BSEP121 - helcom

Transcription

BSEP121 - helcom

Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings No.121
OVERVIEW
Helsinki Commission
Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission
1
Activities 2009 Overview
Activities 2009
HELCOM Activities 2009 Overview
2
This report summarises the activities of the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) related to the
protection of the Baltic marine environment over the period March 2009 to March 2010.
It provides the latest HELCOM assessment of the current trends in the Baltic marine
environment, as well as an update on HELCOM’s recent activities. HELCOM’s work aims to
curb eutrophication caused by excessive nutrient loads entering the sea, prevent pollution
involving hazardous substances, improve maritime safety and accident response capacity, and
halt habitat destruction and the decline in biodiversity.
More details of HELCOM’s activities, projects and publications are available at www.helcom.fi,
together with background information on environmental issues related to the Baltic Sea.
HELCOM Activities 2009 Overview
(Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings No.121)
Published by the Helsinki Commission
Editor-in-Chief: Nikolay Vlasov, Information Secretary, Helsinki Commission
Authors: Anne Christine Brusendorff, Mikhail Durkin, Maria Laamanen,
Hanna Paulomäki, Minna Pyhälä, Monika Stankiewicz, Nikolay Vlasov
Language revision: Fran Weaver and Howard McKee, Helsinki, Finland
Design, photo editing and layout: Michael Hassett, Lonely Sardine Productions,
Helsinki, Finland
Front cover photo: Maritime Office in Gdynia, Poland
Back cover photo: Elena Bulycheva, Kaliningrad, Russia
© 2010 Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission
Helsinki Commission (HELCOM)
Katajanokanlaituri 6 B, FI-00160 Helsinki, Finland
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.helcom.fi
This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational
or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder, provided
acknowledgement of the source is made. No use of this publication may be made
for any commercial purpose whatsoever without prior written permission from the
Helsinki Commission (HELCOM).
Citations are welcome, provided reference is made to the source:
HELCOM Activities 2009 Overview (2010)
Number of pages: 90
Printed in Helsinki, Finland by Erweko Painotuote Oy
ISSN 0357-2994
Contents
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.
The working structure of HELCOM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Organisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
The 1974 Convention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
The 1992 Convention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
The goals of the Helsinki Commission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Priorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.
Implementing HELCOM’s Baltic Sea Action Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Towards the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in Moscow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
HELCOM’s Conference identifies topics for new projects to restore the Baltic Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Baltic Sea Action Summit provides a boost to HELCOM’s work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
HELCOM chronicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.
Monitoring the marine environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Harmonizing Baltic monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
•
Sharing information about the state of the marine environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
•
Indicator Fact Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
•
Making indicators operational . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
•
Recent assessments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
•
Upcoming assessments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Linking science and policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Revision of HELCOM monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
4.
Combating eutrophication and hazardous substances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Compilation of pollution loads entering the Baltic Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Combating nutrient pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
•
HELCOM removes several major pollution sites from the list of Baltic Sea hot spots . . . . . 36
•
PURE – Project on Urban Reduction of Eutrophication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
•
Elaboration of a list of agricultural hot spots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
•
BALTHAZAR – A European Parliament pilot project for Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Combating pollution by hazardous substances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
•
Screening the occurrence of hazardous substances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
•
Developing effective tools to control hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea region . . . . . 45
•
Addressing sources of hazardous substances in Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
5.
Protecting biodiversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
HELCOM biodiversity assessment indicates increasing human pressure on biotopes
and species around the Baltic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
3
4
Status of the network of the Baltic Sea Protected Areas (BSPAs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
HELCOM RED LIST Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Status of HELCOM biodiversity indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Biodiversity-related HELCOM Indicator Fact Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Baltic Sea harbour porpoise database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
HELCOM FISH Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
6.
Reducing the impacts of shipping on the marine environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Overview of maritime traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
HELCOM report shows a 12% increase in ship accidents in the Baltic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
HELCOM calls on IMO to establish a total ban on untreated sewage discharges
from ships in the Baltic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Work towards the designation of the Baltic Sea as a NOx Emission Control Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Progress in implementing HELCOM’s Ballast Water Road Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
7.
Improving response capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
HELCOM Mutual Plan for Places of Refuge finalised . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Photo: Elena Bulycheva
A new HELCOM policy framework for oiled wildlife response and planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
HELCOM fleet stages a successful disaster response operation off Riga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Latvia wins HELCOM Trophy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
HELCOM commences risk analysis of shipping accidents in the Baltic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
HELCOM achieves another decrease in the number of illicit oil spills in the Baltic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
No significant oil discharges detected during HELCOM’s Super CEPCO operation in the Baltic . . 75
8.
HELCOM Baltic Fisheries and Environmental Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
9.
Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
New HELCOM Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Press releases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Brochures and newsletters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
•
Baltic Sea Environment Proceedings (BSEP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
•
Other publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
5
Foreword
6
As Executive Secretary
of the Baltic Marine
Environment Protection
Commission (Helsinki
Commission), I am pleased
to present our annual
report, an overview of
our organisation’s key
accomplishments during the
last 12 months, ending in
March 2010.
The year 2009 has been
an exciting and dynamic
one for HELCOM. We
celebrated the 35th
anniversary of the signing
of the Helsinki Convention
while making important
strides to set our Baltic
Sea on the path towards
recovery. Many of our accomplishments
moved us closer to our long-term vision for
a healthy Baltic Sea. HELCOM continues to
be focused on concrete progress that makes
a real difference in the lives of people living
around the Baltic today, while also creating
a positive environmental legacy for future
generations.
This year’s annual report covers the
challenging and exciting second year of the
implementation of HELCOM’s Baltic Sea
Action Plan, which aims to radically reduce
the pollution of the marine environment and
restore its good ecological status by 2021.
The major focus was on the preparation of
the National Implementation Programmes
to achieve the objectives of the HELCOM
Baltic Sea Action Plan. These programmes
will be presented at the HELCOM Ministerial
Meeting on 20 May 2010 in Moscow. The
preparation of these programmes has not
been that easy, especially due to the global
financial downturn. But I am confident that
the upcoming Ministerial Meeting will be a
landmark event that will catalyse national
commitments and launch the full-scale
implementation of actions towards the
restoration of the Baltic marine environment.
One milestone event which has certainly
provided a welcome boost to HELCOM’s
work was the Baltic Sea Action Summit held
on 10 February 2010 in Helsinki. This event
gathered leaders and high-level government
officials from all the coastal countries, the
EU, Norway and Belarus. The Summit
has obtained concrete and meaningful
commitments from the public and the private
sectors that will speed the recovery of the
Baltic Sea and support the implementation
of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan.
The convening of this Summit reflects the
commitments of governments to achieve a
healthy Baltic Sea.
The past year saw many new regulations,
projects and initiatives launched within
HELCOM to support the implementation of
the Baltic Sea Action Plan. It also saw the
finalisation of several major assessments,
as well as a large air surveillance operation
looking for illegal oil spills and a successful
oil disaster response exercise. In March
2009, HELCOM held the Fourth Stakeholder
Conference on the Baltic Sea Action Plan,
which reflected on the political, economic
and scientific pre-requisites for successfully
achieving a healthy Baltic Sea. Environment
ministers from Finland and Russia and the
Swedish State Secretary participated in the
event.
Several major pollution hot spots have
been eliminated in the Baltic Sea region.
Among them was St. Petersburg’s
Central Aeration Station, one of the
largest wastewater treatment plants in
Europe, whose renovation has drastically
reduced phosphorus loads entering the
sea. HELCOM is currently finalising the
elaboration of an overarching holistic
assessment of the status of the marine
environment (HOLAS Project). This
assessment, which will be distributed at
the upcoming Moscow Ministerial Meeting,
intends to support the implementation
of the Baltic Sea Action Plan – and all
National Implementation Programmes
will be measured against it. Additionally, a
new project aimed at reducing phosphorus
loads from municipal wastewaters (PURE
Project) was launched in the beginning of
2010. The project will provide cost-effective
techniques to selected municipal wastewater
treatment plants in order to help them reach
the HELCOM requirement of a maximum
Last year, HELCOM held the Second and
Third Baltic Fisheries and Environmental
Forums. This regional platform for
communication and collaborative action
enables the competent fisheries and
environmental authorities of the Baltic Sea
area to exchange their views, experiences
and best practices concerning the
sustainable management of fisheries, and
to discuss and implement joint activities.
Significant outcomes of these Forums
included the Joint HELCOM input to the
2012 review of the EU Common Fisheries
Policy and a HELCOM note to the EU
supporting “Discard free fisheries in the
Baltic”.
I have also been glad to see that HELCOM
once again proved to be an excellent
platform for the Baltic Sea countries to
discuss and agree on joint positions for
dealings with the International Maritime
Organization (IMO). In December last year
the HELCOM countries submitted a joint
proposal to IMO to designate the Baltic Sea
as a special area for sewage discharges
from ships. This special area status will
reduce nutrient inputs by banning discharges
of untreated wastewater from all passenger
ships in the Baltic Sea.
There has also been a recent increase in the
total extent of marine protected areas. Nearly
11% of the Baltic marine area is currently
protected within Baltic Sea Protected Areas
(BSPAs). This means that the goal set by
the Convention on Biological Diversity of
protecting 10% of every ecoregion by 2010
has been reached for the Baltic Sea.
I hope that this annual report will provide
you with plenty of useful information on the
implementation of the Baltic Sea Action
Plan, as well as an overview of HELCOM’s
assessments of current trends in the Baltic
marine environment, and the many other
wide-ranging activities carried out by the
Helsinki Commission during 2009 to protect
the Baltic Sea.
Anne Christine Brusendorff
Executive Secretary of HELCOM
7
0.5 mg/litre phosphorus content in outgoing
wastewater.
8
Photo: Kaj Granholm, HELCOM
1. The working structure of HELCOM
CONTRACTING PARTIES
Denmark, Estonia, European Union, Finland,
Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden
9
HELCOM
MARITIME
HELCOM
RESPONSE
HELCOM LAND
HELCOM MONAS
HELCOM HABITAT
HELCOM FISH/ENV
FORUM
Secretariat
The Baltic Marine Environment
Protection Commission, usually referred to
as the Helsinki Commission, or HELCOM,
works to protect the marine environment of
the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution
through intergovernmental cooperation
between Denmark, Estonia, the European
Union, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania,
Poland, Russia and Sweden.
HELCOM is the governing body of the
‘Convention on the Protection of the Marine
Environment of the Baltic Sea Area’ - usually
called the Helsinki Convention.
Organisation
The Helsinki Commission meets annually.
Ministerial-level meetings are also held
occasionally. The Commission unanimously
adopts Recommendations for the protection
of the marine environment, which the
governments of the Contracting Parties must
act on in their respective national
programmes and legislation.
The chairmanship of the Helsinki
Commission rotates between the Contracting
Parties every two years in alphabetical order
in English. From 1 July 2008 to 30 June
2010 HELCOM is chaired by Russia.
The working structure of HELCOM,
supported by the Secretariat, consists of
the meetings of the Helsinki Commission,
the Heads of Delegation, five main Expert
Groups and the Fisheries and Environmental
Forum.
The 1974 Convention
For the first time in history, all the sources
of pollution around an entire sea were made
subject to a single Convention which was
signed in 1974 by the then seven Baltic
coastal states. The 1974 Convention entered
into force on 3 May 1980.
The 1992 Convention
In light of political changes and
developments in international environmental
and maritime law, a new convention was
signed in 1992 by all the states bordering on
the Baltic Sea and the European Community.
After ratification, the 1992 Convention
entered into force on 17 January 2000. It
covers the whole of the Baltic Sea area and
includes inland waters, the waters of the sea
itself and the sea-bed. Measures are also
taken in the whole catchment area of the
Baltic Sea to reduce land-based pollution of
the sea.
The goals of the Helsinki
Commission
HELCOM’s main goal is to protect the
marine environment of the Baltic Sea from
all sources of pollution, and to restore and
safeguard its ecological balance.
Priorities
• Environmental monitoring and
assessment
• Combating eutrophication caused by
excessive nutrient loads from municipal
wastewater and agricultural runoff
• Preventing pollution by hazardous
substances
• Improving navigational safety and
accident response capacity
• Protecting and conserving marine and
coastal biodiversity
HEADS OF DELEGATION
10
2. Implementing HELCOM’s Baltic Sea
Action Plan
In 2009, HELCOM focused on preparations
for the 2010 Ministerial Meeting in Moscow.
This event is considered to be another
milestone in the joint efforts of the coastal
countries to rescue the troubled Baltic Sea,
following the adoption of the HELCOM
Baltic Sea Action Plan to drastically reduce
pollution to the marine environment and
restore its good ecological status by 2021.
At the Moscow meeting, environment
ministers from HELCOM’s Member States
will review the progress that the countries
have already made in reducing their pollution
to the Baltic Sea, and present their own
National Implementation Programmes
designed to achieve the objectives of the
action plan. The HELCOM countries will
particularly present programmes describing
how they will implement actions to curb
eutrophication, particularly by curbing
excessive inputs of phosphorus and nitrogen
from agricultural runoff and inadequately
treated municipal sewage, and also how they
aim to halt inputs of hazardous substances.
These programmes should include concrete
measures to reach the provisional countrywise pollution reduction targets set in the
Baltic Sea Action Plan. With the National
Implementation Programmes in place,
the work to further reduce the pollution
loads entering the sea will pick up pace
considerably.
The upcoming HELCOM Ministerial Meeting
will also offer a good opportunity to view the
status report on the implementation of the
actions within the fields of nature protection,
maritime safety, and response to accidents
at sea. Maritime-related actions focus on the
further enforcement of shipping regulations,
improving safety of navigation, and reducing
pollution from ships. The HELCOM countries
have committed themselves to urgently
conduct new hydrographic surveys of all
marine areas important for the safety of
navigation; to designate the Baltic Sea as
a NOx Emission Control Area within the
framework of the International Maritime
Organization (IMO), meaning that ships’
emissions would be limited by stricter
international regulations; and to enhance
port reception facilities for sewage in major
passenger ports, following up on the joint
proposal by the HELCOM countries to the
IMO that discharges of untreated sewage
from passenger ships operating in the Baltic
Sea should be banned.
Additionally, a major holistic assessment of
the status of the Baltic marine environment
will be released at the Ministerial Meeting.
This assessment is being prepared to
support the implementation of the HELCOM
Baltic Sea Action Plan. All National
Implementation Programmes will be
measured against this assessment.
The latest available data indicate an overall
reduction in nutrient pollution loads entering
the Baltic Sea as a whole. While some
countries have made significant progress
towards their provisional nutrient pollution
reduction targets, the overall situation is still
unacceptable. Excessive loads of nitrogen
and phosphorus from land-based sources
are still feeding over the excessive growth of
algae and the spread of lifeless sea bottoms
in most of the Baltic Sea’s sub-basins.
11
Towards the HELCOM
Ministerial Meeting in
Moscow
12
Countries need to react urgently and apply
the pollution reduction measures specified
in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan.
Failure to act now would undermine the
prospects for the future recovery of the sea,
and endanger a vital resource for the future
economic prosperity of the whole region.
HELCOM’s Conference
identifies topics for new
projects to restore the Baltic
Sea
The implementation of strategic actions
and flagship projects to achieve a healthy
Baltic Sea was the major focus of the Fifth
Stakeholder Conference on the HELCOM
Baltic Sea Action Plan, held in Helsinki on
3 March 2010. More than one hundred
officials, representatives of science
and business communities and various
organisations from all around the Baltic
Sea participated in discussions centring
on HELCOM’s current activities to radically
reduce pollution to the Baltic Sea and restore
its good ecological status by 2021.
The aim of the Conference was to streamline
various ongoing activities and projects
to enhance efforts to reach the goal of a
healthy Baltic Sea. Participants from around
the Baltic Sea investigated synergies and
possible needs for further coordination
between the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action
Plan and other programmes including the
EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region,
the Northern Dimension Environmental
Partnership, and the work of the NIB/NEFCO
BSAP Technical Assistance Fund.
