Risk management in maritime transport in the Baltic Sea demands committed regional cooperation

Jouni Lappalainen,
Dr., Head of Team,
Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom,
Finland

Valtteri Laine,
Capt., Special Adviser,
Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom,
Finland

Maritime transport services are essential for the Baltic Sea region, but they are also a source of risk to human life, the marine environment and coastal ecosystem services. Almost 300 accidents occur in this sea area per year, ranging from ship-to-ship collisions to machinery damage incidents. Some four per cent of these accidents have had serious consequences, including loss of human life, environmental damage or total loss of the ships involved. Among such severe events, the most well-known is the sinking of the passenger ship Estonia in 1994, which led to 852 casualties. Continuous risk management efforts and cooperation are thus required in order to prevent future maritime accidents and minimize their consequences.

Risk management in maritime transport is a complex and dynamic area involving a vast number of different tasks and organizations. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) defines the general legal requirements for this framework. This includes tasks focusing on maritime accident prevention, onboard damage control, and different types of response operations, as well as the definition of responsibilities for public and private organizations to perform these tasks. Since many of the risk management tasks can be difficult to carry out in various scenarios, public and private organizations have established national and international cooperation agreements and procedures to develop their execution. However, there is still room for improvement in this field, including in the Baltic Sea region. This fact is evident in light of the associated accident, Port State Control and near-miss statistics.

To support maritime risk management and the technological development of the shipping industry in the countries bordering this sea area, the European Council decided to include maritime safety and security policy (PA Safe) into the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR). Following discussions with the European Commission, it was considered necessary to address these topics in order to achieve the overall objectives of the strategy, namely “save the sea”, “connect the region” and “increase prosperity”. As a result, the PA Safe was established in 2009, and has since become one of the key policy areas of the EUSBSR. Throughout its history, the policy area has been very active and contributed to the key objectives of this EU strategy.

The actual work in the PA Safe is mainly carried out through a project-based policy dialogue. In other words, the Steering Committee of the policy area holds regular meetings across the EU countries of the Baltic Sea region. The aim of these meetings is to identify gaps in the PA Safe work and to set up new project initiatives to close them. In addition, they are used to facilitate discussions, disseminate project results and streamline the work to better meet the objectives of the EUSBSR. The Policy Area Coordinators from the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) and Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) are responsible for organizing the meetings and support the everyday work of the PA Safe. The practical work on this policy area has been ongoing for more than a decade, during which time it has reached a high degree of maturity.

The main tools used in the context of the PA Safe work are flagship projects and other projects pertaining to maritime safety and security issues. In the Baltic Sea region the projects have, for example, provided real-world tests for e-navigation services and resurveys of the major shipping routes and ports as well as helped reinforce emergency preparedness. Project results are often used to support the activities of various public and private maritime organizations or as the basis for high-level policy recommendations. In financial terms, PA Safe-based projects are typically carried out through the EU funding instruments and project partner investments. While this process has thus far been relatively smooth, many stakeholders have become concerned about the future in light of Covid-19 and Brexit.

To face the current challenges, support the implementation of the EU Baltic Sea Strategy and boost the work done in the various policy areas, the European Commission will adopt a new EUSBSR action plan in the beginning of 2021. The purpose of this revised version is to engage the Member States and the private sector more closely in the implementation of the strategy, while stressing the global challenges, namely climate change, pandemics, demographic changes and migration. In the context of the PA Safe, the revised action plan focuses particularly on improving the safety of open sea and winter navigation, developing maritime digitalization and automation, and enhancing preparedness and response activities. To promote these action items and the EUSBSR as a whole, new innovative projects and cooperation are needed across the Baltic Sea countries. This cooperation should involve both public and private organizations with a strong common will to contribute to the safety, security and environmental sustainability of our unique sea area.

Expert article 2877

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