Opportunities for Cooperation between Estonia and ... - Valitsus

The Gulf of Finland is one area of the Baltic Sea where many changes have
taken places over the past few decades. The volume of shipping, particularly
container and oil transports, has risen. Compared with the situation in 2000,
exports from the EU countries to Russia have tripled and imports doubled.
Almost 40% of this trade is carried via the Gulf of Finland. Russia has stopped
oil exports via the ports of Ventspils in Latvia and Butingen in Lithuania,
meaning that even these transports are moved along the Gulf of Finland.
Of all the Baltic Rim countries, Finland is the most dependant on the sea. Nearly
85% of the country’s international goods are carried by sea. Every day, a total
of 114 vessels either arrive or sail from Finnish ports. Almost half of this traffic
runs through the Gulf of Finland. Passenger numbers have also increased. In
Estonia, carriage accounts for approximately 20% of all transports.
It is estimated that the volume of goods transported in the Baltic Sea will grow
by an average of 64% by 2020 while oil transports will increase at an even
faster rate. Ever-larger freighters and tankers are being built to improve costefficiency,
which makes it necessary to continuously expand the ports handling
international goods transports. According to the Technical Research Centre of
Finland VTT, the probability of an oil spill will be doubled by 2015.
The risk is not limited to tankers filled to the brim with oil. All other vessels,
such as freighters, ferries and cruisers, carry up to thousands of tons of fuel
for their own use. Aside from the increase in the volume of traffic, the poor
technical condition of the craft or insufficient crew training may elevate the risk
of marine accidents.
Since the 1970s, the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission
(HELCOM) has been the most important intergovernmental cooperation organ
of the Baltic Rim countries. HELCOM brings together all the nine countries
bordering on the Baltic Sea as well as the European Union. HELCOM is the
governing body of the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment
of the Baltic Sea and aims to promote a common policy for the protection of the
Baltic Sea, disseminate environmental information, issue recommendations for
improving the state of the sea and monitor the compliance with environmental
standards by the member countries. In Krakow in November 2007, HELCOM
adopted the Baltic Sea Action Plan outlining the following concrete objectives
for substantially reducing the pollution of the Baltic Sea by 2021 by: preventing
further eutrophication; preventing the release of hazardous substances;
preserving biodiversity and controlling the environmental impact of maritime
activities, and preventing damage.
37