The Stakeholder Conference consisted of an
opening and a plenary session, followed by
four parallel thematic sessions. The opening
session featured presentations spotlighting
the synergies that can be obtained in
implementing the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action
Plan and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea
Region, as well as sources of funding. The
plenary session focused on HELCOM’s
strategic actions and flagship projects
to combat eutrophication, halt inputs of
hazardous substances, protect biodiversity,
and ensure environmentally friendly maritime
activities in the Baltic Sea area. Following up
on the presentations in the plenary session,
discussions then continued in four parallel
interactive sessions where participants
identified the needs for new projects and
actions.
In his opening statement, the Chairman of
HELCOM, Mr. Igor Maydanov, referred to
“success stories” where activities for the
protection of the marine environment have
been beneficially streamlined. He referred to
the recent Baltic Sea Action Summit which
showed that it is possible for the Baltic
Sea States’ leaders, private businesses,
research institutions, NGOs and individuals
to join forces and make commitments that
will actively speed the achievement of the
goal of a healthy Baltic Sea. Mr. Maydanov
also pointed to the EU Strategy for the
13
Baltic Sea Region, which draws heavily
from the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan
in its environmental, safety and security
pillars. Many of the actions and projects to
implement the Baltic Sea Action Plan have
already substantially contributed to the
implementation of the EU Strategy for the
Baltic Sea Region. At the same time, the
EU Strategy has given additional political
support and strengthened the commitments
already made by the Baltic Sea countries
in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan. It
has also encouraged a more coordinated
approach among the various national
and local authorities, NGOs and other
stakeholders.
Participants noted, however, that there are
still some areas in which there has been little
progress, or where no actions have been
taken yet. These areas will require additional
efforts to initiate the necessary activities
in a coordinated manner and with the
involvement of all the relevant stakeholders.
In the context of the Baltic Sea countries
efforts to develop National Implementation
Programmes to reach the goals of the
HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, the
Stakeholder Conference has made an
important contribution to the exchange
of ideas and indicated topics for possible
new projects in fields where action has
so far been inadequate. This in turn
has contributed to the development of a
HELCOM list of project areas or activities
which should be endorsed by the Moscow
HELCOM Ministerial Meeting on 20 May
2010.
14
Baltic Sea Action Summit
provides a boost to
HELCOM’s work
The Baltic Sea Action Summit held on 10
February 2010 was an unprecedented
and historical event. The summit brought
together leaders and high-level government
officials from all the Baltic Sea coastal
countries, the EU and neighbouring Norway
and Belarus to focus on the restoration of
the marine environment. In response to
the current degraded state of the sea, the
Summit obtained concrete and meaningful
commitments from the public and the private
sectors that can speed up the recovery of the
Baltic. These activities will be directly linked
to the implementation of the overarching
HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan.
Overall, the Summit showed that a strong
commitment towards collective action to
set the Baltic on the path towards recovery
exists among governments and the business
community. It also showed a high level
of support for the implementation of the
HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, which is
clearly considered to be an initiative of the
highest political importance in the region.
At the same time, the Baltic Sea Action
Summit provided a much needed boost to
the development of National Implementation
Programmes to achieve the objectives of the
action plan, which will be presented at the
HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in Moscow. To
The Baltic Sea Action Summit was
convened by the President of the Republic
of Finland Ms. Tarja Halonen, the Prime
Minister of Finland Mr. Matti Vanhanen,
and the Chairman of the Baltic Sea Action
Group (BSAG) Mr. Ilkka Herlin. HELCOM’s
Chairman, Mr. Igor Maydanov, delivered
a keynote speech at one of the summit’s
plenary sessions. Up to 140 commitments
from around the region were presented at
the event. These pledges involved promises
to contribute know-how, products and funds
towards projects and activities that will
benefit the Baltic Sea.
15
create meaningful National Implementation
Programmes, HELCOM needs the full
support and commitment of political leaders
in the coastal countries, as well as business
communities and various stakeholder
groups.
16
HELCOM chronicles
On 5-6 February 2009, the 2nd Stakeholder
Conference was held in RostockWarnemünde with approximately 370
participants from 17 countries to discuss
the EU-Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.
The participants represented governments
and parliaments at all levels, Baltic Sea
organisations, NGOs and stakeholders
working in other fields including economics
and science. Commissioner Prof. Dr. Danuta
Hübner, Commissioner Dr. Joe Borg and 30
staff members of the European Commission
presented the main objectives of the future
strategy. HELCOM’s Executive Secretary,
Ms. Anne Christine Brusendorff gave a
presentation describing HELCOM’s Baltic
Sea Action Plan.
The Interspill 2009 Conference & Exhibition, a major international oil spill response industry
event, was held in Marseille, France on 12-14 May, attracting more than 1,000 delegates,
exhibitors and visitors from over 70 countries. The exhibition featured 100 international
organisations and companies, including HELCOM.
Photo: Nikolay Vlasov, HELCOM
17
On 19 May 2009, HELCOM’s Chairman, Mr. Igor Maydanov, participated in the launch of the
Baltic Sea Action Summit initiative. The initiative was jointly inaugurated by the President of
the Republic of Finland Ms. Tarja Halonen, the Prime Minister of Finland Mr. Matti Vanhanen,
and the Chairman of the Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG) Mr. Ilkka Herlin in the presence of
government officials, diplomats, representatives of the science and business communities,
and the media. Following the launching of the initiative, Mr. Maydanov met President Halonen
and Prime Minister Vanhanen to discuss issues related to the implementation of both the new
initiative and the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan.
18
In 2009, HELCOM won the prestigious
Swedish Baltic Sea Water Award for the
adoption of the innovative and overarching
Baltic Sea Action Plan. The announcement
was made on 20 August by Sweden’s
Minister for International Development
Cooperation, Ms. Gunilla Carlsson at the
annual World Water Week in Stockholm.
The award ceremony was held at a dinner
hosted by Sweden’s Minister for EU Affairs,
Ms. Cecilia Malmström for 27 ministers from
the EU countries who met in Stockholm at
a conference on the EU Strategy for the
Baltic Sea region. The award was personally
presented by H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of
Sweden to the Chairman of HELCOM, Mr.
Igor Maydanov.
The jury’s justified the award by stating
that “HELCOM and its Secretariat
under the Executive Secretary Anne
Christine Brusendorff have taken marine
environmental protection to a new level.
HELCOM has shown exemplary commitment
to improving the Baltic Sea through the
adoption of the Baltic Sea Action Plan. The
action plan takes on the complexity of issues
that need to be addressed in an innovative
manner, linking it to ongoing initiatives and
becoming the backbone of the environmental
actions in the coming Baltic Sea Strategy.”
The Swedish Baltic Sea Water Award,
organised by Sweden’s Ministry for Foreign
Affairs, recognises direct and practical
efforts to improve water quality in the Baltic
Sea. The award honours innovations and
new methods that protect the aquatic
environment of the Baltic Sea. This award
will further inspire HELCOM to work to
make the Baltic Sea area environmentally
sustainable, prosperous, accessible and
attractive, as well as safe and secure.
19
At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, which took place
in December 2010, participating countries agreed to cap the global temperature rise by
committing to significant emission reductions, and to raise finance to kick-start action in
the developing world to cope with climate change. The Copenhagen Accord signed by
world leaders may not be everything that everyone hoped for, but it was described as an
essential beginning by the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon. The Accord recognises
the scientific view that the increase in global temperature must be kept below two degrees
in order to stave off the worst effects of climate change. In order to achieve this goal, the
Accord specifies that industrialised countries must commit to implement, individually or
jointly, quantified economy-wide emissions targets from 2020, to be listed in the Accord by
31 January 2010. A number of developing countries, including major emerging economies,
agreed to communicate their efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions every two years, and
also list their voluntary pledges before this deadline. HELCOM participated in the conference
as an observer intergovernmental organisation, having been granted this status in 2009.
The Helsinki Commission held it 31st annual Meeting on 4-5 March 2010. At the two-day
meeting, the Delegations of the HELCOM Member States reviewed the organisation’s
progress in the implementation of the Baltic Sea Action Plan and preparations for the Moscow
Ministerial Meeting. The Commission endorsed a set of new and revised Recommendations
for adoption in Moscow, including measures to combat hazardous substances, ensure safe
shipping and enhance capacity to respond to maritime oil pollution.
20
3. Monitoring the marine environment
By coordinating and supporting monitoring
programmes based on the specific features
of the Baltic Sea, HELCOM is able to
compile region-wide data to be used for
the elaboration of targeted and timely
assessments. These HELCOM assessments
form the basis for HELCOM’s activities and
help to define the need for additional regional
environmental measures (see Figure 1).
The overall objectives of the HELCOM
monitoring and assessment strategy are
to facilitate the implementation of the
ecosystem approach covering the whole
Baltic Sea; to show the inter-linkage and
interdependence of activities on land, in
coastal areas and at sea; to coordinate
monitoring activities for Baltic-specific issues
of concern; to set out the structure and time
frame for the production of region-specific
assessments; and to produce targeted
environmental assessments for regionspecific management purposes.
In 2009, HELCOM MONAS continued to
implement:
•
the HELCOM monitoring and
assessment strategy,
•
the HELCOM data and information
strategy, and
•
several of the actions agreed upon in the 2007 HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan.
Photo: Metsähallitus 2005
21
Holistic
assessments
Thematic
reports
Scientific
reports
and
Modelling
Indicator reports
Monitoring and Data
Figure 1. This figure illustrates how HELCOM’s monitoring
activities are the basis for producing Baltic-wide environmental
information which is used in a wide range of scientific reports and
thematic assessments. These in turn provide input to region-wide
holistic assessments which can give feedback to decision-makers
about the effectiveness of existing measures and the possible need
for additional measures.
Harmonising Baltic
monitoring
In order for HELCOM to be able to produce
policy-relevant assessments based on the
latest available quality-assured, scientific
data, there is a need to ensure harmonised
monitoring and reporting procedures
for the whole Baltic Sea region. The
HELCOM monitoring system consists of
complementary programmes based on
commonly agreed guidelines. It covers
the monitoring of inputs of nutrients and
hazardous substances; physical, chemical
and biological variables in the open sea; and
The HELCOM Monitoring and Assessment
Group (HELCOM MONAS) looks after one
of HELCOM’s key tasks by assessing trends
in threats to the marine environment, their
impacts, the resulting state of the marine
environment and the effectiveness of
adopted measures.
22
concentrations of radioactive substances in
seawater, sediments and biota.
the outcomes of the related intercalibration
exercise.
The procedures for monitoring the Baltic
Sea are periodically reviewed and updated
by various projects or expert groups/
networks working under the umbrella of
the HELCOM MONAS Group. Since the
termination of the ICES/OSPAR/HELCOM
Steering Group on Quality Assurance of
Biological Measurements (STGQAB) in
2008, expert networks such as the HELCOM
Phytoplankton Network Group (HELCOM
PEG) and the HELCOM Zooplankton Expert
Network (HELCOM ZEN) have also carried
out important quality assurance activities to
ensure harmonised Baltic-wide monitoring.
In 2009 HELCOM ZEN contributed to the
publication ‘Zooplankton of the open Baltic
Sea: Extended Atlas’ and to the elaboration
of the HELCOM thematic assessment on
biodiversity and nature protection. The
group has also been working towards the
publication of results of zooplankton
ring-tests.
HELCOM PEG activities in 2009 included
the updating of the list of biovolumes
for use in routine monitoring of Baltic
Sea phytoplankton, and contributions to
the HELCOM thematic assessment on
biodiversity and nature protection. The group
also arranged a collaborative training course
on green algae which analysed samples
from different coastal waters and discussed
Revision of HELCOM monitoring
The need for HELCOM’s monitoring work to
be revamped has been discussed several
times during the last few years, underlining
the need to ensure harmonised monitoring
and reporting for different international
forums. The importance and value of the
existing HELCOM programme has been
stressed, and the possible need to refine
national monitoring in EU Member States
has been noted, especially taking into
account possible future requirements under
the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive
and Water Framework Directive.
Sharing information about
the state of the marine
environment
One of the main principles of the HELCOM
data and information strategy is that data
and information should be presented in
suitable ways for indicator reports, as well
as thematic and integrated assessments
to support policy- and decision-making.
By coordinating and developing data
collection, compilation, assessment tools
and the publication of scientific information,
HELCOM MONAS serves as a backbone
for the policy-related work carried out within
HELCOM.
Indicator Fact Sheets
23
Since 2002, scientific institutes around
the Baltic Sea have on a voluntary basis
produced HELCOM Indicator Fact Sheets
that attempt to simplify a complex reality.
Each individual indicator explains something
about the one issue it represents. These
Indicator Fact Sheets can then be combined
in scientific reports, thematic assessments
or holistic assessments to provide a more
holistic approach to complex environmental
problems and their causal factors.
As groundwork for the revision of HELCOM
monitoring, the HELCOM MONAS Group
has begun to develop a new core set of
indicators - the idea being that the revision
of the monitoring programme should take
into account the need for suitable data for
a regional system of indicators. See below
for more details about the elaboration of
HELCOM’s core set of indicators.
In 2009, the HELCOM website hosted over
30 different Indicator Fact Sheets covering
issues such as hydrographic variations
(temperature, salinity, inflows and runoff)
which largely regulate marine life, as well
as details of inputs and concentrations
of nutrients and hazardous substances,
plankton blooms and species composition,
in addition to data on the health status and
populations of individual marine species.
24
Highlights from the 2009 HELCOM indicator fact sheets
•
The monthly mean sea surface temperatures during 2008 were higher than the long term mean values except for the months August and September. This contributed to a further increase of the yearly mean temperature of the Baltic Sea. Particularly, the months February to May 2008 belonged to the warmest in the period 1990-2008.
•
The ice season of 2007-2008 was very late, short and extremely mild in terms of ice extent. According the Russian Ice Service, the ice season was the warmest during more than the 100-years period of observations. The largest ice cover – 49,000 km² – was reached as late as on 24 March and on 25 May the Baltic Sea was ice free.
•
The wave climate in the Baltic Sea during 2008 was characterised with rather strong monthly and spatial variation. On average, the roughest months were January, February, March, August and November. Several monthly records were made in different parts of the Baltic Sea but on the yearly basis the significant wave heights remained under record values.
•
Decreasing inflow of water from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea in 2008 caused in 2009 a deterioration of the previously fair oxygen conditions in the Bornholm Basin. The stagnation period has also resulted in a steady worsening of oxygen conditions
in the deep basins of the Baltic Proper.
•
The total runoff to the Baltic Sea area shows no long-term trend for the period
1950 – 2008, although during the last 11 years, the total inflow to the Baltic Sea has decreased from a top flow rate of over 17,500 m3/s in 1998 to less than 11,000 in 2003. In 2008, the flow of 14 473 m3/s was above the mean flow.
•
Partly due to meteorological conditions, but also due to measures taken in the HELCOM countries, there have been reductions in both waterborne and airborne loads of heavy metals and nutrients to the Baltic Sea.
•
An increase in water transparency during the last 20 years has been detected in
the Bornholm and Arkona Seas; and in the Kattegat and the Eastern Gotland Basin,
the decreasing trend has ceased during the past 10 to 15 years with the water transparency remaining at about the same level.
•
Cyanobacterial blooms in the summer of 2009 were relatively harmless in comparison with previous years with the normalized bloom intensity and duration during 2009 being well below average (1997-2007). The normalized extent of the bloom was normal.
•
Nine species of phytoplankton have been identified as non-native for the Baltic Sea, of them only one species can be categorised as an invasive species, spreading
and causing significant impacts on plankton community, habitat and ecosystem functioning.
More information is available on the HELCOM website: http://www.helcom.fi/environment2/ifs/
ifs2009/en_GB/cover/.
Vision
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 human economic and social activities
Baltic Sea
unaffected by
eutrophication
Baltic Sea life
undisturbed
by hazardous
substances
Favourable
conservation
status of
Baltic Sea
biodiversity
Maritime activities
in the Baltic Sea
carried out in an
environmentally
friendly way
Natural marine
and coastal
landscapes
Enforcement of
international legislation
- no legal pollution
Thematic assessments
(HEAT, BEAT and CHASE
assessment tools, Maritime)
Ecological objectives
Concentrations
of nutrients
close to
natural levels
Clear water
Natural level
of algal blooms
Natural
distribution
and occurence
of plants and
animals
Concentrations
of hazardous
substances
close to
natural levels
All fish safe to
eat
Healthy
wildlife
Radioactivity
at preChernopbyl
level
Thriving and
balanced
communities of
plants and
animals
Viable
population of
species
Natural
oxygen levels
Figure 2. Role of a core set of HELCOM
indicators in monitoring progress towards the
Baltic Sea Action Plan’s objectives, goals and
vision.
