Vrak som miljöhot

Supplementary report

Potential Shipwreck Pollution in the Baltic Sea

Overview of Work in the Baltic Sea States

Erik Svensson Swedish Maritime Administration and Lighthouse

Date: 15.12.2010 Our Reference: 09-02375

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Supplement to the report to the Swedish Government:

Vrak som miljöhot Date: 15.12.2010 Our Reference: 09-02375 Author: Erik Svensson PhD Student Lighthouse and Swedish Maritime Administration Chalmers University of Technology Gothenburg, Sweden

Swedish Maritime Administration Transport Policy and International Cooperation Division SE-601 78 Norrkoping Sweden Picture: The S/S Park Victory. “Structures in the back part of the bridge. Fallen down walls and steel plates that have rusted through” (SYKE, 2009, p. 6).

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Summary In 2005, it was estimated that there were 8,569 potentially polluting shipwrecks in the world’s oceans and that 1,583 of those were tankers.1 75% of the wrecks sank during the Second World War. Over sixty years later these wrecks are significant global risks of marine pollution. The Swedish Maritime Administration is currently conducting an inventory and risk analysis of potential pollution from shipwrecks within Swedish territorial waters. This study aims at supplementing the inventory with an overview of any work conducted in eight Baltic Sea States2 on potential pollution from old and ownerless shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea. The main part of the study was based on email conversations and information gathering from responsible authorities in each State. The methods also included initial exploratory searches in the database Scopus (Elsevier BV), on Google and investigations of relevant websites. The results show that potential pollution from shipwrecks is an environmental issue receiving little attention. No research on shipwreck pollution in the Baltic Sea was found in database searches. Investigated documentation within the European Union showed that shipwreck pollution was included as a flagship project under the Action Plan to the Baltic Sea Strategy. Although the topic has been raised a few times, nothing has been done within the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM). It is concluded that the sessions within the framework of the Copenhagen Agreement has been the closest and most active regional forum for considering shipwreck pollution for three Baltic Sea States; Sweden, Denmark and Finland. The results revealed varied commitments on potential shipwreck pollution in seven of the eight investigated States. No information was obtained concerning the situation in Russia. All of the other States have designated authorities for mapping shipwrecks, though mainly for safety of navigation concerns. In Finland however, the work with an inventory of potential environmental hazards from wrecks started already in 1987. The work is conducted by the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). Shipwrecks are divided into four categories depending on the level of risk for oil spill or chemical spill. Furthermore, on site inventories are conducted annually for wrecks in the highest risk category. SYKE has also removed oil from five wrecks. In Poland, the Maritime Institute in Gdaosk has conducted surveys, monitoring and wreck categorization in the Polish Exclusive Economic Zone since 1998. The work has resulted in a list of wrecks categorized according to the “degree of danger” to the environment. It is concluded that Sweden can learn much from the experiences and findings of both SYKE and the Maritime Institute in Gdaosk, and that regional harmonization of approaches to shipwreck pollution should be higher on the agenda at HELCOM. It is recommended that a mutual presentation of Sweden’s, Finland’s and Poland’s work at HELCOM is conducted to raise the issue.

1 Pollution by oil. The figures includes non-tank vessels of at least 400 gross GT with petroleum-based bunker

fuel and tankers of at least 150 GT with petroleum-based oil as cargo (Michel et al., 2005). 2 There are nine countries bordering the Baltic Sea. Sweden was excluded from this study.

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Acknowledgements I would like to thank Ms. Monika Stankiewicz and Mr. Mikhail Durkin at the HELCOM Secretariat for providing contact information and other useful information. Further, I would like to thank Martin Söderberg at the SMA and Ida-Maja Hassellöv at Chalmers University of Technology who provided useful comments and thoughts. Finally, I would like to thank the many contact persons that have replied to my emails, as listed in Annex 1. There would not be much to present without them sharing their knowledge and thoughts.

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Table of Contents

1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 6

1.1 TERMS OF REFERENCE .................................................................................................................................... 6 1.2 WORLDWIDE TICKING BOMBS .......................................................................................................................... 7 1.3 THE UNIQUE AND SENSITIVE BALTIC SEA ............................................................................................................ 9 1.4 PURPOSE OF THE REPORT ................................................................................................................................ 9 1.5 SCOPE AND DELIMITATIONS ............................................................................................................................. 9

2 METHOD ............................................................................................................................................... 10

3 RESULTS ................................................................................................................................................ 12

3.1 RESEARCH AND REGIONAL CO-OPERATION WITHIN THE BALTIC SEA AREA ............................................................... 12 3.2 FINLAND .................................................................................................................................................... 13

3.2.1 Inventory and Surveys ................................................................................................................... 13 3.2.2 On-site Inventories and Oil Removal ............................................................................................. 15

3.3 RUSSIA ...................................................................................................................................................... 17 3.4 ESTONIA .................................................................................................................................................... 17 3.5 LATVIA ....................................................................................................................................................... 17 3.6 LITHUANIA .................................................................................................................................................. 18 3.7 POLAND ..................................................................................................................................................... 18 3.8 GERMANY .................................................................................................................................................. 19 3.9 DENMARK .................................................................................................................................................. 20 3.10 SUMMARY OF WORK IN THE INVESTIGATED STATES ....................................................................................... 20

4 CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................................................................................... 21

5 RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................................ 21

6 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 22

7 BIBLIOGRAPHIES ................................................................................................................................... 27

ANNEX 1: CONTACT LIST ................................................................................................................................. 29

