Conflicts and Solutions CCB Conference 2004 22 22

Conflicts and Solutions. CCB Conference 2004, 22 22 May 2004, Nelijärve, Estonia May 1

Coalition Clean Baltic protecting Baltic Sea environment & improving maritime safety - Oil Transfer on the Baltic Sea - Conflicts and Solutions. CCB Conference 2004, 22 May 2004, Nelijärve, Estonia Mr. Valdur Lahtvee Chairman Coalition Clean Baltic www. ccb. se 2

NGO-s active in oil transit and maritime safety issues in Baltic Sea Area * WWF Int. - Endangered Seas Program, Baltic Team research on oil spills and impacts, promotion of PSSA approach * Greenpeace Nordic – Seas campaign, hazards of maritime transportation, designation of PSSA * CCB – network of 27 national organisations at BSA with three priorities from which Prevention of installations and activities harmful to the Baltic Sea Environment focusing mainly on hazards of maritime transport 3

Examples of CCB activities * Oil and maritime safety issues constantly dicussed at various meetings involving variety of stakeholders e. g. CCB/SSNF conferences on Maritime Transport Safety * Independent studies on state and impacts; policy proposals prepared and implementation monitored e. g. CCB participated at HELCOM study on Oil-transport trends and hazards presented to Baltic Summit at Visby, 1995; * Maritime safety issues adessed at High-Level meetings and International Organizations – CCB observer of HELCOM; September 2001 at the Copenhagen Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting on the Safety of Navigation and Emergency Capacity in the BSA, CCB and WWF in their joint statement first time proposed designation of the Baltic Sea as PSSA * Awareness rising, watchdogging and lobbying at national 4 and local level, beach clean-up etc.

Baltic Sea needs immediate action to reduce risks posed by increased oil transport Decision of the IMO on 02 april 2004 to designate the Baltic Sea as PSSA still to be implemented: International standards as of IMO and recommendations of HELCOM to be implemented and enforced. Russian Federation to join common efforts together with other CBSS to protect the marine environment. 5

Major critical issues in maritime safety in the BSA * Phase out of single-hull tankers by end of 2005 * Development of oil spill detection and response capacities, specially of new EU members * Establishment of adequate and well coordinated Baltic Task Forces for salvage and spill combatting by 2005 * Improvement of traffic control, separate routeing and mandatory pilotage in critical routes – ASAP * Give to the experts and SOG mandate to act – Baltic Summit 6

Combatting oil spills is not enough – sustainable BSA * Development of mesures to avoid maritime transport of hazardous goods: reducing demand for fossil liquid fuels, ban to nuclear waste shipment, ban to off-shore exploitation of oil in BSA * Further development and implementation of “Polluter pays” principle in order to reduce risks related to hazardous cargos: increased liabilities for cargo handlers internalisation of external costs * Full implementation by all national governments of agreed measures to increase shipping safety, to reduce deliberate dumping of shipping wastes: besides ipl. Of PSSA the application of “non-special fee system” in all Baltic Ports, full aplication of Espoo convention requirements for planned coastal infrastructure, etc. 7