Accidents and response 

The last ten years have seen a steadily growing maritime traffic - a sign for the intensified co-operation in the Baltic Sea region and a prospering economy.

This also means that ship accidents causing marine pollution have become more probable. HELCOM is annually collecting data on ship accidents in the Baltic Sea. 

Compilations on Ship Accidents in the Baltic Sea Area:

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2000-2001

1989-1999

Major oil incidents in the Baltic Sea 1988 - 2003 resulting in an outflow of more than 100 tons of oil

HELCOM working to ensure preparedness

A swift national and transnational response to marine pollution incidents at sea is of outmost importance - the marine environment of the Baltic Sea is vulnerable and highly sensitive to any release of oil or other harmful substances. The Baltic Sea countries are working together to ensure swift response to the pollution incidents in the Baltic. There are around 70 dedicated response vessels (vessels with oil response equipment which can be used for international assistance) available in the region, many of the vessels with substantial towing capacity, and additional vessels are available for accidents in ports and coastal waters. A lot of attention is being paid to establish adequate emergency capacity as well as to meet the challenges of addressing the oil spills in ice. The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan and HELCOM Recommendation 28E/12 "Strengthening of sub-regional co-operation in response field" kicked-off speeded actions to ensure preparedness on sub-regional level in the Baltic, corresponding to "medium-size" accidents, where countries by "sharing" their resources can build a common pool of vessels and equipment sufficient for their area of responsibility.

The preparedness of the HECOM states to jointly respond to pollution incidents has been several times demonstrated following the major oil spills of last decades. 

Check the HELCOM map and data service for more information on the accidents in the Baltic Sea and preparedness of the Baltic Sea countries to respond to them. A table containing information on the dedicated response resources in the Baltic Sea (as of December 2011) can be found here.

The BRISK (Sub-regional risk of spill of oil and hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea, www.brisk.helcom.fi)) project, launched under the HELCOM umbrella, and the complementary BRISK-RU project in the Russian Federation were finalized in January 2012. The projects activities focused on increasing the preparedness of all Baltic Sea countries to respond to major spills of oil and hazardous substances from shipping. The final reports of the projects are to be found on the project webpage. Main results of the projects can be found in the summary report. The final reports also contain information on the results of the risk assessment of pollution caused by shipping accidents covering the whole Baltic Sea area, response resources and the needed investments to enhance response capabilities and maritime safety.

The projects BRISK and BRISK-RU were financed by the European Union and the Nordic Council of Ministers, respectively.

Links

An updated assessment of the risk for oil spills in the Baltic Sea Area, July 2002