Making indicators operational
Assessment tools based on indicators
with targets and reference values have
been developed through several HELCOM
projects, including HELCOM EUTRO,
HELCOM EUTRO-PRO, HELCOM
QUALITY, HELCOM BIO, and HELCOM
HOLAS. This work has contributed to the
development of the concept of a core set
of HELCOM indicators that can support
the elaboration of indicator-based thematic
assessments, holistic assessments, and
the implementation of the Baltic Sea Action
Plan. These HELCOM core set indicators
will be rendered operational by including
targets that usually are based on reference
conditions and acceptable deviations.
Baltic-wide indicator reports will be produced
for use nationally, sub-regionally, within
HELCOM, in pan-European contexts, and
for global purposes. A demonstration set of
core set indicators for eutrophication will be
presented at the 2010 HELCOM Ministerial
Meeting in Moscow.
Safe maritime traffic
without accidental
pollution
Efficient emergency
and response
capabilities
Minimum sewage
pollution from ships
No introduction of
alien species from
ships
Core set of
indicator reports
showing progress towards
ecological objectives of the
Baltic Sea Action Plan
Minimum air
pollution from ships
Zero discharges from
offshore platforms
Minimum threats from
offshore installations
Data from all existing sources in the
region should be exploited in developing
indicators for each ecological objective. The
data used for each core set indicator will
then be integrated using the assessment
tools developed by HELCOM to provide a
thematic indicator of the status of the Baltic
Sea as concerns the four main segments of
the Baltic Sea Action Plan: eutrophication,
hazardous substances, biodiversity and
maritime activities. The thematic indicator
will illustrate progress towards reaching the
plans strategic goals, such as a Baltic Sea
unaffected by eutrophication. Finally, in order
to assess progress towards HELCOM’s
overall vision as outlined in the action plan,
the four thematic indicators will be combined
using the methods developed for the
HELCOM holistic assessment. Figure 2
illustrates how the system of HELCOM’s
core set of indicators is envisaged as
supporting the evaluation of progress
towards the objectives, goals and vision set
out in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan.
25
Goals
Holistic assessment
(HOLAS assessment tool and
Baltic Sea Impact Index (BSII))
26
The ultimate goal is to develop a webbased system that allows interested users
to examine progress towards the goals of
HELCOM’s Baltic Sea Action Plan. The
idea is to develop indicator reports for each
ecological objective, for each strategic goal,
and also for the action plan’s overarching
vision. Each report will consist of multiple
layers, including a summary status report
aimed at decision makers; a more scientific
layer including information about long-term
time series, trends, reference conditions, and
possibly sub-region-specific information; and
finally technical information about the data
used, as well as access to the actual data.
Recent assessments
During 2009, HELCOM published two
integrated thematic assessments on
eutrophication and biodiversity; and two
other time-wise assessments on hazardous
substances of specific concern for the Baltic
Sea and radioactive substances. The results
of the integrated thematic assessment on
biodiversity and nature conservation in the
Baltic Sea are summarised in Chapter 5 of
this report. The main results of the other
three assessments are outlined below.
Thematic assessment on
eutrophication
The HELCOM integrated thematic
assessment of the effects of nutrient
enrichment in the Baltic Sea region was
published in March 2009 after more than
Photo: Metsähallitus 2009, PL
Photo: Metsähallitus 2008, EK
three years of work by tens of experts from
all the coastal countries around the Baltic
Sea. For the first time, this assessment
compiled and synthesised all the available
information concerning the eutrophication
status of the Baltic Sea, and classified the
eutrophication status of almost 200 areas
around the Baltic Sea.
According to the report, most waters in
the Baltic Sea were classified as having a
moderate, poor or bad eutrophication status.
Only 13 of the assessed areas - located
in the Gulf of Bothnia and in the Kattegat were classified as being eutrophication nonproblem areas (see Figure 3).
The overall outlook on eutrophication,
however, is not completely bleak since there
appears to have been a decreasing trend in
riverine and direct point-source loads of both
nitrogen and phosphorus in the Baltic Sea
catchment area between 1990 and 2006.
The eutrophication status can only improve if
further significant reductions are achieved in
loads of both nitrogen and phosphorus. The
key to this improvement is the progressive
reduction of loads, especially from
agriculture. Climate change creates an extra
challenge because precipitation is projected
to increase, especially in northern parts of
the Baltic Sea catchment area which, in
combination with milder winter temperatures,
could lead to increased winter runoff and the
leaching of nutrients.
27
Figure 3. The map illustrates the eutrophication status of the Baltic Sea, based on average data for the
period 2001-2006.
radioactive substances
The HELCOM Monitoring of Radioactive
Substance Project, HELCOM MORS-PRO,
elaborated the report ‘Radioactivity in the
Baltic Sea, 1999-2006 - HELCOM thematic
assessment’, which was published in 2009.
The report describes work carried out by the
HELCOM project during the period 19992006, assessing the sources of man-made
radioactivity in the Baltic Sea, the levels
of man-made radionuclides in seawater,
sediments and biota, and comparing these
to levels found in other sea regions. The
report also describes work on modeling and
evaluations of the risks to man caused by
radioactivity in the Baltic Sea.
The results of a Sediment Baseline Study
showed that although the concentrations of
naturally occurring radionuclides in Baltic
Sea sediments remain at background levels,
concentrations of man-made radionuclides
are still higher than the target specified
in HELCOM’s ecological objective of
radioactivity at pre-Chernobyl level. This is
particularly true for the Bothnian Sea and the
Gulf of Finland, which received the largest
amounts of Chernobyl fallout in the Baltic
Sea.
28
Concentrations of man-made radioactivity
in fish show generally decreasing trends, in
correlation with trends in concentrations in
seawater. Chernobyl-derived 137Cs continued
to be the most dominant man-made
radionuclide in Baltic Sea fish.
Radiation doses to humans from man-made
radionuclides in the Baltic Sea are mainly
due to the ingestion of 137Cs in fish. During
the period 1999-2006, doses to members
of the public from marine pathways have
not exceeded an annual value of 0.02 mSv,
which is well below the public safety limit of
1 mSv set in the Basic Safety Standards of
the European Council (EC 1996) and the
International Atomic Energy Agency.
The Baltic Sea has the highest
concentrations of 137Cs of any regional sea
around the world, due to radioactive fallout
from the Chernobyl accident (see Figure 4).
The Baltic Sea ranks third in the world with
respect to 90Sr in seawater, with only the
Irish Sea and the Black Sea showing higher
levels. Average concentrations of 137Cs in
fish from the Baltic Sea in 1990 were similar
to those in the Irish Sea, about four times
higher than in the Black Sea, and about 30
times higher than in the Mediterranean Sea.
Report on hazardous substances
of specific concern
During 2009, the HELCOM HAZARDOUS
Project published its final report ‘Hazardous
substances of specific concern to the Baltic
Sea’. The report compiles information on
eight organic substances or substance
groups of specific concern to the Baltic Sea.
Most of the information has been provided
by the nine HELCOM countries.
The main objective of the project report
was to assess discharges of the selected
substances and to compare effluent
concentrations to substance-specific
Predicted No-Effect Concentrations (PNECs)
in surface water. The occurrence of each
hazardous substance has been considered
in the Baltic marine environment, with levels
in different environmental compartments of
the Baltic Sea being compared to PNECs in
the respective environmental compartments.
100
137
Cs(Bq/m3)
10
1
0.1
Figure 4. Average surface levels of
Seas
137
Cs in the world’s oceans and seas (estimates for 01.01.2000)
No reported catches of chemical
munitions in the Baltic in 2008
The study found that there is a need for
further information on the occurrence of
hazardous substances in the whole Baltic
Sea (biota, water and sediment). As a
general conclusion, the study therefore
recommends that a Baltic-wide substanceflow analysis should be prepared for each
substance as soon as possible in order to
get a clear overview of the pathways of each
of these substances through society and the
environment. Such substance-flow analyses
would give information, for example, on the
pathways and the amounts of substances,
as well as their inputs into different
environmental compartments. This will be
accomplished within the COHIBA Project.
Catches of dumped World War II chemical
munitions in the Baltic Sea have substantially
decreased over the last few years. In the
last couple of years there have only been
one or two incidents of chemical munitions
being caught in fishing nets. The chemical
munitions netted in 2007 were completely
corroded, and comprised lumps of mustard
gas totaling approximately 58 kg. The weight
of the catch in 2006 was only 6 kg.
According to he annual report on catches
of World War II chemical munitions in the
Baltic Sea, there were no reported catches in
2008. There was only one report of an empty
bomb shell netted by fishermen east of the
Danish island of Bornholm, near an area
where large amounts of chemical munitions
were dumped after World War II.
Experts cannot yet attribute the decrease
in catches of chemical munitions to any
specific factors. These variations in catches
are probably due to a combination of factors
such as the intensity of fishing activities in
29
As the first report of its kind, the Baltic-wide
report provides valuable information about
the sources of the selected substances, their
concentrations in the marine environment,
and their potential effects on marine
biota. Although in many cases detected
concentrations of the substances were below
the estimated effect levels for individual
substances, it is possible that the substances
could nevertheless contribute to toxic effects
triggered by mixtures of biologically active
substances.
30
the areas close to the dumped chemical
munitions, and the Recommendations issued
by HELCOM and the local authorities.
About 40,000 tonnes of chemical munitions
were dumped into the Baltic Sea after World
War II – mostly in waters east of Bornholm,
southeast of Gotland and south of the Little
Belt. Dumping areas are marked as foul, with
‘anchoring and fishing not recommended’
on nautical charts. However, fishing in these
waters is not prohibited, and commercial
fishing continues.
Upcoming assessments
hazardous substances
The main focus of the HELCOM
HAZARDOUS Project was to identify
the occurrences of selected hazardous
substances in the eastern Baltic marine
environment and contribute to the
identification of possible sources. The
project provided input to the development
of indicators for hazardous substances for
which there is currently scarce information
available, especially on the eastern side of
the Baltic Sea.
The HELCOM HOLAS/HAZAS Project has
aimed to elaborate a thematic assessment
of hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea,
applying an indicator-based quantitative
approach to assess the status of the Baltic
Sea as concerns hazardous substances,
while also making use of data collected from
the HELCOM countries and by the HELCOM
HAZARDOUS Project. The thematic
assessment will be published in spring 2010.
Figure 5 shows the preliminary results of the
assessment.
Holistic assessment on the status
of the Baltic Sea
The HELCOM HOLAS Project has also
been working on the elaboration of a
holistic assessment on the status of the
marine environment in the Baltic Sea. This
assessment will be launched at the 2010
HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in Moscow,
and will serve as a baseline for monitoring
improvements in the status of the Baltic Sea
resulting from the implementation of the
Baltic Sea Action Plan.
Integrated
Chemical Status
High
Good
Moderate
Poor
Bad
HELCOM 2009
Figure 5. This map illustrates the main results of the status of
the Baltic Sea as concerns hazardous substances.
The holistic assessment will describe the
overall status of the Baltic Sea by integrating
the results of the thematic assessment on
hazardous substances with updated data
for the assessments on biodiversity and
eutrophication using the HELCOM HOLAS
tool (see Figure 6). The assessment will
additionally make use of information on the
socio-economic drivers and anthropogenic
pressures that affect the sea’s status. The
overall effect of these pressures will be
presented in Baltic Sea Pressure and Impact
Indices, which so far is envisaged to consist
of 42 different pressure data layers. Work on
alien species is also being carried out in the
project, partly to support the implementation
31
Figure 6. Interim assessment and classification of ‘ecosystem health’ in the Baltic Sea, based on the
assessment tool HOLAS
of the Ballast Water Roadmap contained in
the Baltic Sea Action Plan.
One of the aims of the HELCOM HOLAS
Project and the holistic assessment is to
assist the harmonised implementation of
the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, and
thus also proactively pave the way for the
harmonised implementation of the EU
Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
32
Linking science and policy
HELCOM’s monitoring and assessment
activities play a central role in linking science
and policy, while HELCOM assessments
provide the foundation for evaluating the
effectiveness of existing activities and
measures, and identifying the need for
possible additional measures. In this way
HELCOM does not only develop new policies
itself, but also more importantly supports the
application of adaptive management and the
ecosystem approach.
One example of the implementation of
adaptive management by HELCOM is the
work started during 2009 to review and
revise the provisional nutrient reduction
targets adopted in the HELCOM Baltic Sea
Action Plan (see Figure 7 for an example of
a eutrophication management cycle based
on the ecosystem approach). The HELCOM
MONAS Group, the Baltic Nest Institute, the
Fifth Pollution Load Compilation Project, and
the Co-operative programme for monitoring
and evaluating the long range transmission
of air pollutants in Europe (EMEP) have
jointly elaborated a road map for the revision
of the environmental targets, maximum
allowable nutrient inputs and country-wise
nutrient reduction targets of the HELCOM
Baltic Sea Action Plan. This revision work
will take into account the need to make use
of the results of the integrated thematic
assessment on eutrophication and the ongoing work on the core set indicators with
targets and reference values, as well as
the need for a model that better accounts
for country-wise contributions to the
atmospheric loading of nitrogen to the Baltic
Sea.
33
Figure 7. Eutrophication management cycle
based on the ecosystem approach
34
4. Combating eutrophication and
Hazardous substances include various
anthropogenic substances which pollute the
marine environment. This group includes
both substances that do not occur naturally
in the environment, and certain naturally
occurring substances whose concentrations
today exceed natural levels. Hazardous
substances have adverse effects on the
marine ecosystem, including the impaired
general health status and reproductive ability
of animals, especially top predators, and the
increased contamination of fish eaten by
humans.
for the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in
Moscow on 20 May 2010.
PLC-5 will employ the flow-normalisation
of riverine loads to smooth out variations in
hydrology caused by variable precipitation
rates. This will enable the more accurate
evaluation of progress in reducing nutrient
pollution loads towards the national nutrient
reduction targets set in the Baltic Sea Action
Plan.
PLC-5 data on nutrient loads will be
complemented by the harmonisation of
assessments of nutrient inputs to the Baltic
Sea, including the quantification of loads
from various sources, especially focussing
Although monitoring indicates that the
loads of some hazardous substances have
been reduced considerably over the past
20–30 years, problems still persist, and
concentrations of some new substances
in the marine environment have even
increased.
Measures to reduce impacts of
eutrophication and hazardous substances
have been equally addressed within the
activities of the HELCOM Land-based
Pollution Group.
Compilation of pollution
loads entering the Baltic Sea
The Fifth Pollution Load Compilation
Project (PLC-5), which is due to be finalised
during spring 2010, will provide an up-todate compilation of data on waterborne
discharges from point sources, losses
from non-point pollution sources, and
natural background losses into inland
surface waters. The draft results of the
PLC-5 assessment will be presented to the
HELCOM Heads of Delegation Meeting in
April 2010, and the final results will be ready
Total loads of phosphorus entering the Baltic Sea from the HELCOM
countries in 2006 (t/a = tonnes per year)
35
Excessive nitrogen and phosphorus loads
from land-based sources are the main causal
factors behind the severe eutrophication of
the Baltic Sea. Up to 75% of the nitrogen
input and at least 95% of the phosphorus
input enter the Baltic Sea via rivers or as
direct waterborne discharges. At least 25%
of the nitrogen input occurs as atmospheric
deposition.
36
on nutrient losses from diffuse sources. This
work is being done within the activities of
the HELCOM DIFFUSE Project. The aim is
to give a more accurate picture of progress
towards the reduction targets adopted by
HELCOM, and to assess the effectiveness
of nutrient load reduction measures in the
whole catchment area. The project’s first
step involves comparing results obtained
with 2-3 different models used in Finland
and Sweden in selected sub-catchment
areas. The second step will be to extend
this exercise to cover all of the HELCOM
countries and build agreement on common
methods to be used in the whole catchment
area to quantify nutrient inputs to the Baltic
Sea.
