Helcom News

The discharge of scrubber water from ships out to 22km (12 nautical miles) from the Danish coasts will be prohibited by law. The ban will come into effect on July 1, 2025, for ships with scrubbers in open operation, where the wash water is discharged into the sea. For ships with scrubbers in closed operation, the ban on water discharge will take effect on July 1, 2029.The Ministry of Environment has stated that scrubber water has contributed to excessive levels of a number of heavy metals and tar substances such as lead, cadmium, anthracene and benz(a)pyrene in the marine environment.

The persistent eutrophication (being too rich in nutrients) of the Baltic Sea prompted the IMO’s Baltic Member States to tackle shipping’s < 0.1% contribution by designating the Baltic Sea as the first Special Area under Annex IV of IMO’s MARPOL Convention [1]. Passenger ships must give sewage to wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) ashore via the port reception facilities (PRFs) or operate a nutrient removal sewage treatment plant (STP) on board prior to discharge. It has been perceived as a positive move. But how special is the Special Area?Rules at sea vs.

Estonia's Port of Tallinn has implemented new rules requiring the collection of residue from underwater hull cleaning operations while in port.Ellen Kaasik, the port's environmental manager, said the measures are part of a major activity plan to decrease the environmental impact of the port and ships, and that the decision to collect all hull cleaning residue was made to help tackle eutrophication.Hull cleaning service in the Port of Tallinn can only be provided with permission from the Vessel Traffic Shift Manager…

The IMO’s MARPOL Annex IV is being revised to confirm the lifetime performance of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). This may finally bring about grey water regulation – a necessity that is long overdue.Black Water and Grey WaterA ship’s sewage (black water) is collected from toilets, urinals and hospitals. The IMO’s MARPOL Annex IV prohibits its discharge, except when treated by an STP or discharged at > 12nm from the nearest land. A ship’s grey water, collected from showers, wash basins…

Preventing pollution from dumping of wastes at sea relies on global frameworks, regional conventions and protocols and national regulations, the UN's shipping agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said. To be effective, these need to be aligned and implemented effectively. This was the subject of a March 2 meeting organized by IMO's Office of the London Protocol and Ocean Affairs (OLCP&OA) and UNEP/MAP.The meeting was attended by Barcelona Convention Contracting Parties…

The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC), the International Maritime Organization (IMO) -administered centre in the Mediterranean, conducted a regional workshop to identify and address ship-source air pollution in the Mediterranean  last week."Political, legal and technical obstacles can sometimes challenge ratification and subsequently the effective implementation of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annex VI air pollution and energy efficiency regulations," said a press release from IMO.Participants from 16 Mediterranean coastal States (including six which have not yet ratified MARPOL Annex VI)…

With the rise in transport by sea of chemicals and gases, in bulk and containerized, adequate preparedness for response to potential spill incidents involving hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) is increasingly important. The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) is hosting a regional workshop on response to such incidents, in Valletta, Malta (20-21 June). Regional cooperation on oil and HNS spill response and contingency planning is an efficient and cost-effective way of preparing for possible spills – through the sharing of information, knowledge and/or response equipment. A recent example of cooperation in this field was an agreement signed between Cyprus, Greece and Israel following support from REMPEC.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) agreed this week that the Baltic Sea special area for sewage discharges from passenger ships under Annex IV or the MARPOL Convention will take effect by latest 2021 for IMO registered passenger vessels. If a passenger vessel has an approved sewage treatment plant, meeting all IMO standards, it may discharge its effluent in the Baltic after treatment. However, in certain cases of direct passages between St. Petersburg area and the North Sea there is a two-year extension to the deadline, until 2023. The decision follows the efforts of Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission – Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) aimed at limiting sewage discharges in the Baltic Sea from passenger vessels…

Interferry CEO Len Roueche reviews the latest regulatory challenges impacting the ferry industry. With U.S. origins dating back more than 40 years, Interferry is the trade association and main voice for the global ferry sector – a crucial but often forgotten part of the wider shipping industry. Historically this has been particularly true with regard to regulatory issues at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), but in recent times the association has emerged as an increasingly influential platform within the corridors of power.

The US Coast Guard 2012 Annual Report to the American Bar Association mentions, amongst a wealth of information about the service's activities, that Coast Guard attorneys have facilitated the development of principles for member governments wishing to participate in IALA-NET, an AIS (Automatic Identification System). The information sharing network would use the United States’ Marine Security and Safety Information System (MSSIS), European (HELCOM) and China maintained servers…

The “MonaLisa” project, an action in the Baltic Sea region aimed at improving the quality of maritime transport, will benefit from €11.23 million (nearly $16 million) in EU contribution from the 2010 TEN-T Multi-Annual Call. The project, which forms part of TEN-T Priority Project 21 “Motorways of the Sea,” will run until 2013 and includes the participation of three Member States (Denmark, Finland and Sweden). The “MonaLisa” project aims at improving quality of maritime transport, safety at sea, exchange of maritime data and facilitation of environmental performance of shipping and implementation of e-Maritime relevant applications. Although three Member States are currently participating in the project, more will be able to join once the project is underway.

At the Baltic Sea Action Summit in Helsinki on Feb. 10, Nord Stream took a further concrete step in line with its firm commitment to preserve the Baltic Sea. Nord Stream decided to establish a new Data and Information Fund to utilize its extensive knowledge and survey data for further research and preservation of the Baltic Sea. "The Baltic Sea is the home of our project. Therefore, we want to actively participate in its improvement as part of our Baltic Sea co-operation. The Baltic Sea Action Summit is a unique opportunity, bringing together various parties and investments made for the common good," said Matthias Warnig, Managing Director Nord Stream AG. The objective of the Fund is to increase existing knowledge regarding the state of the Baltic Sea and its preservation.

Primar Stavanger, the international Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) center operated by the Norwegian Hydrographic Service, has recently signed a cooperation agreement with Estonia. The center now covers more than 80 percent of all ENCs available in Europe, reports marketing manager Rune H. Johnsen at Primar Stavanger. Estonia has already made 31 ENCs available, which indicate that the whole coast of this Baltic state is covered. Of these, nineteen are coastal ENCs, five harbour ENCs and seven berthing ENCs. The increased coverage of ENCs in the Baltic with Primar Stavanger fits well with the declaration from the Helsinki Commission (Helcom) and national commitments. These focus on covering all major shipping routes and every major port in these waters with ENCs by the end of 2002.