Tag: Shipping

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

​High-level decisions expected for a healthier Baltic Sea marine environment 3 October 2013, Copenhagen, Denmark – New targets for nutrient input reductions for the Baltic Sea per each Baltic coastal state are expected to be adopted today by HELCOM Contracting Parties, consisting of all the nine Baltic coastal states and the European Union, in the 2013 HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark.  The targets will be an important part of the new Ministerial outcome which will set the overall direction for regional actions for a healthier marine environment of the Baltic Sea. Other major decisions expected today concern environmentally friendly shipping and, in particular, a joint proposal to apply for the NOx Emission Control Area (NECA) status for the Baltic Sea, as well as agriculture and more specifically, nutrient balanced fertilisation practices. A key focus of the Meeting is on HELCOM work to reduce nutrient inputs which cause eutrophication in the Baltic Sea. The HELCOM nutrient input reduction scheme has been subject to extensive review in the past years, for ensuring a solid scientific basis and a fair sharing of the reduction burden. Finally today, the updated, jointly agreed figures on maximum allowable inputs and reduction targets for HELCOM countries are put forward for adoptionThe substantial potential to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from ships, if the Baltic Sea is designated with a special NECA status for the Baltic Sea, has led to preparing of a joint HELCOM application to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). The timing of submitting the application to IMO for such a designation will be another major issue for the ministers. The intensive negotiations preceding today’s high-level gathering have also addressed agricultural practices in the region, such as applying nutrient accounting at farm level by 2018. Positive examples in some HELCOM countries may pave the way to decisions on nutrient balanced fertilisation across the whole region and less nutrient losses. Targeted and cost-effective measures on manure handling are also a part of the draft Ministerial Declaration. Other items waiting for ministers’ decisions today include an amendment of the Helsinki Convention which more explicitly calls for international response to pollution accidents on shoreline. In contrast to the established framework on response cooperation at sea, which has been in place since the 1970s adoption of the Helsinki Convention, such shoreline response has so far largely been a national matter. Furthermore, several decisions by the Ministerial Meeting would result in fewer pressures on biodiversity as well as improvements in the conservation measures for instance of species, habitats and biotopes.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. The 2013 Ministerial Meeting relies on the assessing of how far the region has come in the implementation of HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP, 2007–2021). This careful groundwork has also explored any positive trends and signs of decreasing pollution which could be observed as a result of the actions taken.  Out of all the measures and actions agreed in the Baltic Sea Action Plan, as well as following up the 2010 Moscow Ministerial Declaration, about one third of 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.Please note that the outcome of the Ministerial meeting will be summarized today for the press starting at 11.45 (CET+1hrs). The Declaration will be available after the Meeting at: Twitter: #HELCOM2013 * * *Note for editors: starts at 9:00 on 3 October 2013 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The high-level representatives of Environmental Ministries from the nine Baltic coastal states and the EU Environment Commissioner gather to discuss the status and the future of the Baltic Sea marine environment. The Meeting reviews the progress in implementing the Baltic Sea Action Plan (2007–2021) and sets priorities for action. The Ministerial Declaration, signed at noon, revolves around the still unsatisfactory status of the Baltic Sea; the ecosystem approach as the basis for blue and green growth, the opportunities for more coherent policies and implementation, as well as committing to do more for a healthier Baltic Sea.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 works 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:Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988E-mail: Skype: helcom70

New targets for nutrient input reductions for the Baltic Sea per each Baltic coastal state are expected to be adopted today by HELCOM Contracting Parties.

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…

A recently released
on climate change in the Baltic Sea area looks into historical and more
recent changes in the region’s climate and changes that are projected
to take place in the future. The new assessment is an important
contribution to the ,
to be held next Thursday in Copenhagen, Denmark. Climate is an
important controlling factor for the marine ecosystem. The report
examines possible future changes in the Baltic Sea and explains what
future climate change may mean for the protection of the sea. he
report also contains proposals for action to counteract the expected
negative impacts from climate change on the Baltic Sea ecosystem. This
has been done to follow-up the needs for more stringent and
supplementary actions due to climate change indicated by the HELCOM 2007
and 2010 Ministerial Meetings Highlights from the report:-        The Baltic Sea region is warming faster than the Earth as a whole. On average since the late 19th
century the increase in annual average surface air temperature has been
0.11˚C per decade in the northern Baltic and 0.08˚C in the southern
Baltic compared to the global average of 0.05˚C per decade. The warming
is anticipated to continue-        Annual average sea-surface water temperature has increased
by up to 1˚C per decade since 1990 and a further increase of 2 to 4˚C
is projected near the end of this century. There will be a drastic
decrease in the amount of sea-ice cover and the length of the ice season
in the Baltic Sea if the warming continues as expected-        Precipitation during the past century has tended to increase in winter and spring
in the Baltic Sea region. Model simulations indicate that winter
precipitation could continue to increase during this century. Patterns
of river runoff tend to change considerably-        The volume of snow in the region is expected to decrease, particularly in the southern half of the region-        Sea-surface salinity may decrease
and the change may be largest in the region of the Danish Straits, and
small in the northern and eastern Baltic, and the smallest in the
Bothnian Bay-        Surface sea level projections
are associated with considerable uncertainty: mid-range scenarios
project a 0.6 m and high-end scenarios a 1.1 m sea-level rise over this
century-        Acidification that stems from increased CO
concentrations in the atmosphere has been slightly offset by an
increase in alkalinity; the decrease of 0.15 pH units expected for
marine systems from the increased atmospheric CO concentrations has been diminished by roughly 0.03 units due to increased alkalinity from the catchment area-        Changes in ecosystem structure and functioning
are expected as a result of climate change, warming in particular. Such
changes would include shifts in the ranges of species and distribution
of habitats, as well as a decrease of oxygen in the water-        Proposed actions to buffer the Baltic Sea ecosystem against the expected negative changes:
reduction of nutrient inputs to the maximum allowable levels, overall
reduction of human pressures stemming from activities such as shipping,
fisheries and construction activities, and lastly, the report proposes
strengthening of the network of marine protected areas so that it will
ensure a safe space for species and habitats he
previous assessment of climate change in the Baltic Sea Area was
released in 2007 (HELCOM BSEP No. 111) and the broader technical book,
Assessment of Climate Change for the Baltic Sea Basin, in 2008,
published by Springer. The current assessment builds on and extends the
previous assessment, and summarizes the current state of knowledge he report is a result of close collaboration between HELCOM and , the successor programme to .
It is based on the Second Assessment of Climate Change for the Baltic
Sea which is to be released in 2014. The material used for this
assessment has been produced by more than 120 experts from the Baltic
Sea region within the framework of BALTEX/Baltic Earth. The proposals
for action stem from the work of HELCOM ownload the report   * *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. 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:Ms. Maria LaamanenProfessional SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 46 850 9198Skype: helcom101E-mail:  #160Ms. Johanna LaurilaInformation SecretaryHELCOMTel: +358 40 523 8988Skype: helcom70E-mail:

The Baltic Sea region is warming faster than the Earth as a whole, states a recent HELCOM report on climate change. The assessment looks into past changes and future projections in the region’s climate.