Combating nutrient pollution
During 2009 efforts to further limit nutrient
inputs to the Baltic Sea targeted two major
sources of eutrophication: insufficient
municipal wastewater treatment and the
excessive amounts of agricultural nutrients in
runoff, particularly from large installations for
intensive animal breeding.
To curb pollution by sewage, the HELCOM
Land-based Pollution Group evaluated
the status of municipal facilities previously
identified as nutrient pollution hot spots. A
new project was meanwhile launched to
facilitate the wider application of stricter
requirements for advanced phosphorus
removal.
HELCOM removes several major
pollution sites from the list of
Baltic Sea hot spots
Seven major pollution sites were removed
from the List of HELCOM Hot Spots in
2009 and in early 2010, after a thorough
assessment of their environmental
performance by national experts of the
HELCOM Land-based Pollution Group. Five
of the deleted hot spots were in Russia, one
was in Lithuania, and one in Poland.
Panevėžys wastewater treatment
plant
Panevėžys wastewater treatment plant
(Hot Spot # 55) was reconstructed in
2007 and now collects and treats all the
wastewater from this Lithunaian town and
surrounding areas, serving approximately
112,000 people. Many industrial premises,
including electronics, building trade, light
industry, metalworks, glass industry and
food processing facilities are also connected
to the plant. The total investments in the
reconstruction of the plant amounted to
EUR 25 million.
Municipal wastewater treatment
plants (WWTP) in St. Petersburg.
Total loads of nitrogen entering the Baltic Sea from the HELCOM
countries in 2006 (t/a = tonnes per year)
The City of St. Petersburg is making steady
progress on a programme of environmental
rehabilitation for its sewerage network and
South-West WWTP (Hot Spot # 18.4)
This plant started operation in 2005 and is
sufficient to treat the wastewater collected
from an area with more than 700,000
residents. The plant was built in accordance
with HELCOM’s quality recommendations
for wastewater treatment. Other processes
have also progressively been initiated
at the plant over the period 2005-2008,
including raw sludge fermentation in primary
sedimentation tanks (December 2005),
chemical phosphorus precipitation in primary
sedimentation tanks (March 2007), and
chemical phosphorus precipitation in sludge
mixing tanks to eliminate the secondary
contamination caused by reject water (March
2008).
Central Aeration Station (Hot Spot # 18.2)
37
This municipal wastewater treatment
plant, one of the largest in Europe, started
functioning in 1978. To reach the levels
of total nitrogen removal and biological
treatment of phosphorus needed to meet
HELCOM requirements, the station’s
aeration tanks have now been modernised.
Considering the importance of phosphorus
in the eutrophication of the Gulf of Finland,
Vodokanal of St.Petersburg decided to
intensify its efforts to remove phosphorus
from wastewater effluent, aiming to reduce
concentrations to 0.5 mg/l, thus reaching
the requirements of the HELCOM Baltic Sea
Action Plan one year ahead of the deadline
set in HELCOM Recommendation 28E/5.
municipal wastewater treatment facilities. To
complete the task of removing
St. Petersburg from the List of HELCOM
Hot Spots, a roadmap was prepared for
the gradual deletion of the sub-hot spots
under Hot Spot #18. Following the roadmap,
two major and three smaller municipal
wastewater treatment plants within the city
and its suburbs have now been deleted from
the map of major Baltic polluters. The total
cost of the environmental improvements
enabling the deletion of these hot spots is
estimated at EUR 190 million. The whole
programme has been co-funded by the
City of St. Petersburg, the Russian federal
budget, loans from international financial
institutions, and grants from the governments
of Finland and Sweden and from private
foundations.
Kronstadt WWTP (Hot Spot # 18.12)
This plant has operated since 1980, serving
the town of Kronstadt, and discharging
treated wastewater directly into the Gulf of
Finland. Following the implementation of
chemical phosphorus precipitation and the
upgrading of one section of the aeration tank
with the installation of biological technology
for nutrient removal, this plant has now
reached the levels of treatment required by
HELCOM.
Pontonny WWTP (Hot Spot # 18.14)
This plant has operated since 1978, treating
municipal wastewater from the Pontonny
and Saperny suburbs of St. Petersburg,
as well as wastewater from number of
38
PURE – Project on Urban
Reduction of Eutrophication
Repino WWTP (Hot Spot # 18.16)
The reconstruction of facilities for the
mechanical treatment of wastewater from
the resort municipalities of Komarovo,
Solnechnoye, Pepino, situated on the
northern coast of the Gulf of Finland, was
completed in 2009. The changes included
the introduction of full biological treatment
(nitrogen and phosphorus removal),
mechanic sludge dewatering, and the UV
disinfection of effluent.
Szczecin-Skolwin Paper Mill
Szczecin-Skolwin Paper Mill (Hot Spot #
98.2) was listed as a major Baltic pollution
hot spot due to the significant environmental
impacts of the industrial waste discharges
connected with paper and pulp production,
and emissions to the atmosphere from the
local industrial boiler house. The site has
now been removed from the List of HELCOM
Hot Spots list due to the cessation of
production since the end of 2007. All of the
mill’s technological systems have been shut
down and the equipment disassembled.
The main goal of this project is to prepare
and implement concrete, voluntary
investments in municipalities that will reduce
the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea, through
transnational cooperation. PURE will help
selected wastewater treatment plants
(WWTPs) around the Baltic to reduce the
phosphorous content of outgoing municipal
wastewater to less than 0.5 mg/l, through
chemical phosphorus removal. The project
will run during the period 2010-2012. It
is partly financed by the European Union
(ERDF/Baltic Sea Region Programme and
European Neighbourhood and Partnership
Instrument), and partly financed by other
project partners.
Phosphorus removal from municipal waste
waters has been identified by HELCOM
and the Nordic Environmental Finance
Corporation (NEFCO) as one of the most
cost-efficient ways to curb eutrophication
in the Baltic Sea. The target phosphorus
content of 0.5 mg/l is the level recommended
by the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan
39
industrial sites, including shipbuilding and
timber-processing facilities. The step-bystep introduction of advanced treatment
technologies, including chemical and
biological phosphorus removal from
wastewater and the upgrading of aeration
tank sections to enhance nutrient removal,
have now led to the achievement of
HELCOM standards, and doubled the
amounts of phosphorus removed from
wastewater.
40
(Recommendation 28E/5), and corresponds
to half of the concentration stipulated by EU
Waste Water Treatment Directive.
The project will implement low-cost but
high-impact joint investments at WWTPs.
Since chemical phosphorous removal
slightly increases the amounts of sludge
generated, the project will also map existing
good practices and develop solutions for
sustainable sludge handling and phosphorus
recycling.
The project aims to build on the successful
work of the John Nurminen Foundation’s
Clean Baltic Sea Project in St. Petersburg.
Working with the project’s lead partner, the
Environmental Commission of the Union of
Baltic Cities (UBC EnvCom) and the John
Nurminen Foundation, HELCOM will help
to implement the project together with nine
city-partners and their municipal wastewater
treatment plants (Riga water, Jurmala water,
Brest Vodokanal, Szczecin Water company,
Kohtla-Järve water company, Lübeck
Sewage Management, and the Cities of
Gdansk and Mariehamn).
Altogether PURE aims to reduce phosphorus
inputs to the Baltic Sea by at least 300-500
tonnes annually through investments in
facilities in Riga, Jurmala and Brest.
More information on the PURE Project is
available from the project’s website:
www.purebalticsea.eu.
Elaboration of a list of agricultural
hot spots
Nutrient loads from agriculture have been
addressed through the development of a
List of priority agricultural installations for
the intensive rearing of cattle, poultry and
pigs, that are not yet in compliance the with
revised part 2 of Annex III of the Helsinki
Convention (1992).
The current list of agricultural hot spots
mainly covers agricultural runoff as a diffuse
source of nutrient inputs, while larger
facilities for the intensive rearing of cattle,
poultry and pigs were not considered as
ordinary ‘point sources’, although recent
developments within EU legislation (e.g.
the IPPC Directive) and other international
forums clearly reflect the importance of
pollution originating from such facilities.
Work on the elaboration of a List of new
agricultural hot spots started with the revision
of criteria for the inclusion and deletion of hot
spots originally set within HELCOM’s Joint
Comprehensive Baltic Sea Environmental
Action Programme in 1999. Criteria for both
point sources and non-point sources have
now been updated.
Countries have also assessed and reported
to HELCOM the numbers of large animal
farms that fall within the production capacity
criteria defined for intensive agricultural
installations, as well as lists of facilities
A list of priority agricultural installations within
the Russian catchment area of the Baltic
Sea has been drawn up within the BaltHazar
Project.
BALTHAZAR – A European
Parliament pilot project for Russia
41
indicated as non-compliant with the
requirements of the revised part 2 of the
Annex III of the Helsinki Convention (1992).
The elaboration of the list of new agricultural
installations will continue in 2010.
The project is carried
out with funding from the
European Union
The EU-financed BALTHAZAR Project
assesses the potential risks associated
with nutrient releases from industrial animal
rearing facilities in North-West Russia and
implements investments to improve on-farm
manure management and recirculation.
An initiative launched by the European
Parliament (EP) has assigned HELCOM to
manage a two-year grant of EUR 2.5 million
from the EP Pilot Project Facility for a project
entitled “Towards enhanced protection
of the Baltic Sea from main land-based
threats: reducing agricultural nutrient loading
and the risk of hazardous wastes”. The
project, named BALTHAZAR, commenced
in February 2009 aiming to accelerate the
achievement of the environmental objectives
of the hazardous and eutrophication
segments of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action
Plan by contributing to national action
programmes and prioritizations of necessary
measures in the field of hazardous waste
and agricultural manure management
practices in the City of St. Petersburg, the
Leningrad Region and the Kaliningrad
Region of the Russian Federation. The
project is being implemented with the
support of Russia’s Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environment, as well
as the Federal Services Rostekhnadzor
and Rosprirodnadzor and the regional
and municipal governments of the target
regions. The project is being managed and
supervised by a Project Implementation
Unit (PIU) established within the HELCOM
Secretariat in close cooperation with the
project’s St. Petersburg-based Russian
partner organisation Ecology and Business.
42
The project’s activities are closely
coordinated with those of the RUSNIPProject
(“Capacity for Compliance with the Baltic
Sea Action Plan”). This joint SwedishRussian project mainly focuses on costeffective measures to reduce nutrient
pollution from point sources.
The first step in the agricultural component of
the project was to conduct a basic inventory
and risk assessment of the nutrient loading
potential of the 203 industrial animal farms
in the Leningrad and Kaliningrad Regions.
These farms1 produce a total of 9,600 tonnes
of manure phosphorus annually.
In a context of a lack of definite data and
high variability in agricultural nutrient loads,
the BALTHAZAR Project aimed to screen
out the sites where most immediate impacts
on the nutrient loads entering the Baltic
Sea could be achieved. Based on soil and
landscape characteristics and retention,
the two regions were divided into highrisk, medium-risk and low-risk zones with
respect to the potential for agricultural
nutrients entering surface inland waters and
consequently the Baltic Sea.
Based on this risk assessment, 26 farms
(20 in the Leningrad Region and six in the
Kaliningrad Region) were selected as priority
installations. The selected farms account
Facilities inventoried in the Leningrad Region:
•
16 poultry farms with over 20 million birds
•
9 large pig farms with 157,000 animals
•
136 cattle farms with 172,000 animals
Lake Ladoga
Gulf of Finland
Livestock enterprises
Cattle
Pigs
Poultry
Waterbody
District borders
0
20 40 60 80 100 km
Coordinate system: WGS 1984 UTM 35N
© BALTHAZAR-project HELCOM/SYKE
MapBsr - National Mapping Agencies, contact
National Land Survey of Finland (MYY/144/01)
Map of priority installations in the Leningrad Region
The project scope covered farms, which, according to Helsinki Convention (1992, revised Annex III,
Part 2) shall have an environmental permit. The thresholds for animal numbers are 40 000 for poultry;
2 000 for fattening pigs (over 30kg); 750 for breeding sows; and 400 AU cattle.
1
As a result, several pilot project proposals
were developed for both regions. These
proposals include some manure
management measures for individual farms
involving large-scale manure recirculation
investments (biogas, manure burning),
as well as municipal and district level
collaboration for more efficient manure
utilisation. The project also identified
several high-risk poultry and pig farms in
the Leningrad Region where emergency
measures are urgently needed.
In addition, a review of the legal framework
in the Russian Federation was conducted
concerning legislative decrees on
environmental measures in agriculture and
their enforcement by regional and local
authorities. This legal assessment noted the
existence of strict regulations concerning
agricultural installations, but revealed needs
to improve the practical implementability
of regulations, enhance enforcement,
and effectively implement the system of
administrative fines for environmental and
sanitary violations. The final report, prepared
as a collaborative effort by Finnish and
Russian consultants in close cooperation
with the Russian authorities will be made
publicly available.
Livestock enterprises
Cattle
Pigs
Poultry
Map of the Kaliningrad Region.
Red colour indicating high risk, yellow
medium risk and green low risk of
direct nutrient inflow to the Baltic Sea.
Facilities inventoried in the Kaliningrad Region:
•
2 poultry farms with 1,751,900 birds
•
7 pig farms with 57,000 animals
•
33 cattle farms with 28,000 animals
43
for 72% (6,900 t/a) of the total manure
phosphorus produced by all large-scale
farms in the two regions. Specific information
on on-farm manure management was not
generally available, so prioritisations were
based on nutrient loading potential. The risk
assessment was complemented with nutrient
sampling from surface waters in the vicinity
of the selected large farms, which in some
cases revealed notable increases in both
nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations
downstream. The project also utilised results
from previous studies, notably the PRIMER
Project (2008-2009) financed by the Finnish
Ministry of Environment. Supported by the
sampling results, four poultry farms in the
Leningrad Region were given particularly
high priority ratings owing to the urgency of
curbing their manure nutrient discharges.
However, the screening studies also showed
that the correlation between manure nutrient
loading potential and actual runoff to surface
waters is not always straightforward.
44
Maritime Office in Gdynia, Poland
Combating pollution by
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Russia)
contributing also to the identification of
possible sources.
By adopting the Baltic Sea Action Plan, the
HELCOM countries agreed that screening
and assessing the occurrence and effects of
some of the selected hazardous substances
in the Baltic marine environment should
start not later than 2008, in order to further
develop measures for selected substances.
This process should be complemented
with the screening of sources of selected
substances in municipal and industrial
wastewater, landfill effluent and storm
water, to begin in 2009. The work done to
address pollution by hazardous substances
from land-based sources during 2009 has
targeted these two main issues.
This project has also contributed to the
development of indicators for hazardous
substances for which there is currently little
information available, especially on the
eastern side of the Baltic Sea. The project
also provided information that will facilitate
the development of National Implementation
Programmes to achieve the objectives of the
Screening the occurrence of
The Project on screening the occurrence of
priority hazardous substances in the Baltic
marine environment has received funding
from the Nordic Council of Ministers.
The project has identified occurrences of
the selected hazardous substances in the
eastern Baltic marine environment (Poland,
The chemical analyses of seawater and fish
tissue (muscle or liver depending on the
substance) were performed in 2009. Draft
substance-specific datasheets for selected
hazardous substances have also been
developed. The second part of the screening
project aimed to compile existing information
on occurrences of dioxins, furans and dioxinlike PCBs in the waters of Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania and Poland.
The project has proved that all the assessed
locations along the Eastern Baltic coast
and the background sites were affected by
hazardous substances. It also showed that
TBT, BDE 47, BDE 100, PFOS, SCCP and
endosulfan sulphate have been found in
fish samples from all sampling sites, with
TBT and PFOS levels exceeding predicted
no-effect concentration (PNEC) values for
some fish samples. Bisphenol A was found in
almost all samples, although at considerably
lower levels than PNEC. Endosulphan (αand β-isomers) was found below limits of
quantification (LOQs) in all samples, and
endosulfan sulphate was observed at low
levels.
