Meeting 3 Summary Report 15.6.2010

Baltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceWorking Group on Integrated Maritime PolicyTo the: 25th June 2010Representatives of Parliaments,Parliamentary Assemblies,Institutions and Working Group Membersof the Baltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceAbstract of the 3rd Session of the Working Group on “Integrated Maritime Policy,especially infrastructure and logistics” in Copenhagen on 15th June 2010The 3rd Meeting of the Working Group on “Integrated Maritime Policy, especially infrastructureand logistics” was held in Copenhagen under the chairmanship of Ms Lisbeth GrönfeldtBergmann (Nordic Council, Sweden) in the premises of the Danish Folketing on 15th June 2010.34 representatives from 13 parliaments and parliamentary assemblies in addition to 5 expertsattended the meeting.In the first segment of the session representatives from the Council of the Baltic Sea States, theworld’s largest shipping company: A.P. Møller Mærsk Group, the Danish Shipowners’Association, the European Environment Agency as well as the Danish Maritime SafetyAdministration informed the participants about co-operation to improve maritime safety andsecurity, the effects of the designation of the Baltic as an Emission Control Area (ECA) withregard to strategies of shipping enterprises, measures for the improvement and extension ofShort Sea Shipping, economic demands on environmentally friendly ports and Green Shipping,environmental aspects of shipping in the Baltic as well as the EfficienSea Project which aims atthe improvement of the Baltic with a focus on the environment and the safety of navigation.Ms Raimonda Liutkeviciene (Council of the Baltic Sea States) explained the work and co-operation of the CBSS Expert Group on Maritime Policy with other institutions involved in thesepolitical fields. She underlined that she was very pleased with the systematic exchange ofinformation between the relevant working groups of CBSS and BSPC. She remarked that theworking group was constituted in 2009 with a mandate for three years. The chairmanshiprotated on an annual basis; this year it would pass on from Lithuania to Germany and in the nextto Norway. According to Ms Liutkeviciene the working group defines itself as a platform for theexchange of information in the Baltic Sea region, for the purposes of initiating maritime clusters,bringing together science, research and support projects, as well as identifying gaps in strategicprojects (e. g. SubMariner, BaltSeaPlan, EfficienSea and Clean Baltic Shipping). In the long runit was also intended to raise public awareness of maritime affairs and promote a “common Balticidentity“. One key result had been the Baltic Sea Action Summit held in Helsinki at the beginningof 2010, under Lithuanian leadership. Finally Ms Liutkeviciene suggested presenting thecollaboration results obtained jointly with the BSPC Working Group on Integrated MaritimePolicy during the European Maritime Day on 20th May 2011 in Gdansk.1Mr Niels Bjørn Mortensen (A.P. Møller Mærsk Group, Mærsk Maritime Technology) cited theBaltic Sea as an example for an Emission Control Area and explained how the A.P. MøllerMærsk Group met its international obligations relating to the protection of the environment inmaritime transport. He explained that the group which was the largest container shippingcompany worldwide had more than 250 large vessels. In addition to that, the same number ofvessels was chartered. In this context the company felt obliged to prevent environmental andclimatic damage caused by ship operation. The focus was put on the gradual transition fromsulphur-containing heavy fuel oils to low-sulphur distillate fuels – as requested by the IMO – andthe application of flue gas desulphurisation technologies. He continued that a reduction ofsulphur content to 0.1 % in marine fuels from 2015 was feasible for larger companies since thedifference in price between fuel of 0.5 % and 0.1 % sulphur content was presently only 10 USD/t.In addition, the oil industry increasingly managed to find cost-effective ways to produce low-sulphur distillates. In regards to the possibility of prescribing low-sulphur fuels for the Baltic Searegion at an earlier date than proposed by the IMO, Mr Mortensen stated that, in a globalcontext, this had been already applied off the coasts of the United States and Canada. So farthere was evidence of neither distortions of competition nor a short supply of low sulphur-content marine fuels. The line shipping sector had adapted to these conditions on a voluntarybasis. He attested that neither bio fuels nor nuclear fuels the potential to replace mineral fuels inmaritime transport. Considering both costs and technical complications, this could only workwith LNG. But first a sufficient technical infrastructure needed to be established in ports.Furthermore, the transport capacity was reduced by the larger LNG fuel tanks. In contrast,onshore power supply (cold ironing) for vessels in ports could only lead a “niche existence“ dueto technical obstacles and the considerable effort involved. He rejected subsidies for maritimeshipping, arguing that the maritime sector had to practise sustainable management policies.Mr Jan Fritz Hansen (Danish Shipowners’ Association) illustrated that his associationrepresented 100 shipping companies, which transported approximately 10 % of the world’stransport tonnage. He stated that shipping companies working mainly in the Baltic Sea regionwere much more affected by the designation of the Baltic as a SECA than companies workingon an intercontinental basis. Nevertheless, a notable shift from sea to road transport had not yetbeen observed since sea transport offered substantial economic and ecological advantagesunder the existing general conditions. Considering the fact that shipping traffic will furtherincrease, he continued, emissions of sulphur dioxide had to be reduced. But the gradualreduction of sulphur by more than 90 % as agreed via the IMO marked a significant technicaland economic challenge for the companies affected. This is why there was a close cooperationwith research and development institutes in this field. The purpose was to reduce the CO2emissions by 30 % and the SO - and NO emissions by 90 % each in the near future. Thex xmeasures for the realisation of these goals shall be managed in Denmark or across Scandinaviarespectively by a so-called “industrial group“. With respect to the expected costs, however, thecompanies also discussed whether a reduction of the sulphur content in marine fuels to 0.5 %was not more cost-effective than the application of new technologies. Therefore in 2018 a studyon the global consequences of the designation of ECAs would be submitted. This might possiblylead to a revision of Annex VI of the MARPOL Convention. He continued to point out that it wasthe aim of the Danish Shipowners’ Association to gain more flexibility for the companies