooperation on preparedness and response to pollution incidents has however much longer roots, being a part of the first 1974 Helsinki Convention and followed by a series of related Recommendations right at the start of the permanent HELCOM activities in early 1980s. Today, with 80 per cent of global merchandise trade by volume carried by sea and handled by ports worldwide, the economic importance of maritime transport – and the risk of collisions and other accidents – cannot be overemphasized. In the Baltic Sea, ship traffic is dense and maritime transport has been in the increase in the recent past.[1] UNCTAD, Review of Maritime Transport 2013. * * * Note to Editors:The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as the Helsinki Commission, or HELCOM, is an intergovernmental organisation of all the nine Baltic Sea countries and the EU which works to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution. HELCOM is the governing body of the “Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area,” known as the Helsinki Convention. * * * For more information, please contact:Heli HaapasaariChair of HELCOM Response Working GroupFinnish Environment Institute – SYKETel: +358 40 1793050E-mail: heli.haapasaari(at)environment.fiJohanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fiHermanni BackerProfessional Secretary for Maritime and ResponseHELCOMTel: +358 46 8509199E-mail: hermanni.backer(at)helcom.fi
Twenty ships from eight HELCOM Member States participated in the large oil response drill off Polish coast. Large-scale national onshore exercise was organized simultaneously with over one hundred staff.
What HELCOM Balex Delta 2015. A designated boat will be ready for registered media to observe the international drill from close distance, followed by a press conference.When Wednesday, 9 September 2015: Exercise briefing at 18:00–18:30.Thursday, 10 September 2015: Exercise time: 09:00–14:00 & Press conference at 16:00Who Around 20 specially equipped response vessels from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden;Around 100 participants of the national shoreline response exercise;Coordination: Polish Maritime Search and Rescue Service, Gdynia (Maritime Part), West Pomeranian Regional Headquarters of the State Fire Service (Shoreline Part). Where Pomeranian Bay (Swinoujscie), Poland.Press conference and exercise briefing: Polish Maritime Search and Rescue Service naval base, Wybrzeże Władysława IV 1 Str, Swinoujscie. WhyThe exercise simulates a large real life oil catastrophe in one of the most vulnerable – and busiest – sea areas in the world. The goal is to recover as much oil as possible in the open sea before it would reach the shores of the islands or mainland, since this is roughly ten times more cost-efficient than shoreline clean-up.The annual HELCOM Balex Delta is hosted this year by the Polish Maritime Search and Rescue Service. For the list of vessels and equipment participating in the exercise please see the.The national shoreline response part of Balex Delta 2015 will be organized and conducted by the Polish State Fire Service, with the help of Search and Rescue (SAR) Service and Maritime Office in Szczecin. The shoreline exercise will be conducted parallel to the maritime part on 10 September. The exercise area is planned on the beach east to the LNG Terminal in Swinoujście (at the Wolin Island). The State Fire Service plans to use c.a. 40 fire engines together with the equipment. The SAR Service will send the crew of the Costal Rescue Station in Dziwnow (one heavy rescue truck, one rescue boat (RIB type), 150m of oil boom and a portable Ro-mop oil skimmer. Programme (local time CEST = UTC +2hrs)8.00 Media cruise departure. Name of the ship: Pasat or Magda (tbc). Point of departure: Polish Maritime Search and Rescue Service naval base, WybrzeżeWładysława IV 1 Str, SwinoujscieThe exercise scenario and roles of responsible parties explained briefly by the representatives of national partners Balex Delta exercise: all oil response equipment such as booms and skimmers in use, by all the oil response and other ships and assisted by a Maritime Office aircraft9:00 – 14:00: Shoreline clean-up demonstration, location: shore on the Wolin Island Part of Swinoujscie East of the LNG Terminal 53.916615 N 14.307325 E14:00 Approximate time of return to the SAR naval base16:00 Press conference at Polish Maritime Search and Rescue Service base, Swinoujscie Media representatives are asked to apply for accreditation by 3 September 2015, by providing contact information (name, media, e-mail, phone number) to:bd2015@sar.gov.pl* * *Background information:>The annual BALEX DELTA exercises>>test the alarm procedures and response capability of the HELCOM Contracting States (all nine Baltic Sea coastal states) in case of a major accident and an international response operation. have the general objective to ensure that every Contracting State is able to lead a major response operation. are hosted by the Contracting States according to an agreed schedule.are most famous of the regular, operational HELCOM pollution response exercisesare the largest pollution response exercise in the Baltic Sea and one of the largest worldwide * * *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.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, from 1974. * * *For further information, please contact:Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi Marek ReszkoChief coordinator of the BD2015 ExercisePolish Maritime Search and Rescue ServiceTel: +48 505050961E-mail: marek.reszko(at)sar.gov.pl
Balex Delta 2015 on 9 September in Swinoujscie, Poland, media is invited to register by 3 September.