45
FH
P
The final project report, including refined
substance-specific HELCOM datasheets,
“Screening of selected hazardous
substances in the Eastern Baltic marine
environment”, is available at: http://www3.ivl.
se/rapporter/pdf/B1874.pdf.
P
H
H
P
Site H
Developing effective tools to
control hazardous substances in
the Baltic Sea region
Site G
H
H
F
F
FH
F
H
H
F
F H
F P
Organic tin compounds
ng/g fw
Part-financed by the
European Union
(European Regional
Development Fund)
The COHIBA Project (Control of hazardous
substances in the Baltic Sea region)
co-funded by the EU Baltic Sea Region
Programme 2007-2013, started its
activities in early 2009. The project is being
coordinated by the Finnish Environment
Institute (SYKE) and the project consortium
consists of 22 partners from all eight EU
member countries around the Baltic Sea.
The project started with the planning of case
studies in all the participating countries.
These studies will involve the sampling and
analysis of discharges from industrial and
municipal facilities to identify sources of the
target substances. Case studies have been
planned and representative sites selected
in participating countries by the project
partners for the screening of municipal
and industrial wastewater treatment plants
(WWTPs), landfills and urban storm water.
18
DBT
DPhT
TBT
0
50 100
200 Kilometers
Concentrations of organotin compounds in fish muscle
tissue (ng/g fish weight) from the eastern Baltic marine
environment. H=herring, F=flounder and P=perch.
The first samplings started in May 2009. So
far four sampling rounds have been carried
out at the WWTPs. The first storm water and
landfill samples have also been taken for
analyses, and ring-test samples have been
delivered to partners.
An inventory of relevant information on
emissions and emission factors was
performed by project partners in participating
countries during the summer. The resultant
information includes reports of measured
concentrations of hazardous substances in
wastewater effluents entering the Baltic Sea.
HELCOM, 2009
HP
46
The compilation and evaluation of costeffective measures to reduce emissions
of selected 11 hazardous substances or
substance groups has been launched.
This work will result in the elaboration of a
catalogue of measures for each pollutant.
These measures may involve technical
solutions such as the application of BAT,
BEP and end-of-pipe treatment methods,
as well as regulatory measures such as
use restrictions, bans and substitutions.
COHIBA focuses on the experiences of
the HELCOM states, the instruments used
for implementation, and especially on the
total life cycle costs of measures (including
investment and operational costs) and their
outcomes (positive and negative effects).
Practical capacity building within the project
is being arranged through series of seminars
and training sessions arranged for authorities
and industries, covering issues including
hazard concepts, testing methodologies
for selected hazardous substances,
identification of sources, and estimation of
quantities of hazardous substances and
their impacts on aquatic environments, and
industrial permits. Through cooperation
between its partners the project will produce
an online glossary of terms on hazardous
substances in English and the East Baltic
Sea Region languages, as well as brochures
for selected industry branches containing
guidance on how to properly manage the
substances of concern, phase them out or
substitute them, and technical guidance
for permits addressing the hazardous
substances in details.
The project will run until the end of 2011
and facilitate the implementation of the
hazardous substances segment of the
Addressing sources of hazardous
substances in Russia
The project is carried
out with funding from the
European Union
The EU-funded BALTHAZAR Project also
complements work being done to reduce
risks related to hazardous wastes in the
Leningrad and Kaliningrad regions.
Several national experts have been
employed by the project’s Russian partner to
collect information related to the hazardous
substances covered by the project in order
to support Russian and Finnish consultants’
efforts to carry out the following tasks:
•
inventories of landfills and other
facilities for the temporary or permanent
storage or processing of hazardous and
agricultural wastes that pose a threat to
marine environment of the Baltic Sea;
•
assessments of the waste management
regimes of sites included in the inventory
(legal aspects and waste management
practices);
assessments of related environmental
risks and the selection of priority sites
(hot spots);
Thirty of these sites are active or closed
landfills, dumping areas or polygons, and
two are hazardous waste storage facilities.
•
the development of measures to reduce
negative impacts from the selected hot
spots; and
•
strengthening of stakeholder dialogue,
including capacity building and
awareness-raising by means of training
and workshops.
Based on risk characterisation and
considerations of project feasibility the
BALTHAZAR report highlights practical
rapid-action projects that would directly
reduce the pollution of the Baltic Sea. The
pilot projects proposed on the basis of the
study and also supported by the authorities
are:
There is little information on the types and
amounts of hazardous wastes produced
in the region, and current monitoring
practices are not sufficient to provide reliable
information on the impacts of landfills with
regard to hazardous substances. Monitoring
information is available for most of the active
landfills, but this data focuses on nutrients
and heavy metals. Within the framework
of BALTHAZAR it was possible to screen
leachates of some landfills with regard to
organic substances of specific concern to
the Baltic Sea. This information will also
be compared to the results of the COHIBA
Project obtained from other Baltic Sea
countries. The screening results showed
that landfills are a significant source of
contamination, especially with regard to
some heavy metals.
Pilot projects proposed for St. Petersburg
and the Leningrad Region:
•
•
•
Pilot projects proposed for the Kaliningrad
Region:
•
The biggest challenges concerning
hazardous waste management in
the priority regions are the lack of
environmentally sound hazardous waste
treatment technology, the lack of collection
of hazardous waste, high amounts of
accumulated hazardous wastes, and
incomplete implementation of legislation.
A comprehensive inventory of hazardous
waste formation in enterprises in the
region would be necessary as a basis
for the improvement of hazardous waste
management.
Following consultations with the regional
authorities, the BALTHAZAR Project has
released a report with a list of 32 priority
landfills or hazardous waste storage facilities
where better waste management would
reduce the risk of polluting the Baltic Sea.
Improving galvanic waste treatment in
St. Petersburg;
Feasibility/contamination study for
reclaiming one landfill site;
Clean-up of the Kirpichniy Zavod
industrial area, where as many as
80,000 fluorescent lamps containing
mercury are stored. Due to earlier
management practices there is a high
possibility of soil contamination in this
area.
•
Improvements in the collection and
treatment of wastes containing mercury.
Collection should also be expanded
to cover households, with capacity
enhanced and techniques improved to
enable all used lamps in the region to be
safely treated. Only one enterprise in the
region is currently able to treat wastes
containing mercury. The end-product
of this treatment is metallic mercury of
hazard class I.
Improvements in the oil storage and
ballast water treatment facilities in the
Port of Kaliningrad. This pilot project
focuses on cleaning the oil-contaminated
soils of this HELCOM hot spot located
beside a river that flows directly into
the Baltic Sea. Soil surveys are initially
needed to determine the extent of oil
contamination in soil before clean-up
work can begin.
47
•
48
Photo: Metsähallitus 2009, JTR
5. Protecting biodiversity
HELCOM biodiversity
assessment indicates
increasing human pressure
on biotopes and species
around the Baltic
49
In 2009, HELCOM released the first
integrated thematic assessment on
biodiversity and nature conservation in the
Baltic Sea. This report assesses the status
of biodiversity and related anthropogenic
pressures. The biodiversity assessment
also contains recommendations on how to
reach the targets of the HELCOM Baltic Sea
Action Plan to radically reduce pollution to
the marine environment and restore its good
ecological status of by 2021.
The results of the assessment show that
the management of human activities in the
Baltic Sea is still far from being satisfactory.
Eutrophication and fisheries stand out as
the two most prominent anthropogenic
pressures behind observed changes
in marine biodiversity in the Baltic Sea,
especially in offshore areas. Climatedriven changes in salinity and sea-surface
temperature, as well as deep-bottom oxygen
depletion, have exacerbated the negative
impacts of eutrophication and fisheries
during recent decades. In coastal waters,
physical disturbances such as construction
works and the almost ubiquitous human
impact add significantly to the pressure on
marine ecosystems. As a result, 59 species
are currently considered as threatened or
declining in the Baltic Sea. The only species
known to have become extinct in the Baltic
Sea in recent decades is the sturgeon.
All marine mammals are under a threat or
in decline at least in some parts of their
Baltic ranges. The largest single group of
threatened or declining species is fish and
lampreys, which includes 23 species.
Nearly all of the Baltic’s top predators,
including marine mammals and several bird
species, are still suffering from pollution,
fisheries by-catch and habitat destruction.
The population of harbour porpoises,
especially in the Baltic Proper, is in a
precarious state and still declining. The Baltic
grey seal population has increased steadily
since 1988, however, the recovery of grey
seals is still very slow south of 59°N, where
they were regularly present before being
hunted into extinction in the beginning of the
20th century. The status of ringed seals is
still unfavourable. Among the nine species
of birds assessed, a long-term population
decline is evident for dunlin, as well as
recent declines for Steller’s eider and longtailed duck.
The report also stressed that fish
communities are currently out of balance
in several areas of the Baltic Sea. Some
commercially important fish stocks are
currently exploited beyond safe biological
limits. Overfishing of Baltic cod is a
particularly serious problem today. At the
same time, there have been several positive
signs for Baltic fish recently, including an
improvement in the natural smolt production
of certain northern salmon river populations,
improvements in sea trout populations in
the western Baltic, and a significant upturn
in the smelt stock in the Gulf of Riga.
These improvements are results of various
measures to improve the environment of the
Baltic Sea during recent decades.
As described in the assessment report, all of
the marine biotopes around the Baltic Sea
50
are to some degree threatened or declining
today. Many of these biotopes are important
habitats for rare or endangered species. The
poor environmental status of marine habitats
has profound implications for the species
that depend on them.
The assessment provides a baseline for
measuring progress towards the goals,
objectives and targets identified in the
HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan. An updated
version of this assessment will later be
published as part of HELCOM’s integrated
holistic assessment (HOLAS).
Status of the network of the
Baltic Sea Protected Areas
(BPSAs)
In preparing the Baltic Sea Action Plan
(2007), the governments of the HELCOM
Member States recalled their earlier
commitments to establish a coherent
network of well-managed marine protected
areas by 2010. It was also decided, to
“designate by 2009 already established
marine Natura 2000 sites, where
appropriate, as HELCOM BSPAs and
to designate by 2010 additional BSPAs
especially in the offshore areas beyond
territorial waters”. The governments also
agreed to assess the ecological coherence
of the whole BSPA network together with the
marine Natura 2000 sites, and to implement
management measures.
Germany and the HELCOM Secretariat
have acted as the lead parties for the work
on BSPAs. During 2009 Germany and the
HELCOM Secretariat conducted an analysis
of the ecological coherence of the BSPA
network together with the Natura 2000
sites. The study, largely carried out by the
Vechta University (Germany) analysed the
four criteria that need to be fulfilled by an
ecologically coherent network of protected
marine areas: adequacy, replication,
representativity and connectivity. Extensive
GIS and statistical analyses were carried
out using additional geoinformation on
anthropogenic pressures including shipping
traffic, fishing intensity and eutrophication
status, as well as on essential habitat
information.
The survey revealed some positive
developments. According to the assessment,
the area covered by the BSPAs has been
considerably augmented since the last
assessment in 2008. Today, nearly 11%
of the HELCOM marine area is protected
within BSPAs, compared to only 3.9% six
years ago and 5.5% two years ago. But
the assessment also concluded that even
taken together the BSPA network and
the Natura 2000 sites are not currently
ecologically coherent with respect to all four
coherence criteria. One main reason for
this is the strong bias within each network
towards territorial inshore areas, which
affects their coherence with regard to all
of the criteria. It was also pointed out that
methodological difficulties have to be taken
into account when evaluating these results.
This reservation relates to the ecological
coherence criteria and the limited availability
and quality of usable data. The analysis also
51
noted deficiencies in some of the entries
made in the updated BSPA database.
After examining this assessment of the
overall status of the BSPA network, the
HELCOM HABITAT Group decided to
conduct additional analyses with the
aid of the site-selection tool Marxan2. In
cooperation with the BaltSeaPlan Project
and WWF Sweden, the HELCOM Secretariat
arranged a training course on the use of
Marxan, aiming to repeat an analysis of
the Baltic Sea conducted as part of the
EU-funded Balance Project in 20073. The
HELCOM Secretariat defined several
scenarios with varying targets providing
a number of sets of possible sites. Since
Marxan aims to select sites in a costefficient manner while still meeting all the
conservation targets, it can be concluded
that systematic conservation planning
tools such as Marxan may prove useful
when aiming to cost-effectively establish
an ecologically coherent network of marine
protected areas, especially in a marine
area facing increasing pressures like the
Baltic Sea. None of the outcome solutions
produced in these analyses can be directly
used for selecting additional sites, however,
and more detailed data is needed in order to
produce more usable results. But the trend
is clear; the area of the network needs to be
at least doubled in order to safeguard the
protection of the Baltic Sea biodiversity.
Map of the current networks of Baltic Sea Protected Areas (BSPAs) and
Natura 2000 sites
Marxan is a free software developed at the University of Queensland Ecology Centre by Ian
Ball and Hugh Possingham and the software can be freely downloaded from the web-site of
the University of Queensland.
3
Liman, A-S, Andersson, Å and Huggins, A. 2007: Towards a Representative Network of Marine
Protected Areas in the Baltic Sea. Balance Interim Report No. 24. 72 pp.
2
52
HELCOM RED LIST Project
The HELCOM Red List Project was initiated
in 2009 aiming to produce a comprehensive
Red List of Baltic Sea species and update
Red Lists of Baltic Sea biotopes and biotope
complexes for the HELCOM area by 2013,
as stipulated in the Baltic Sea Action Plan.
The Red Lists will be prepared according to
the IUCN Red List criteria for the following
species groups: macrophytes, benthic
invertebrates, water birds, fish and lamprey
species, and marine mammals. For fish and
lamprey species, this means updating the
existing HELCOM Red List of threatened
and declining species of lampreys and fishes
of the Baltic Sea.
The underwater part of the Red List of
marine and coastal biotopes and biotope
complexes of the Baltic Sea, the Belt Sea
and the Kattegat is also to be updated by
2013. This task includes improving the
current biotope classification and adopting
harmonised and appropriate criteria for the
threat assessments of biotopes. Preparatory
work on biotope classifications and
alternative assessment methods has been
carried out during 2009.
The assessments of species and biotopes
will be carried out by expert teams, who
started their work in 2009 by collecting
data for the HELCOM species checklists.
Preliminary distributional data has already
been collected for more than 2,000 species.
The outcomes of the project will include
full conservation status assessments for
species and biotopes, as well as descriptions
of ecological linkages, habitats, population
changes and threats for all threatened and
near threatened species.
Photo: Metsähallitus 2008, HA
53
Status of HELCOM
biodiversity indicators
The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan has
already identified initial indicators and
targets for biodiversity, and HELCOM has
also addressed biodiversity in the HELCOM
Indicator Fact Sheets published on the
HELCOM website. The holistic assessment
of the status of the marine environment
of the Baltic Sea will include over 60 case
studies due to be released in May 2010
employing biodiversity indicators with target
levels derived from reference conditions
and acceptable deviations. HELCOM has
additionally started to develop core set
indicators that will enable the status of
the marine environment to be monitored
in relation to each of HELCOM’s main
ecological objectives. A project (HELCOM
CORESET) has been planned to develop
a core set of indicators for biodiversity, and
related workshops will be held during 2010.
of indicators, often accompanied with
information on temporal trends. Quantitative
target values are generally not used. The
following biodiversity-related Indicator Fact
Sheets are available on the website:
•
Decline of the harbour porpoise
(Phocoena phocoena) in the southwestern Baltic Sea
•
Health assessment in the Baltic grey
seal (Halichoerus grypus)
•
Population development of Baltic bird
species: Great cormorant (Phalacrocorax
carbo sinensis)
•
Population development of Baltic bird
species: White-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus
albicilla)
•
Predatory bird health - White-tailed eagle
•
Impacts of invasive phytoplankton
species on the Baltic Sea ecosystem
in 1980-2008 - Information from the
Phytoplankton Expert Group (PEG)
•
The abundance of comb jellies in the
northern Baltic Sea
Biodiversity-related HELCOM
Indicator Fact Sheets
The HELCOM Indicator Fact Sheets
published on the HELCOM website
provide an overview of the current statuses
54
Baltic Sea harbour porpoise
database
The HELCOM countries agreed in 2007
when drafting the Baltic Sea Action Plan
that a coordinated reporting system and
database on Baltic harbour porpoise
sightings, by-catches and strandings,
should be developed by 2010 in cooperation
with ASCOBANS (Agreement on the
Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the
Baltic and North Seas) to cover the whole of
the Baltic Sea.