duringthe current transition period. Only the use of LNG as marine fuel on a broader scale allowed aquick reduction of the pollutant emissions. But this would fail, predominantly due to the lack ofthe required infrastructure. He also pleaded for the reduction of subsidies for the shipping sectorwhich in his opinion constituted a distortion of competition. He requested that the criteria formeasures in the framework of TEN-T and for the development of Motorways of the Sea bemodified in such a way that European funds could be used for the establishment of an LNGinfrastructure across the Baltic Sea.2Ms Jaqueline McGlade (European Environment Agency) started her presentation with anoverview of the goals and the organisational setup of EEA. She explained the agency followed aholistic approach for the analysis of the state of the environment and for the assessment of theanthropogenic influences on the environment. Special attention was given to how thespecifications made by the European environmental legislation were implemented in therespective fields of politics. In addition, emission inventories and analyses among otheraccounts were conducted with respect to the impact of landside transport corridors, whileintermodal transport and the optimisation of transport chains were also evaluated. She criticisedthat the respective member states often delayed turning in their data to the EEA. As a particularenvironmental problem in the field of maritime shipping she pointed out the introduction ofinvasive species into the seas through ballast water. Due to the changing conditions (e. g.climate change, nutrient and pollutant emissions), more and more invasive species inhabitedthe Baltic Sea, thus competing with and threatening local species. Ms McGlade pointed out thatthere was no single cause, but rather a combination of many causes which led or had led to adrastic negative change of the Baltic Sea biotopes. In regards to environmental monitoring, sheunderlined that the instruments of air and satellite surveillance constituted great progresstowards the localisation of pollution discharges, which in turn had led to a significant decrease inthe illegal discharges from ships. She attested that the European shipping companies had ahigh level of cooperation when it came to providing information on the quantification ofemissions relevant to the climate. As for the negative effects of maritime shipping, sheexplained that the resulting pollutant emissions (especially sulphuric oxides, nitrogen oxides,airborne particles and volatile organic compounds) deteriorated the air quality particularly innorthern Europe, increasing the mortality rate. She stated that the reduction of the sulphurcontent especially in marine fuels would lead to a considerable reduction of air pollution. Sheconsidered the financial effort associated with the use of low-sulphur marine fuels as being cost-effective, since the expenses for the countering of negative effects on the environment and onthe population were considerably higher than the investments to be made. This position hadpublic support. Closing her presentation, Ms McGlade welcomed the political recommendationsproposed by the working group for the 19th BSPC.Mr Francis Zacharie (Danish Maritime Safety Administration) informed the working group aboutthe EfficienSea Project which had 16 partners from the Baltic Sea region. The three-year project(2009-2011) was financed by 18 million € through European funds (INTERREG IVB) aimedespecially at improving maritime safety by using e-navigation. In his opinion, ensuring maritimesafety and security was the basis of human activities at sea. DMSA focused on the maritimetraffic through the Danish straits with approximately 70,000 movements per year. Furtherservices provided by DMSA were the operation and maintenance of lighthouses/navigationallights and conventional support including traffic control (water-level reports, nautical charts,weather forecasts, other information services, etc.) and coastal rescue with the help of 21emergency units. He pointed out that in the framework of prevention measures the improvementof maritime training and the quality of shipmasters were by far the most important factors inpreventing maritime accidents. On the basis of the IMO definition of e-navigation, he explainedhow the shipmasters received information that was only relevant for the trip, which would beprocessed by means of an integrated system. Presently a prototype of a model was beingdeveloped in order to facilitate the steering of the ship from departure in a port until the landingin another port. The system included for example the ship’s papers, course calculations,positioning and further relevant data. Presently the Øresund served as a testing area and wasmonitored jointly with Sweden through the Vessel Traffic Service Center in Malmö. Cooperationpartners include ferry lines, pilots, tug boats and tankers. Mr Zacharie continued that thedesignation of further test areas such as the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Gdansk were beingconsidered, in order to evaluate the transferability of this system to other marine areas. In thatcase, the project would need to be prolonged by three more years, which he did not exclude atthe present time. Concluding, he invited further partners to join the EfficienSea Project andproposed that the working group should place greater emphasis on the improvement ofmaritime safety in their political recommendations.3In the second segment of the session the meeting decided on first political recommendations forthe 19th BSPC resolution in Mariehamn on 29th to 31st August 2010 and agreed with thestructure and thematic content of the Chairman’s draft interim report, which was based on theexpert hearings, consultations and political debates. Regarding the draft recommendations, themeeting decided that the discussed and the proclaimed modifications and supplements had tobe submitted by 23rd June 2010 to the secretariat in Schwerin.Furthermore the meeting agreed on the working plan for the next year by the 20th BSPC. Thenext session should be held in one of the Baltic States as a two days’ meeting during the 47thcalendar week of 2010 (22nd-26th November). The 5th session is planned for the 12th calendarweek of 2011 (21st-25th March) in Sweden as a two days’ meeting as well. The final session willbe held in Schwerin, Germany, on 20th and 21st June 2011.The meeting agreed on the development of a directory of all working group members, which willinclude a short CV (personal details, professional and political development) and a photo as well.The relevant documents should be sent to the secretariat by 15th July 2010.Lisbeth Grönfeldt BergmanVice ChairwomanContact:Landtag Mecklenburg-VorpommernReferat Internationalen Angelegenheiten/OstseekooperationGerald GutzeitLennéstraße 119053 SchwerinGERMANYphone: +49 385 525.2760telefax: +49 385 525.2759mailto:intaff@landtag-mv.dewww.landtag-mv.de4