• 2019 November 1 14:20

    Marine litter, underwater noise and chemical contamination addressed at HELCOM PRESSURE in Brussels

    HELCOM says marine litter, underwater noise and chemical contamination of the marine environment were prominently featured on the agenda of the PRESSURE 11-2019 meeting held in Brussels from 22 to 25 October. The meeting was further complemented by two workshops on hazardous substances and marine litter.

    "Marine litter is posing a threat to the Baltic Sea's biodiversity, so it needs to be solved rapidly," said Dmitry Frank-Kamenetsky, adding that the issue is being successfully addressed through the implementation of the HELCOM Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter.

    In Brussels, progress in the implementation of the plan was particularly acknowledged, and further steps were outlined to deal with derelict fishing gear, to improve stormwater management – crucial in addressing microplastics – and to address expanded polystyrene, one of the top litter items found on the entire Baltic Sea coast.

    "Since rivers are significant pathways bringing litter and all sorts of substances to the sea, we also need to look upstream and beyond our shores," said Frank-Kamenetsky, echoing the common view that further cooperation with river basin management authorities needs to be strengthened to address the marine litter issue.

    Furthermore, a new draft of the action plan to mitigate manmade underwater noise was presented at PRESSURE 11-2019. "Although the document is still in a drafting phase, it is a first step in the HELCOM process that may eventually lead to concrete measures to ease the effects of man-made sound and noise on aquatic wildlife," said Frank-Kamenetsky.

    Marine mammals and certain type of fish are particularly affected by underwater noise since they rely heavily on hearing throughout their entire life, such as for geolocation, communicating, feeding or mating.

    Chemical contamination of the marine environment was another of the key environmental pressures emphasized at PRESSURE 11-2019, highlighting the vast variety of chemicals currently used in industries and households. New products are continuously flooding the markets, and their effects on the marine environment aren't always clear.

    At the meeting, the HELCOM members therefore welcomed the progress on a knowledge base on micropollutants including pharmaceuticals currently in development, and concluded that the HELCOM framework on hazardous substances might require a significant revision to be able to respond to threats posed by these new chemicals.

    Moreover, a new assessment of the input of nutrients to the Baltic sea was presented at PRESSURE 11-2019, illustrating the substantial reduction of nutrient inputs since the reference period. The assessment shows that inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus to the Baltic Sea were reduced by 14 and 24 percent respectively since early 2000.

    The highest nitrogen input reduction in this period was observed in the Danish Straits (24 percent) and Kattegat (21 percent), while the highest reduction of phosphorus load was noted in the Gulf of Finland (51 percent) and Baltic Proper (22 percent).

    The reduction indicates the joint effort of all HELCOM countries to reduce input of nutrients and commitment to abate eutrophication - the major threat for the Baltic Sea. But the assessment shows that the nutrient input targets for the whole Baltic Sea have not yet achieved.

    PRESSURE 11-2019, the "11th Meeting of the Working Group on Reduction of Pressures from the Baltic Sea Catchment Area (HELCOM Pressure Group)," was hosted by the European Commission in Brussels.

    The HELCOM Pressure Group seeks to provide the necessary technical background to the work on inputs of nutrients and hazardous substances from both diffuse and point sources on land, including follow-up of the implementation of the HELCOM nutrient reduction scheme. It currently also works on emerging challenges such as underwater noise and plastic pollution.




2024 July 26

18:00 LiqTech and Danbee Marine enter agreement for marine scrubber water treatment solutions for the South Korean market
17:23 Thecla Bodewes Shipyards successfully launches 7.280dwt vessel ‘Vertom Lisa’ for Vertom Group
16:57 MSC reaffirms pledges to avoid Arctic shipping route
16:23 Taiwanese ports resume bunkering after Typhoon Gaemi-induced suspension
15:41 Chinese ports container volume rises 8.5 % in the first half of a year 2024
15:17 Hanwha Ocean picked as preferred bidder for S. Korean Navy's logistics support ship
14:55 Vietnam's port system able to handle world's largest ships
14:36 Castor Maritime announces the acquisition of its first Ultramax vessel
14:12 Bunker price trends in the world's four largest hubs, July 22-28 – MABUX
13:30 Total Energies orders LNG bunkering vessels at Hudong Zhonghua
12:52 Philippines rushes to contain oil spill from sunken tanker
12:47 Bangladesh 'jam-packed' with cargo as curfew and internet restrictions continue
12:24 Helmerich & Payne announces agreement to acquire KCA Deutag
11:54 Two cruise ships were simultaneously bunkered with LNG at Port Canaveral
10:51 Associated British Ports announces new Chair
10:18 CMA CGM publishes Q2 2024 financial results