To fulfil this commitment, HELCOM
has started a project aiming to update
the existing ASCOBANS database
on opportunistic sightings, strandings
and by-catches, which was previously
hosted by the German Forschungs- und
Technologiezentrum Westküste der
Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (FTZ),
and transferred recently to the HELCOM
Secretariat. The old database only included
data from the Baltic Proper, so in the project
the database was amended and updated
to cover the whole of the Baltic Sea. A
modern web-based map service enabling the
viewing and downloading of data will also
be established. Another aim was to examine
opportunities to collect data that also covers
the size, age and sex of individual porpoises.
The project also integrated options for a
coordinated reporting system to be agreed
jointly by HELCOM and ASCOBANS. The
updated data will also facilitate further
development of the HELCOM Indicator Fact
Sheet on harbour porpoise distribution and
population trends.
Photo: Erik Christensen
HELCOM FISH Project
The assessment, due to be published in
early 2011, will provide updated information
on the occurrences, distributions,
populations of coastal fish and the related
55
Regionally coordinated monitoring of Baltic
coastal fish has been carried out under
the HELCOM umbrella since 2003. The
HELCOM FISH Project (HELCOM Project for
Expert Network on Monitoring and Protecting
of Coastal Fish and Lamprey Species)
has since 2008 focused on the further
development of indicators with targets and
reference values, and on the elaboration of
an assessment on the conservation status
of fish species in the Baltic Sea that are not
commercially exploited or internationally
assessed.
threats, mainly derived from indicator work.
The report will also attempt to give an
overview of ongoing restoration activities
for threatened and declining species
in the Baltic Sea countries, including
an evaluation of the success of these
activities. Additionally, in an attempt to
promote the application of ecosystembased management to coastal fisheries,
the assessment will try to compile national
experiences related to the co-management
of fisheries between different stakeholders,
including cases where it has been possible
to reconcile different interests through joint
management or the application of marine
spatial planning.
56
6. Reducing the impacts of shipping on
the marine environment
Overview of maritime traffic
The Baltic Sea has always been a difficult
area for ships to navigate due to its narrow
straits and shallow waters. Since 1 July
2005, the whole Baltic Sea area has
57
There are about 2,000 ships in the Baltic
marine area at any given moment, and each
month around 3,500-5,000 ships ply the
waters of the Baltic.
been covered by land-based Automatic
Identification System (AIS) stations, making
the Baltic Sea the first region in the world
where shipping traffic can be monitored in
real time. This considerably increases the
safety of navigation. Since the “Fu Shan
Hai” incident in 2003, which resulted in the
release of 1,200 tonnes of fuel oil, no major
shipping accidents have occurred in the
Baltic Sea.
58
Number of reported accidents in the Baltic Sea during the period 2000-2008
number of accidents
No information
No pollution
Pollution
Year
However, the intensity of shipping in the
Baltic Sea has increased enormously in
recent years and is predicted to increase
even further. In 2008, the total of vessels
entered or left the Baltic Sea via the Skaw
was 60,843, 18% more than in 2006. A fifth
of these vessels were tankers, carrying a
total of as much as 166 million tonnes of oil.
The total amount of cargo handled in the
ports surrounding the Baltic Sea was 822.4
million tonnes in 2008. The two biggest
ports in the Baltic Sea, Primorsk and St.
Petersburg, accounted for 16% of total
traffic volumes4. Due to the construction and
expansion of Russian oil terminals, exports
of Russian oil through the Baltic ports are
expected to reach 180 million tonnes in
2020.
Amount of oil transported to and from the Baltic
Sea via the Great Belt, 2000-2008
Million tonnes
Total number of accidents during 2000-2008: 910
HELCOM report shows a 12%
increase in ship accidents in
the Baltic
More and more cargo ships, tankers, and
ferries are plying the waters of the Baltic Sea
every year. The number of minor accidents
at sea rose again in 2008, especially in
the busy Danish Straits. But the numbers
of ship-to-ship collisions, one of the most
serious types of accidents at sea, remained
stable.
Analysis of the data provided by the Member
States to HELCOM reveals a total of 135
ship accidents in the Baltic marine area in
2008, which is 15 more than in 2007 (12.5%
increase) and 18 more than in 2006 (15%
increase). The rising number of accidents
could be explained by a 20% increase in
ship traffic between 2006 and 2008 indicated
by data from the Automatic Identification
System.
The most common accident type was
grounding, which accounted for almost a half
of all reported cases (60 accidents or 44%).
This was the largest number of groundings
Baltic Ports List 2008, annual cargo statistics of ports in the Baltic Sea region,
Centre for Maritime Studies, University of Turku, Turku 2009
4
59
60
since 2004, when 57 similar cases were
recorded. On the other hand, 80% of these
groundings concerned small vessels with a
draught of less than 7 m.
Collisions were the second most frequent
type of shipping accidents in the Baltic, with
41 cases (30% of all accidents), compared
to 40 cases (33%) in the previous year.
These figures include collisions with other
vessels or fixed or floating structures such as
piers and navigation signs. There were only
17 ship-to-ship collisions, a figure that has
almost halved since 2005-2006 whereas the
number of collisions with other objects has
remained largely unchanged.
Collisions are spatially concentrated in
approaches to ports and in the Danish
Straits. No clear trend can be observed for
collisions in the south-western Baltic Sea,
including the Danish Straits, as the number
of cases varies greatly from year to year.
Although there were two more collisions
reported in the Gulf of Finland during 2008
than in 2007, the numbers of incidents still
remain dramatically lower than before 2006.
Passenger Cargo
Tanker
According to data for the period 2000-2008,
7% of reported accidents resulted in some
kind of pollution. In 2008, this percentage
was the same with nine of the total 135
reported accidents resulting in pollution. One
of these incidents was related to a collision,
whereas the rest were pollution incidents
such as accidents occurring during fuel
transfer. The vessels involved in pollution
accidents in 2008 included three cargo ships,
two tankers and five other vessels.
Cargo vessels accounted for the largest
share of all accidents (45%), followed by
passenger vessels (18%) and tankers (10%).
This proportion more or less reflects the
numbers of different vessel types making up
Baltic Sea traffic in 2008, with the exception
of passenger ships which accounted for
nearly a fifth of all accidents even though
they only made up 11% of the overall
shipping traffic.
Human factors were the main cause of
accidents in almost half (47%) of the
incidents reported in 2008. External and
technical factors were behind 18% and 13%
of accidents, respectively.
Other
No info
Total
2006
42,731
226,855
67,458
39,627
-
376,671
%
11.3
60.2
17.9
10.5
-
100.0
2007
43,215
237,342
69,335
56,981
6901
413,774
%
10.4
57.4
16.8
13.8
1.7
100.0
2008
49,355
210,021
61,996
122,029
10,297
453,698
%
10.9
46.3
13.7
26.9
2.3
100
Numbers of ships crossing fixed AIS lines in the Baltic Sea during 2006-2008
The Baltic Sea countries have agreed on a
joint proposal to the International Maritime
Organization (IMO) to establish the Baltic
Sea as a Special Area for sewage under
Annex IV of the International Convention
for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships
(MARPOL Convention). According to the
HELCOM proposal, discharges of sewage
by passenger ships operating in the Baltic
would be banned unless the wastewater
has been treated to remove nutrients to the
agreed standard. Sewage could instead be
delivered to port reception facilities.
ships are now almost the same as from the
four largest Finnish coastal towns along the
Gulf: Espoo, Hamina, Kotka, and Porvoo.
According to Annex IV of the MARPOL
Convention, the discharge of sewage into
the sea is allowed if a ship is discharging
comminuted and disinfected sewage at
a distance of more than three nautical
miles from the nearest land, or sewage
which is not comminuted or disinfected at
a distance of more than 12 nautical miles
from the nearest land, provided that in any
case, the sewage that has been stored
in holding tanks shall not be discharged
instantaneously but at a moderate rate when
the ship is en route and proceeding at not
less than four knots.
The proposal has been developed under the
umbrella of the HELCOM Maritime Group
and the leadership of Finland.
The main nutrient loads entering the
Baltic Sea derive from waterborne inputs
and atmospheric deposition. The annual
discharges of nitrogen and phosphorous in
sewage releases from ships are estimated
at 356 tonnes and 119 tonnes, respectively.
These figures represent approximately
0.056% of the total waterborne nitrogen load
(635,692 tonnes), and 0.422% of the total
phosphorus load (28,214.3 tonnes) entering
the Baltic Sea in 2006. These nutrient loads
from ship-generated sewage were calculated
assuming that there was no wastewater
treatment onboard, and all wastewaters
were discharged into the sea, representing a
theoretical worst case scenario.
Even though these inputs are comparatively
small, nutrient pollution loads originating
from wastewater discharges from ships into
the Baltic Sea are still significant due to the
high sensitivity of the marine environment to
excessive loads of phosphorus and nitrogen.
Phosphorus is directly responsible for the
mass occurrences of blue-green algae
which form foul-smelling masses and make
the water unfit for swimming. In the Gulf of
Finland, where maritime traffic has increased
rapidly, the annual phosphorus inputs from
61
HELCOM calls on IMO to
establish a total ban on
untreated sewage discharges
from ships in the Baltic
62
The nutrient loads caused by nitrogen and
phosphorus released from ships in treated
sewage are currently not regulated. The
MARPOL quality standards for wastewater
from ships only concern Biochemical Oxygen
Demand (BOD), total suspended solids and
faecal coliforms. This means that treated
sewage containing some nitrogen and
phosphorus is still discharged into the sea,
increasing the nutrient loads in the marine
environment.
The proposal does not only address the
needs of the Baltic Sea, but will also enable
other regions around the world suffering from
eutrophication to designate their seas as
special areas for sewage.
The joint paper has been developed
according to the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action
Plan on the basis of consultations among
the HELCOM countries and stakeholders
representing NGOs and the shipping
industry. The proposal was officially
submitted in December 2009 for the agenda
of the 60th session of the IMO’s Marine
Environment Protection Committee (MEPC),
due in March 2010.
The Correspondence Group under the
lead of Germany has been established to
develop a plan and recommendations for
upgrading reception facilities for sewage in
major passenger ports in the Baltic, in order
to enable the reception of larger amounts of
wastes once the ban on sewage discharges
has entered into force. The aim is to have
direct lines or shoreside pipe connections at
cruise berths in all major cruise ports in the
Baltic Sea.
Another objective is to prioritise ports around
the Baltic Sea where reception facilities for
sewage would need to be enhanced in order
to meet future demands for sewage delivery
once the new IMO regulations have come
into force.
By addressing this problem in five key
cruise ports: Tallinn, Rostock, Copenhagen,
Riga and Gdynia – in addition to Helsinki,
Stockholm and St. Petersburg, which already
have direct discharge connections to their
sewerage systems – approximately 95% of
all sewage from cruise ships in the Baltic
could be safely collected.
Work towards the designation
of the Baltic Sea as a NOx
Emission Control Area
The Correspondence Group under the
umbrella of the HELCOM Maritime Group
and the leadership of Finland has been
drafting a proposal to IMO to designate
the Baltic Sea as a NOx (nitrogen oxide)
Emission Control Area under Annex IV
of the International Convention for the
Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL
Convention). This measure will ultimately
lead to an 80% reduction in NOx emissions
from ships.
63
NOx emissions from ships contribute
considerably to the most severe
environmental problem of the Baltic Sea,
namely eutrophication. Annual NOx
emissions from ships reached 393,000
tonnes in 2008. NOx emissions from
shipping in the whole of the Baltic Sea are
comparable to the combined land-based
NOx emissions from two HELCOM countries.
During the period 2000-2006, shipping in the
Baltic Sea was the second largest contributor
(9%) to the deposition of nitrogen oxide and
the fifth greatest contributor (5%) to total
nitrogen deposition in the Baltic Sea basin.
The revised Annex VI to MARPOL
Convention requires that marine diesel
engines installed on any ship constructed
anywhere in the world on or after 1 January
2011 should achieve a 20% reduction level
compared to current legislation.
It also provides for the establishment of NOx
Emission Control Areas (NECAs), where
ships constructed on or after 1 January
2016 will be required to reduce their NOx
emissions by 80% compared to the current
situation.
Additionally, ships built before 2000, which
have not been regulated so far, will also be
required to meet the current NOx reduction
levels.
In order to make the best use of the new
regulations, the HELCOM countries have
agreed, in principle, to propose to the IMO
that the Baltic Sea should be designated
as an NECA. Taking into account the time
needed for industry to prepare for new
regulations, and for IMO to consider and
adopt the proposal, the target date for a joint
submission by the Baltic Sea countries to the
IMO is 2011.
64
Progress in implementing
HELCOM’s Ballast Water
Road Map
Due to increasing shipping, more alien
species are finding their way into the Baltic
Sea than ever before. Over 120 non-native
aquatic species have been recorded in
the Baltic Sea to date, and around 80 of
these have established viably reproducing
populations in some parts of the Baltic. Most
of these invasive species originate from
freshwater or brackish-water environments,
particularly from North America or the PontoCaspian region.
In order to reduce the risks of alien species
entering the HELCOM maritime area through
ballast water exchange, the HELCOM
countries have agreed to ratify by 2010, or
at the latest by 2013, the 2004 International
Convention for the Control and Management
of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments
(Ballast Water Management Convention,
BWMC).
IMO MEPC 53/24/Add. 1 document, Annex 2. Resolution
MEPC.124(53) “Guidelines for Ballast Water Exchange
(G6)”
5
The HELCOM countries have agreed that
ballast water exchange is not a suitable
management option to reduce the risk of the
spread of alien species in the Baltic Sea.
Important reasons for this stance include the
lack of suitable areas matching the depth
and distance requirements of the Convention
guidelines (G6)5, the short distances within
the Baltic Sea and the consequent time
limitations for exchange practices, and the
fact that ballast water exchange is only
an interim solution. This decision not to
exchange ballast water within the Baltic
concerns all ships whether they come from
other seas or are on intra-Baltic voyages.
The HELCOM countries, and the OSPAR
countries of the North-East Atlantic have
agreed that from 1 January 2010 all vessels
leaving the Baltic and transiting through the
OSPAR maritime area to other destinations
will be requested not to exchange their
ballast water either in the Baltic or until they
are at least 200 nautical miles off the coast
of North-West Europe in waters deeper than
200 m. A similar policy for vessels arriving
in or passing through the OSPAR area and
heading to the Baltic Sea has already been
implemented since 1 April 2008.
Once the BWMC has entered into force,
ships will be required to choose between the
available ballast water management options
in the Baltic Sea: ballast water treatment
or discharge and disposal of water and
sediments to suitable reception facilities.
According to the Convention, a ship can
be granted an exemption from applying
ballast water management. However, such
an exemption should be based on a risk
assessment determining whether the ship
is on a voyage posing a high or low risk of
spreading alien species.
Most of the HELCOM countries have
started the process of ratifying the IMO
Ballast Water Management Convention,
and Sweden has ratified the Convention
already. It is now becoming increasingly
important for the Baltic Sea community to
follow jointly agreed approach to carrying
out or evaluating the mentioned risk
assessments. Therefore, HELCOM has
developed Guidance to support transparent
and consistent risk assessments of regional
voyages and enable a unified Baltic Sea
system of exemptions from applying ballast
water management.
The Guidance has been developed within
the HELCOM HOLAS Project, co-financed
by EU, Sweden and Germany.
65
Distances within the Baltic Sea are generally
short in comparison to oceanic shipping
voyages. Invasive species on intra-Baltic
voyages may have a higher likelihood
of survival in ballast water or sediments.
Species are also likely to spread within the
Baltic Sea on their own, without needing
shipping as a vector, unless salinity,
temperature or other factors limit the
potential for their dispersal. This means that
certain special considerations are required.
