Helsinki - The number of deliberate, illegal oil discharges from ships annually observed by national surveillance planes, as well as satellites over the Baltic Sea area has decreased by more than 10 percent over the past year, and by more than 55 percent since 1999, according to a new study by Helsinki Commission (Helcom).

According to the national annual reports provided by the Member States to Helcom, 210 illicit oil spills were detected during a total of 4,603 hours of surveillance flights conducted by the coastal countries over the Baltic Sea during 2008, compared to 238 discharges during a total of 3,969 air patrol hours in 2007, and 236 discharges observed during 5,128 air patrol hours in 2006.This is one of the lowest numbers since 1999, when 488 discharges were detected during 4,883 air patrol hours.

“The number and size of detected oil spillages in the Baltic Sea has been decreasing over the past years, even though the density of shipping has rapidly grown and the aerial surveillance activity in the countries has been substantially improved,” says Monika Stankiewicz, Helcom’s Maritime and Response Professional Secretary. “We attribute this to the success of the complex set of measures known as the Baltic Strategy to prevent illegal discharges of oil and waste into the sea which the Helcom countries have been implementing since the 1990s.”

Deliberate oil discharges from ships have been regularly observed during surveillance flights over the Baltic Sea since 1988. One of the peak years was 1989, when 763 spills were detected during 3,491 flight hours. Since 1999 the number of discharges has been steadily decreasing.

In 2008, most of the illegal oil discharges were detected along major shipping routes. 182 (87 percent) of the oil discharges detected in 2008 were smaller than one cubic metre, and of these oil spills as much as 148 were even smaller than 0.1 cubic metre or 100 litres. No confirmed oil spill was over 10 cubic metres in size and the total estimated volume of oil spills observed in 2008 amounted to 64 cubic metres. In 2007, there were four discharges of over 10 cubic metres, and the total estimated volume of oil spills amounted to 125.4 cubic metres.

The Annual 2008 Helcom report on illegal discharges observed during aerial surveillance (August 2009) can be downloaded under helcom.fi(1). More detailed information under helcom.fi(2).

Quelle: Helsinki Commission, Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission

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