2024 July 25

18:00 Western sanctions and Houthi attacks boost appeal of Russia’s Arctic Sea Route - Bloomberg
17:46 Saudi Arabia imports fuel oil from Kuwait for first time in two years
17:24 Port of Thessaloniki implements the wireless reefer monitoring system
16:59 Hunan Jinhang Shipbuilding launches a 500m3 LNG bunkering pontoon
15:51 Chevron’s Taro Ultra advanced 40 granted LNG Validation status by WinGD
15:16 A Philippine-flagged tanker capsized off the coast of Bataan province, causing a spill
14:44 Cyan Renewables acquires Australian vessel operator MMA Offshore
14:23 Russia ships fuel to Bolivia as it increases Latin American sales - Reuters
13:59 Grimaldi-Minoan consortium acquires 67% of Heraklion Port Authority
13:12 Bumi Armada, Navigator Gas and Bluestreak CO2 announce MoU with Uniper for joint study on export of CO2 emissions from proposed UK carbon capture plant
12:52 ABS releases industry first advisory on ammonia bunkering
11:40 Drydocks World executes conversion and upgrade projects for FPSO and FSO vessels
11:10 EMA and MPA shortlist two consortia to further study viability of ammonia for power generation and bunkering
10:40 AW Shipping inks contract with CSSC Jiangnan Shipyard for the construction of two 93,000 cubic meters very large ammonia carriers
10:09 Corvus Energy Blue Whale ESS awarded RINA Type Approval
09:48 Opulent Maritime selects ADP Clear to digitize its bunkering operations

2024 July 24

18:00 MSC invests in multimodal terminal adjacent to Paris via MEDLOG
17:34 Frontera announces agreement between Puerto Bahia and GASCO to pursue LPG project in Cartagena, Colombia
17:00 Shipping firms respond to Houthi attacks in Red Sea
16:32 China’s shipbuilding output rises by 18.4% in H1 2024
16:04 The EU ETS to run the global tanker fleet more than €2bn by 2030
15:49 Typhoon Gaemi halts bunkering in Taiwanese ports
15:23 Container ship fleet expands by 11%, fastest growth in 15 years - BIMCO
14:55 MPC Container Ships takes delivery of final 5,500 TEU methanol-ready boxship from Korea
13:32 A methanol-powered cargo ship arrived in Estonia for the first time
13:13 Six feared dead and 14 rescued after fishing boat sinks off Falkland Islands
12:40 Wartsila to supply a hybrid-electric propulsion system for an 11,000 dwt Limestone Carrier
12:15 Rijeka Gateway adopts private 5G campus network
11:46 Valenciaport handled 2.7 million containers in H1 2024
11:24 Fincantieri signs order with Carnival Corporation for three mega-cruise ships
10:53 Energean takes FID for the Katlan development project in Israel
10:23 Australia announces three years’ worth offshore acreage for petroleum exploration and CCS
09:58 Valaris DS-17 to drill for the Raia project in Brazil

2024 July 23

18:00 Telemar to provide global safety support services to seven Ignazio Messina container vessels
17:27 KBR’s blue ammonia technology selected for Shell Blue Horizons project in Oman
17:16 The Federal Maritime Commission publishes final rule on unreasonable refusal to deal
16:42 Qatar Navigation and Qatar Steel sign a 5-year agreement to provide stevedore services
16:25 Spain detains cargo ship over fuel spill near Ceuta
15:23 The Indonesian company Pertamina adds Russian oil grades to its tender lists to buy September crude
14:58 Seatrium secures S$180 mln in repairs and upgrades projects
13:49 HD KSOE partners with UM to foster US ship engineers
13:24 IRGC seizes oil tanker smuggling fuel in Persian Gulf
11:25 ADNOC L&S joint venture awards $1.9bln contract to Chinese shipbuilder
10:59 Port of Valencia opens new combined transport terminal
10:24 NYK Bulkship installs NYK Group’s first wind-assisted ship-propulsion units
09:59 GTT entrusted by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for the tank design of two new LNG carriers

2024 July 22

18:06 Manzhouli railway port handles 2,327 China-Europe freight train trips in 1st half of 2024
17:36 NORDEN to acquire Norlat Shipping to further grow projects and parcelling activities
17:23 2024 is expected to be a record year for cruises in the port of Heraklion
16:47 ABS and the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center to collaborate on maritime technologies
15:56 Trafigura Group takes full ownership of High Heat Tankers
15:46 China delivers world’s first river-sea LNG bunker and transport vessel
14:51 Hartmann receives new LNG-powered LEG carrier
14:14 Jiangnan Shipyard supplies dual-fuel VLEC gas Huanghe