66
7. Improving response capacity
The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan obliges
Member States to develop by 2009 and
implement by 2010 a Mutual Plan for Places
of Refuge, and to investigate the related
issues of liability and compensation. The
resultant plan has been expressed as a new
HELCOM Recommendation.
The Mutual Plan for Places of Refuge
represents a joint agreement by the Baltic
Sea countries to define circumstances under
which a place of refuge should be granted to
a ship in need of assistance. The idea is that
national borders should not prevent a ship
in distress from obtaining the best place of
refuge.
achieve a fully harmonised compensation
and liability regime in the Baltic Sea region.
Once all the relevant conventions have
been ratified by all of the HELCOM
countries, it is fairly unlikely that any costs
outside the compensation regime would be
incurred. However, a group of legal experts
established under the HELCOM Response
Group believes such costs could still arise.
Therefore, countries have agreed to
discuss in advance and bilaterally how
the operational costs incurred by state
authorities should be shared fairly in a place
of a refuge situation not covered by the
international regime, without prejudice to the
‘Polluter Pays Principle’.
The Recommendation consists of
an operational part and liability and
compensation part.
The operational part describes the
procedures and circumstances under which
a place of refuge can be requested from a
neighboring country. Such circumstances
include the lack of adequate refuge in
the vicinity of an accident, or unfavorable
weather conditions. And such requests
must not be based on financial factors,
commercial considerations or the lack of
response capacity.
The Recommendation aims to create a
harmonised liability and compensation
regime for the whole Baltic Sea region, under
which the costs incurred when granting a
place of refuge could be recoverable from
international liability and compensation
funds.
The governments of the HELCOM countries
still need to ratify certain international
liability and compensation conventions to
ensure that each country establishes the
same optimal regime for compensating for
such costs. The status of ratification of the
relevant IMO conventions covering liability
and compensation among the HELCOM
countries are quite satisfactory; however,
further ratifications are still needed to
67
HELCOM Mutual Plan for
Places of Refuge finalised
68
A new HELCOM policy
framework for oiled wildlife
response and planning
Major progress has been achieved
within HELCOM with regard to putting an
international policy framework in place
for cooperation and mutual assistance in
response to emergencies involving oiled
wildlife, as agreed in the HELCOM Baltic
Sea Action Plan.
A new HELCOM Recommendation has
been developed to set standards for
the planning of oiled wildlife response.
The Recommendation specifies how the
HELCOM countries should put an integrated
wildlife response plan in place as part of their
overall contingency plans on the national,
sub-national or local level to guarantee
coordinated response, the swift mobilisation
of resources, the use of appropriate
rehabilitation procedures and the related
health and safety protocols. The likelihood
of successful claims to international
compensation funds is also addressed.
The HELCOM procedures for international
oil spill response operations, included in the
Response Manual have additionally been
amended to enable mutual assistance when
dealing with major oiled wildlife incidents.
By using the standard Pollution Reporting
System (POLREP BALTIC), HELCOM
countries can promptly contact neighboring
countries to request special equipment,
trained personnel and volunteers to deal with
oiled wildlife.
The work of the HELCOM Response Group
in the field of wildlife response has been
supported by WWF Finland and the Sea
Alarm Foundation, an NGO that specialises
in oiled wildlife response and preparedness.
HELCOM fleet stages a
successful disaster response
operation off Riga
As part of the annual pollution response
exercise BALEX DELTA 2009 held on 26
August 2009, a flotilla of oil-combating
vessels under the HELCOM flag conducted a
successful operation to contain and recover
a simulated major oil spill from a grounded
tanker off the Latvian coast in the Gulf of
Riga.
This operational exercise, the largest
maritime emergency and counter-pollution
drill of its kind in the Baltic Sea area, and one
of the largest worldwide, involved the release
of simulated oil, the deployment of pollution
response vessels from the coastal countries,
the establishment of a unified command
structure and communication system, and a
full-scale oil recovery operation at the site of
the accident, including the actual deployment
of oil containment booms and skimming
equipment.
The main aim of the exercise was to test
HELCOM’s response system, its command
structure and communication system, and
cooperation and coordination between the
response units of the Baltic Sea countries,
as well as their capability and efficiency.
Another main goal of the exercise was to test
response times. A prompt response within
hours of any oil accident can be critical,
Photos: Nikolay Vlasov, HELCOM
possibly preventing a serious situation
developing into a disaster.
The goal is to enhance crisis response
capabilities to enable suitable response to
any regional nation’s request for assistance
in case of a major oil accident at sea. The
exercises also give the host nation a great
opportunity to test its own capacity to
command an international operation with a
large response fleet.
The 2009 HELCOM annual exercise was
organised by the Latvian Coast Guard
Service and the Ministry of the Environment.
The exercise involved a scenario where
an oil tanker carrying a cargo of around
90,000 tonnes of gas oil (diesel fuel) and
550 tonnes of heavy fuel oil ran aground
off the Latvian coast just outside Riga. As a
result of the accident, it was assumed that
the ship suffered a hull breach and leaked
around 10,000 tonnes of gas oil and 400
tonnes of heavy fuel, which then drifted
towards the Latvian coastline. Units from
69
Eight oil-pollution-combating ships and
smaller vessels from five HELCOM Member
States (Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland
and Sweden) took part in the exercise. The
European Commission was also represented
by one response vessel chartered by
the European Maritime Safety Agency
(EMSA). In addition, over 30 observers
from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany,
Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden,
USA and the European Maritime Safety
Agency (EMSA) monitored the actions of
the response units. The Exercise Evaluation
Team consisted of representatives of Latvia,
Lithuania and Russia.
70
the HELCOM countries were assigned to
jointly prevent the oil slick from coming
ashore. The oil spilt during the exercise was
simulated by the release of a large amount
of environmentally-friendly popcorn (10
cubic metres) at the site of the hypothetical
grounding.
The next such exercise, 2010 HELCOM
BALEX DELTA, will be held in Lithuania.
Latvia wins HELCOM Trophy
The Latvian team won the HELCOM Trophy
at the Helsinki Commission’s 14th annual
rowing competition, held in Riga on 27
August following the international pollution
response exercise BALEX DELTA 2009.
Six teams representing oil spill response
vessels from Finland, Latvia, Lithuania,
Poland, Sweden and the European Maritime
Safety Agency (EMSA) took part in this
year’s race. Each team consisted of four
rowers and a helmsman. The total racing
distance along the Daugava River was
around 300 metres. The boats were divided
into two groups for qualifying races.
Fourteen HELCOM rowing competitions
have been held since 1990. The race has
been won six times by Swedish teams.
Finnish, Lithuanian and Polish teams have
each won twice, and Latvian and Russian
teams once. The next annual HELCOM
Trophy rowing competition will be held in
Klaipeda, Lithuania, in connection with the
HELCOM BALEX DELTA 2010 oil pollution
response exercise.
Winners of the HELCOM Trophy rowing
competition:
2009 (Riga) - Latvia
2008 (Kaliningrad) - Russia
2007 (Tallinn) - Poland
2006 (Gdynia) - Finland
2005 (Karskrona) - Sweden
2004 (Warnemünde) - Sweden
2003 (Helsinki) - Sweden
2002 (Liepaja) - Lithuania
2001 (Rönne) - Lithuania
2000 (St. Petersburg) - Sweden
1998 (Gdynia) - Finland
1996 (Karskrona) - Poland
1991 (Rönne) - Sweden
1990 (Gdynia) - Sweden
A very tight race in the first group (Finland,
Latvia and Sweden) was won by the
Latvian team, just ahead of the Finns. The
Lithuanian team won its qualifying heat
ahead of EMSA and Poland.
In a dramatic final race for first and second
place, the Latvian team managed to overtake
the leading Lithuanian team in the last 50
metres winning by a boat length. The Finnish
team overcame EMSA in the battle for third
and fourth place.
Photo:Monika Stankiewicz, HELCOM
Part-financed by the
European Union
(European Regional
Development Fund)
Work has started on the first overall risk
analysis of shipping accidents in the Baltic
Sea. This analysis is the initial part of
the BRISK Project, which aims to assess
the sub-regional risk of spills of oil and
hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea.
BRISK has been recently launched by
HELCOM, and is being implemented under
the umbrella of the HELCOM Response
Group. Based on the risk analysis, BRISK
will identify gaps in emergency and
response resources and the required level of
preparedness in each of six maritime subregions of the Baltic Sea.
the Baltic Sea countries can jointly improve
preparedness to tackle medium-size and
large spills of oil and hazardous substances.
This will enable neighboring countries to
create joint pools of vessels and equipment
in each sub-regional marine area in the
Baltic, and share the investment burden in
cost-effective ways.
BRISK will run for three years, co-financed
by the European Union within the Baltic
Sea Region Programme 2007-2013. Its
total budget amounts to around EUR 3.3
million, with approximately EUR 2.5 million
to be allocated from the European Regional
Development Fund. BRISK has been chosen
as one of the strategic projects within the
Baltic Sea Region Programme, due to its
importance for the sustainable development
of the whole region. It has also been
included in the EU Strategy for the Baltic
Sea Region as a flagship project.
The Lead Partner of the project is the
Admiral Danish Fleet. Eight Baltic Sea
countries are participating in the project,
and Russia is involved in common actions
through financing granted by the Nordic
Council of Ministers.
The risk analysis is to cover the whole Baltic
Sea based on a common methodology. It
will take into account specific conditions in
different sub-regions, including winter ice
conditions in the northern Baltic and heavy
maritime traffic in the Danish Straits and
the Gulf of Finland. Based on the detailed
data to be delivered by the countries, the
model will indicate the likelihood of shipping
accidents and pollution spills both now and
in the future.
The BRISK Project will facilitate the
preparation of investment plans defining how
71
HELCOM commences a
risk analysis of shipping
accidents in the Baltic
The number of deliberate, illegal oil
discharges from ships observed by national
surveillance planes and satellites over the
Baltic Sea area in 2008 decreased by more
than 10% compared to 2007. Since 1999 the
number of observed spills has declined by
more than 55%.
According to the national annual reports
provided by the Member States to HELCOM,
210 illicit oil spills were detected during a
total of 4,603 hours of surveillance flights
conducted by the coastal countries over the
Baltic Sea during 2008. This compares to
238 discharges during a total of 3,969 air
patrol hours in 2007, and 236 discharges
observed during 5,128 air patrol hours in
2006. A decade ago in 1999 a total of 488
discharges were detected during 4,883 air
patrol hours.
The numbers and sizes of detected oil
spillages in the Baltic Sea have been
decreasing over the past decade, even
though the density of shipping has rapidly
grown, and aerial surveillance activity has
been substantially improved.
Deliberate oil discharges from ships have
been regularly observed during surveillance
flights over the Baltic Sea since 1988. One
of the peak years was 1989, when 763 spills
were detected during 3,491 flight hours. Most
of the illegal oil discharges detected during
2008 were along major shipping routes.
In 2008, 182 (87%) of the oil discharges
detected were smaller than one cubic
metre, and of these oil spills as many as
148 were even smaller than 0.1 cubic
metre or 100 litres. None of the spills were
over 10 cubic metres in size and the total
estimated volume of oil spills observed in
2008 amounted to 64 cubic metres. In 2007,
there were four discharges of over 10 cubic
metres, and the total estimated volume of oil
spills amounted to 125.4 cubic metres.
In the vast majority of cases of detected
illegal discharges the polluters generally
remain unknown. In 2008, the polluters were
identified in 21 cases (10%), 14 more than in
2007.
Regular aerial surveillance flights have
contributed significantly to the decrease in
discharges, as ships are increasingly aware
that their illicit polluting activities can be
detected. The HELCOM aerial surveillance
fleet today consists of more than 25
airplanes and helicopters, many of which are
Total number of flight hours and observed oil spills in the
HELCOM area during aerial surveillance, 1988-2008
Number of flight hours
19
8
19 8
89
19
9
19 0
91
19
9
19 2
9
19 3
9
19 4
9
19 5
9
19 6
9
19 7
9
19 8
99
20
0
20 0
0
20 1
02
20
0
20 3
04
20
0
20 5
0
20 6
07
20
08
HELCOM achieves another
decrease in the number of
illicit oil spills in the Baltic
Number of detectable oil spills
72
Year
73
Illegal oil discharges (by spill size) observed during aerial
surveillance in the Baltic Sea during 1998-2008
74
Number of confirmed observations
equipped with remote sensing equipment
such as side-looking airborne radar (SLAR),
infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) cameras,
photo and video equipment.
HELCOM also uses satellite surveillance
to detect illegal polluters. Satellite images
are provided by the CleanSeaNet (CSN)
satellite service of the European Maritime
Safety Agency. In 2008, 608 satellite images
were delivered to the Baltic Sea countries,
indicating 413 possible oil slicks, of which
46 were eventually confirmed as being oil.
Satellite images can indicate ‘candidates’ for
oil spills at sea, which can then be verified
on location by a vessel or aircraft.
Both aerial and satellite surveillance have
contributed to the enforcement of the
Baltic Strategy. The main objectives of the
Strategy, which was operationalised by the
HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in 1998, are
to ensure ships’ compliance with global
and regional discharge regulations, and to
eliminate illegal discharges into the sea of
all wastes from all ships, and thus prevent
pollution. Another objective is to ensure
that ship-generated wastes are delivered to
suitable port reception facilities where they
can be treated in environmentally friendly
ways.
No significant oil discharges
detected during HELCOM’s
Super CEPCO operation in
the Baltic
75
Only a few small illegal oil discharges from
ships were detected in the Baltic Sea during
HELCOM’s Super CEPCO flights, which
were conducted on 12-17 September from
the Visby airbase on the Swedish Island of
Gotland.
Six surveillance aircraft and 36 crew
members from the HELCOM and Bonn
Agreement Member States, including
Denmark, Finland, Germany, the
Netherlands, Norway and Sweden,
participated in the flights. Aircraft flew
continuously, for 24 hours per day, surveying
the agreed route from Gotland to the
western part of the Gulf of Finland and then
southwards over the territorial waters of
Estonia and Latvia and back westwards to
Gotland.
This operation is one of the world’s largest
multi-national aerial surveillance operations
for oil pollution.
The operation was monitored by experts
and observers from Denmark, Finland,
Sweden and the European Maritime Safety
Agency (EMSA). Three coastguard vessels
from Sweden and two from Finland were
also on standby to conduct any necessary
76
investigations onboard ships detected
illegally discharging oil.
The details of the operation, including the
flight route, remained classified until the
last aircraft landed on 17 September in
order to prevent possible offenders from
discovering the ongoing surveillance
activities. The surveillance aircraft monitored
the movements of about 1,812 ships
during the operation. Only 18 detections of
possible discharges were made, of which
three were confirmed as mineral oil. The
confirmed illegal discharges were very
small, amounting to about 5.50 and 273
litres of oil. One of the spills, spotted south
of Gotland, was first detected during an
EMSA satellite overpass and later confirmed
by a Dutch surveillance aircraft. Two other
discharges were detected by aircraft in the
Finnish Exclusive Economic Zone in the
westernmost part of the Gulf of Finland.
The results of the 2009 Super CEPCO
operation confirmed that there is a
decreasing trend not only in the number of
oil discharges in the Baltic, but even more
importantly also in the volume of spills.
These trends are persistently positive
even though the density of shipping has
grown and detection capabilities around the
region have been significantly improved. It
is clear that regular aerial surveillance has
contributed significantly to the decrease in
discharges, as ships are well aware that their
illicit polluting activities can be detected, and
that offenders may be prosecuted.
Super CEPCO 2009 was organised by
Sweden with assistance from Finland
and EMSA’s CleanSeaNet Service, which
provided satellite images of the flight
area. The main aim of the operation was
to continuously survey one of the major
shipping areas in the Baltic, where illegal
discharges are likely. Such surveys enable
the identification of the pollution sources, and
details can be reported to facilitate further
investigations and possible legal actions.
They also improve international cooperation,
the exchange of experiences between
crews, and the use of satellite imagery as a
complementary surveillance means.
