Terms of Reference for a Cooperation Platform on Port Reception Facilities in the Baltic Sea

Background information

The HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) adopted by the Baltic Sea countries and the European Commission in 2007 included a commitment to address discharges of sewage from passenger ships. 

The IMO’s 61^st session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) approved the proposal of the Baltic Sea countries to designate the Baltic Sea as a special area under Annex IV of the MARPOL Convention where passenger ships will be required to follow more stringent regulations concerning discharges of sewage, for final adoption at MEPC 62. The sewage will have to be treated onboard to remove nutrients to the agreed standard or will have to be delivered to the port reception facilities (PRF). The new regulations will come into effect when the Baltic Sea countries notify IMO of having adequate port reception facilities for sewage.

The 2010 HELCOM Moscow Ministerial Meeting agreed on upgrading PRF for sewage by 2013, and by 2015 at the latest, and adopted the Road Map indicating the first and second priority passenger ports.

The implementation of the Road Map is a shared responsibility of national administrations, which issue national legislation governing the requirements on PRF and monitor that the established procedures are followed, of the Baltic Sea passenger ports and of the passenger shipping industry, including cruise line industry. Municipal authorities and water and wastewater utilities are also important stakeholders to make sure that the sewage is treated in the land-based wastewater treatment plants according to the relevant HELCOM Recommendations.  

A Cooperation Platform on Port Reception Facilities in the Baltic Sea

A Cooperation Platform on Port Reception Facilities in the Baltic Sea is established to promote dialogue on provision of adequate port reception facilities for sewage in passenger ports of the Baltic Sea among the key stakeholders, including Baltic Sea passenger ports, shipping industry, national administrations and agencies of the coastal countries as well as municipal wastewater treatment plants, and other stakeholders.

The Platform’s aim is to exchange experience on good practices in planning, implementing and operating PRF for sewage, with a view to giving guidance on how to upgrade PRF in the first priority ports to meet the needs of the relevant stakeholders and according to the requirements of Annex IV of MARPOL for the Baltic Sea special area. 

The Platform is also to work to further encourage voluntary activities in ports and shipping companies to dispose sewage to PRF before the Baltic Sea special area comes into effect.

There are already three big passenger ports in the Baltic Sea: Stockholm, Helsinki, and St. Petersburg, which serve as good examples on how PRF could be arranged, e.g. to receive large quantities of sewage from ships (fixed link to the sewerage system and treatment in the municipal wastewater treatment plant), and their experience could be shared with other ports. 

The Platform will also aim at building necessary partnerships to implement the Road Map.

The Platform will use the HELCOM Road Map for upgrading port reception facilities for sewage in passenger ports of the Baltic Sea area as the basis of their work, and more specifically will:

1.    Identify areas for improvement in port reception facilities for sewage in the first priority ports, including in terms of adequacy and availability in relation to ships normally visiting the ports, and based on the IMO Guidelines for ensuring the adequacy of port waste reception facilities (MEPC.83(44).

Timetable: by the Meeting of HELCOM on 9-10 March 2011 (HELCOM 32/2011).

Lead: Poland and BPO and in cooperation with the HELCOM Project on National Implementation Programmes of BSAP*.

2.    Make suggestions for technical improvements on a port level for the first priority ports with the aim to initiate projects, including bankable projects.

Timetable: by HELCOM 32/2011.

Lead: Poland and BPO and in cooperation with the HELCOM Project on National Implementation Programmes of BSAP*.

3.    Identify gaps and propose and implement solutions also regarding the second priority ports.

Lead: relevant countries (Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany), e.g. through implementation of national plans for BSAP.

4.    Build a common understanding on technical and operational aspects of sewage delivery to meet the needs of ports and shipping industry and in dialogue with municipalities, and based on it, to develop, if possible, a joint guidance or to present the views of the involved stakeholders.

Timetable: by HELCOM MARITIME 10/2011 on 15-17 November 2011.

Lead: Sweden and WWF.

5.    Promote harmonized regional implementation of the “no-special-fee” system for sewage delivery and identify challenges in implementing the system.

6.    Follow developments of the technology for onboard sewage treatment to meet the new standards.

Lead: Germany.

 * HELCOM Project on National Implementation Programmes of BSAP (2010-2011) could be of support in conducting tasks 1 and 2, more specifically in identifying the gaps and suggesting possible partnerships for joint projects based on consultations with national administrations and port authorities.

The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, through its ongoing flagship projects under Priority Area 4 led by Denmark, could give further support to the initiative and contribute to the implementation of the above tasks.

The identified needs/projects should be prioritized nationally within national programmes for the implementation of the Maritime Activities segment of the Baltic Sea Action Plan.

The partnership of the Platform includes, but is not limited to:

• national administrations of the first and second priority ports (Estonia, Germany, Denmark, Latvia, Poland, Sweden, Finland) and the relevant national administration in Russia

• ports of Stockholm and Helsinki

• municipal authorities of the first and second priority ports

• Baltic Ports Organization (BPO)

• European Sea Ports Organization (ESPO)

• Cruise Baltic

• European Cruise Council (ECC)/Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)

• World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

• European Community Shipowners' Association (ECSA)

• International Chamber of Shipping (ICS)

• BIMCO

 The Platform will work via correspondence and will meet when needed.