CEPCO ROUTE POSITIONS
ESSV
ROKEN
NEREN
KOSKA
DOBAN
OSTON
CEPCO1
PIMEX
EDERA
EVONA
ESSV
N 57° 39,8
N 57° 58,6
N 58° 37,7
N 59° 11,0
N 59° 48,0
N 59° 17,2
N 59° 10,0
N 58° 12,8
N 57° 08,4
N 57° 09,9
E 018° 20,8
E 018° 08,5
E 020° 46,3
E 020° 40,6
E 024° 27,2
E 022° 10,7
E 021° 30,0
E 021° 12,9
E 020° 35,6
E 019° 55,5
77
78
8. HELCOM Baltic Fisheries and
Environmental Forum
The adoption in 2007 of the Baltic Sea
Action Plan anchored the application of
the ecosystem approach within HELCOM’s
work. This approach acknowledges the need
to take into account the impacts of human
activities on the marine environment in all
policies and programmes implemented in the
Baltic Sea region, and the need for concrete
actions to ensure integrated management of
human activities.
Photo: Markku Lahtinen
There is consequently a need for a forum
where fisheries and the environmental
authorities can meet, exchange their views,
and jointly take forward actions, based
on scientifically compiled information and
assessments of progress (or unresolved
difficulties), towards reaching the targets set
in the Baltic Sea Action Plan.
For this reason, in 2008 HELCOM
established the HELCOM Baltic Fisheries
and Environmental Forum, to facilitate the
successful implementation of measures
within the Baltic Sea Action Plan related
to fisheries, and to promote fisheries
management practices that are compatible
with the environmental objectives of the
action plan.
The Forum constitutes a regional platform
for communication and collaborative
79
Both Article 15 of the Helsinki Convention
and the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan
recognize that the recovery of fish stocks is
an essential component of a healthy Baltic
Sea marine environment, to the extent that
such species are an important element of
marine biodiversity and also an essential
part of marine ecosystems. Robust fish
stocks are also a prerequisite for profitable
fisheries.
80
action where the competent fisheries and
environmental authorities of the Baltic
Sea area, the International Council for the
Exploration of the Sea (ICES), other invited
scientists, the Baltic Sea Regional Advisory
Council of the Common Fisheries Policy
(BS RAC) and NGOs working in the fields
of fisheries and conservation can exchange
their views and experiences concerning best
practices for the sustainable management
of fisheries, and also discuss and implement
joint activities.
The work of the Forum is centered on the
following four issues, stemming from the
Biodiversity Segment of the Baltic Sea Action
Plan:
Photo: JC Schou Biopix.dk
1.
Reinforcement of capacity and
knowledge basis on the status of fish
species and fish stocks as an essential
constituent of ecosystems;
2.
Inputs from HELCOM to the fisheries
management authorities – related to
commercially exploited fish stocks;
3.
Specific actions by HELCOM in
cooperation with the fisheries
management authorities - related to
certain commercially exploited fish
stocks;
4.
Specific actions by the HELCOM
community related to coastal fisheries.
During its meetings, the Forum has
discussed several of the issues related to
fisheries contained in the Baltic Sea Action
Plan, leading to:
•
A joint HELCOM input to the 2012 review
of the EU Common Fisheries Policy;
•
A HELCOM note to the EU, supporting
“A discard free fisheries in the Baltic”;
•
A joint statement to the EU on the
general implementation status of marine
protected areas (MPAs) in the Baltic
Sea (Natura 2000, Baltic Sea Protected
Areas and Emerald sites), taking into
account the (draft) EC Guidelines “A
consistent approach to requests for
fisheries management measures under
the Common Fisheries Policy”;
•
Strengthened regional collaboration
through the exchange of information
on management measures for eel,
particularly with regard to their
transboundary context, duly contributing
to a Baltic-wide co-ordinated programme
to ensure successful eel migrations from
the Baltic Sea drainage basin to their
natural spawning grounds;
Strengthened regional collaboration,
supporting the knowledge base and in
this way contributing to the development
of long-term management plans for
flatfish, notably flounder and turbot;
•
An EU-funded HELCOM Project
“Overview of the state of Salmon (Salmo
salar) and sea trout (Salmo trutta)
populations in rivers flowing to the
Baltic Sea”, which aims to classify and
inventory rivers with historic and existing
salmon and sea trout populations,
enabling the issuing of recommendations
for inland measures needed to improve
the status of salmon and sea trout
populations (Such recommendations
will also identify rivers where salmon
and sea trout populations should be
reinstated, and at least ten threatened
wild salmon river populations requiring
active conservation measures);
•
Contributions to the implementation
of fisheries-related aspects of the EU
Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region
(priority areas 2 and 9).
81
•
Photo: N Sloth Biopix.dk
Photo: Samuli Korpinen
Photo: JC Schou Biopix.dk
82
9. Appendices
list of potential substances of concern to
be considered by HELCOM as contained in
Recommendation 19/5.
The 31st Meeting of the Helsinki
Commission in March 2010 approved a set
of new and revised Recommendations due
to be adopted at the Moscow HELCOM
Ministerial Meeting, including:
4.
HELCOM Recommendation
“Proper handling of waste / landfilling”
1.
New HELCOM Recommendation
“Mutual Plan for Places of Refuge in the
Baltic Sea Area”
This regulation aims to deepen cooperation
between the Member States regarding
places of refuge, and provides the basis
for granting the safest shelter to a ship in
need of assistance, irrespective of countries’
borders.
The Recommendation also aims to create
a harmonised liability and compensation
regime for the whole Baltic Sea region,
whereby possible damage costs related
to a place of refuge situation could be
recoverable from international funds.
2.
New HELCOM Recommendation
“Wildlife response planning”
This regulation specifies how HELCOM
countries should put an integrated oiled
wildlife response plan in place, as part of
their overall contingency plans either on
national, sub-national or local level.
3.
“Implementing HELCOM’s objective for
hazardous substances”
By adopting the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action
Plan, the Member States agreed on the need
to update HELCOM Recommendation 19/5
on the HELCOM Strategy for hazardous
substances. The revised regulation outlines
basic principles and methodologies for
the implementation of the HELCOM
objective for hazardous substances. It
also harmonises existing HELCOM lists
of hazardous substances, i.e. the list of
substances of specific concern in the Baltic
Sea Action Plan; Annex 1 of the Helsinki
Convention (Harmful Substances); and the
The need to revise HELCOM
Recommendation 24/5 concerning Proper
handling of waste/landfilling was also agreed
in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan.
The revised regulation defines criteria and
procedures for the acceptance of waste
at landfills, and will enter into force from 1
January 2011.
5.
“Batteries containing Mercury, Cadmium
or Lead”
By adopting the Baltic Sea Action Plan,
the Member States agreed to apply strict
restrictions on the use of mercury in products
and processes, and to support work towards
tougher limits and where feasible total
bans on the use of mercury in products
and processes. The revised regulation
sets stricter requirements for the content of
mercury, cadmium and lead in different types
of batteries, and also prescribes measures
to reduce heavy metal pollution through
recycling and other market-driven measures.
6.
“Cadmium in fertilizers”
This new regulation fulfils the commitment
set in the Baltic Sea Action Plan to assess
the possibility of introducing restrictions
for cadmium in fertilizers. It urges the
governments of the HELCOM countries to
set a limit value for the content of cadmium
in fertilizer applied anywhere in the Baltic
Sea catchment area.
The 31st Meeting of HELCOM also amended
HELCOM Recommendation 11/13 on the
development of national ability to respond to
spillages of oil and other harmful substances.
83
New HELCOM
Recommendations
84
Press releases
04.03.2010 Statement by HELCOM’s Executive Secretary at the annual Meeting
04.03.2010 HELCOM to discuss preparations for the Moscow Ministerial Meeting and the Baltic Cities Summit
03.03.2010 Opening statement by HELCOM’s Chairman at the 5th Stakeholder Conference on the Baltic Sea Action Plan
03.03.2010 HELCOM conference identifies topics for new projects to restore the Baltic Sea
26.02.2010 Media Advisory: HELCOM’s Chairman and Executive Secretary to hold media availability
26.02.2010 Media Advisory: Fifth Stakeholder Conference on the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan
26.02.2010 HELCOM to identify measures for the restoration of salmon and sea trout populations in the Baltic
16.02.2010 HELCOM Response Group to approve a new regulation for oiled wildlife response
16.02.2010 HELCOM passes the 10% landmark for the Baltic Sea protected areas
16.02.2010 HELCOM launches a new project to promote advanced phosphorus removal
10.02.2010 Speech by HELCOM’s Chairman at the Baltic Sea Action Plan Afternoon Plenary Session
10.02.2010 Speech by HELCOM’s Chairman at the Baltic Sea Action Summit Working Lunch
09.02.2010 HELCOM’s Chairman to address the Baltic Sea Action Summit
26.01.2010 HELCOM countries to discuss draft national programmes to restore the Baltic Sea
18.01.2010 HELCOM launches a web page on the Moscow Ministerial Meeting
18.01.2010 Call for participants: The Fifth Stakeholder Conference on the Baltic Sea Action Plan
15.01.2010 International Conference to review major HELCOM projects to restore the Baltic Sea
14.01.2010 Changes to HELCOM Secretariat contact information
03.12.2009 HELCOM announces the elimination of two Baltic pollution hot spots, and approves a joint proposal to IMO
27.11.2009 HELCOM getting ready for the Moscow Ministerial Meeting
23.11.2009 HELCOM countries to finalize a joint submission to IMO on a total ban on sewage discharges from ships
20.10.2009 Catches of chemical munitions in the Baltic have ceased
19.10.2009 Speech by HELCOM’s Executive Secretary at the annual HELCOM Diplomatic Lunch
13.10.2009 HELCOM commences preparations for the Ministerial Meeting in Moscow
02.10.2009 HELCOM to consider a comprehensive system to evaluate progress in pollution reduction
21.09.2009 HELCOM to finalize a new regulation on sheltering ships in need of assistance
21.09.2009 HELCOM Chairman’s acceptance speech for the Swedish Baltic Sea Water Award
17.09.2009 HELCOM receives the Swedish Baltic Sea Water Award
17.09.2009 No significant oil discharges detected during HELCOM’s Super CEPCO operation in the Baltic
04.09.2009 Notice: HELCOM “Interactive web-based GIS maps” service is now updated
27.08.2009 Latvia wins HELCOM Trophy
85
20.10.2009 COHIBA Project releases newsletter on control of hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea
86
26.08.2009 HELCOM fleet stages a successful disaster response operation off Riga, marking
20th anniversary of BALEX DELTA exercise
24.08.2009 HELCOM achieves another decrease in the number of illicit oil spills in the Baltic
21.08.2009 HELCOM Executive Secretary’s speech on the announcement of the Swedish Baltic Sea Water Award
20.08.2009 HELCOM wins Swedish Baltic Sea Water Award
20.08.2009 News Flash: HELCOM wins Swedish Baltic Sea Water Award
03.08.2009 Media Advisory: HELCOM to hold its annual international rowing competition
27.07.2009 Media Advisory: Tour of the HELCOM BALEX DELTA exercise area
27.07.2009 HELCOM fleet to hold a major disaster response exercise in the Gulf of Riga
12.06.2009 HELCOM commences risk analysis of shipping accidents in the Baltic
12.06.2009 HELCOM report shows a 12% increase in ship accidents in the Baltic
11.06.2009 HELCOM releases Annual Report on 2008 activities
10.06.2009 Russia announces the date of the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting
09.06.2009 BALTHAZAR Project focusing on pollution inputs from Russia into the Baltic holds inaugural meeting
09.06.2009 HELCOM biodiversity assessment indicates increasing human pressure on biotopes and species around the Baltic
05.06.2009 HELCOM set to unveil data indicating a substantial reduction of pollution loads entering the Baltic
22.05.2009 HELCOM launches a major assessment of Baltic species’ and biotopes’ threat status
22.05.2009 HELCOM eliminates four major pollution hot spots in the Baltic Sea area
19.05.2009 HELCOM Chairman takes part in the launch of the Baltic Sea Action Summit initiative
15.05.2009 HELCOM is set to announce the recovery of several pollution hot spots in the Baltic Sea area
29.04.2009 HELCOM action plan is seen as a pilot project under the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive
21.04.2009 HELCOM countries to discuss readiness of national programmes to radically reduce pollution to the Baltic
20.03.2009 Final call for applications: Fourth HELCOM Youth Forum
Brochures and newsletters
This brochure describes the maritime
situation in the Baltic Sea and the work of
HELCOM’s Maritime Group developing
measures to ensure safe navigation in the
Baltic Sea and to limit sea-based pollution,
including emissions, discharges, and
transfers of alien species caused by ships.
Reinforcing oil spill response
capacity in the Baltic
This brochure describes the work of the
HELCOM Response Group developing
measures to ensure swift national and
international response to maritime pollution
incidents in the Baltic Sea.
COHIBA Newsletter
This newsletter provides an update on the
COHIBA Project, which aims to identify
the most important sources of hazardous
substance inputs into the Baltic Sea,
and estimate their impacts on the marine
environment, especially on the eastern side
of the Baltic Sea.
COHIBA Newsletter (Ru)
This is a Russian language version of the
COHIBA Project newsletter described above.
Ensuring safe shipping in the
Baltic
87
88
Publications
Baltic Sea Environment
Proceedings (BSEP)
No. 116B Biodiversity in the Baltic Sea:
An integrated thematic assessment on
biodiversity and nature conservation in
the Baltic Sea (2009)
This HELCOM integrated thematic
assessment on biodiversity and nature
conservation in the Baltic Sea is the first
comprehensive report on biodiversity
and nature conservation in the region.
The report provides a baseline for
monitoring progress towards the goals
and targets of the Baltic Sea Action
Plan that relate to biodiversity. It
aims to provide an overview of the
state of Baltic biodiversity and
nature protection at the beginning
of the 21st century, to illustrate
the links between the different
pressures and activities and
the resulting environmental
state, and to suggest specific
recommendations to safeguard,
and where necessary to restore,
biodiversity. The report also introduces a
new tool for assessing the conservation
statuses of species and biotopes in relation
to targets concerning biodiversity and nature
conservation in the Baltic Sea, designed
to enable a preliminary classification of
conservation status.
No. 116A Biodiversity in the Baltic Sea:
An integrated thematic assessment on
biodiversity and nature conservation
in the Baltic Sea, Executive Summary
(2009)
This Executive Summary presents
an overview of the first integrated
thematic assessment on biodiversity
and nature conservation in
the Baltic Sea, covering an
assessment of the status
of biodiversity and human
pressures impacting it, as well
as recommendations on how to
reach the targets of the Baltic
Sea Action Plan.
No. 117 Radioactivity in the Baltic
Sea, 1999-2006, HELCOM thematic
assessment (2009)
This report describes work carried out by
HELCOM’s Project on the Monitoring of
Radioactive Substances in the Baltic Sea
(MORS-PRO) during the period 19992006. It provides detailed information on
the sources of man-made radioactivity in
the Baltic Sea; the levels of man-made
radionuclides
in seawater, sediments
and biota; the risks to man
caused by radioactivity
in the Baltic Sea; and
compares the levels of
man-made
radionuclides in the
Baltic Sea with levels
in other seas. The
report also presents
the consequent
recommendations.
No. 118 HELCOM Activities 2008 Overview
(2009)
This report summarises the activities of
the Helsinki Commission related to the
protection of the Baltic marine environment
over the period from March 2007 to
March 2008. It also
reviews these activities
together with current
trends related to the
main environmental
issues.
No. 119 Hazardous substances of specific
concern to the Baltic Sea - Final report of
the HAZARDOUS Project
89
The HELCOM HAZARDOUS Project was
launched in March 2006 in order to identify
hazardous substances of specific concern to
the Baltic Sea (nine organic substances and
the heavy metals mercury and cadmium), to
collect information on their uses, discharges,
emissions and concentrations in the Baltic
marine environment. The information
compiled in this report has been used
to develop indicators and actions for the
hazardous substances segment of the
Other publications
Moscow HELCOM
Ministerial Meeting flyer
HELCOM brochure
HELCOM Baltic Cities
Summit flyer
Climate Change in
the Baltic flyer
2010 HELCOM Calendar
Fifth Stakeholder
Conference on the Baltic
Sea Action Plan (2010)
(Online set of presentations
and statements)
90
91
92
www.helcom.fi

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