ANNEX 2: TABLE OF CONTENTS, RYTKÖNEN (1999) ........................................................................................ 32

ANNEX 3: DATABASE SEARCHES ..................................................................................................................... 33

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1 Introduction

1.1 Terms of Reference

Assigned by the Swedish Government, the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) is currently conducting an inventory and risk analysis of potential pollution from shipwrecks within Swedish territorial waters. Wrecks which pose a potential risk are first identified, followed by an in-depth analysis of the wrecks that has been identified as major threats. The SMA is responsible for co-ordinating and implementing the inventory in consultation with the Swedish Coast Guard, Transport Agency, Environmental Protection Agency, Armed Forces and the concerned County Administrative Boards. The inventory has its origin from proposals in a survey by the Swedish Agency for Administrative Development, dealing with the obligations and rights of disposal, cleanup and removal of wrecks and ownerless boats. The report proposes that measures to identify and manage wrecks which pose environmental risks along the coasts of Sweden should be conducted in three steps. The inventory is the first step. The second step is to conduct physical inspections of the wrecks identified as the largest risks. The third step is the preparation and implementation of a cleanup program (Swedish Agency for Administrative Development, 2008; Swedish Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications, 2009). Chalmers University of Technology is leading a project connected to the inventory on a 3-year period3. The project is financed by the Swedish Research Council Formas and studies one wreck on the Swedish west coast, the S/S Skytteren. The purpose is to develop a protocol for risk analysis of potentially hazardous shipwrecks. The protocol is intended for use in future investigations in order to provide scientific grounds for remediation actions (Formas, 2008). This study is intended to supplement the Swedish inventory with an overview of any work conducted in the other Baltic Sea States concerning potential pollution from ownerless shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea. Hassellöv (2007) argues that shipwrecks on international waters and/or in the territorial waters of neighbouring states may pose potential threats to Sweden. The underlying question for this study is thus about what can be done with the potential threats that exist outside Swedish territorial waters. Hassellöv underlines that cooperation between States is the solution to the financing problems and that it is optimistic to believe that a workable financing model for ownerless wrecks will be developed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in the near future. It is more reasonable with increased cooperation within Europe (Hassellöv, 2007). Oil spills from wrecks in the Baltic Sea is a common threat for the States surrounding the unique and sensitive ocean. A compilation of the work conducted by the Baltic Sea States can give a first indication of how co-operation could be developed through the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), the main regional institution for the Baltic Sea States to protect the Baltic Sea environment.

3 The project started in 2009.

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1.2 Worldwide Ticking Bombs Old shipwrecks, such as sunken World War II vessels with bunker oil or large tankers carrying crude oil, could be considered “ticking bombs” for the marine and coastal environment around the world. Sooner or later all the oil in a wreck will be released to the sea. The question is whether it will be discharged slowly under a long time or as a major oil spill (Hassellöv, 2007). Internationally, pollution risks from old shipwrecks have been addressed at the International Oil Spill Conference (IOSC) and by the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP). Michel et al. (2005), in a background study for the 2005 IOSC conference, compiled existing available data to set up a worldwide database for potentially polluting shipwrecks. The purpose of the database was to consider those wrecks that posed significant oil pollution risks. It includes non-tank vessels of at least 400 gross tonnage (GT) with petroleum-based bunker fuel. The tankers included are of at least 150 GT with petroleum-based oil as cargo. The database shows a total of 8,569 known potentially polluting shipwrecks worldwide, wrecked between the years 1890 to 2004. 1,583 of those were tankers. Figure 1 show the approximate global distribution of potentially polluting shipwrecks.

Figure 1. Approximate global distribution of potentially polluting shipwrecks (from Michel et al., 2005, p.11).

75% of the wrecks in the database sank during the Second World War (Michel et al., 2005).4 It was the single largest loss of ships in history in such a short time period. Sixty years later, Monfils (2005) argues that these wrecks could be one of the most significant global risks of marine pollution from shipping. For each year the risk of significant oil releases becomes more likely as the wrecks deteriorate (Monfils, 2005). Wrecks originating from World War II have now been under water for approximately 70 years. Michel et al. (2005) raised concern that corrosion will lead to increased oil discharges and emphasized that it was clear that the consequences of such discharges will vary greatly. Michel et al. made estimations on remaining oil volumes in bunker and cargo tanks. A low estimate gave a total quantity of 2.5

4 69% of tankers and 75% of non-tankers (a total of 75% of all incidents) (Michel et al., 2005).

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million tonnes of petroleum-based oil left in shipwrecks globally. A high estimate gave 20.4 million tonnes respectively. It was concluded that current databases on wreck locations lack the key data to assess environmental risks and that there is a need for a systematic risk assessment of potentially polluting wrecks (Michel et al., 2005). GESAMP (2007) made efforts to estimate oil pollution from shipwrecks worldwide from 1939 to 1997, as part of an oil pollution assessment from sea-based activities. The total losses of merchant vessels recorded through Lloyds Register of Shipping between 1939 and 1997 were 21,486, corresponding to 76 million GT. About a third of these losses were vessels lost between 1939 and 1946 as a result of acts of war. Oil pollution from casualties since 1968 were included in the report under the assessment of accidental spillage from all sea-based activity sources. Records of military vessels lost at sea were not kept by Lloyds Register of Shipping, though some records exist from the Second World War and subsequent years. Although the uncertainty of sunken military vessels was very high, it was concluded that they represented a relatively small proportion of the merchant shipping tonnage reported over the same period. It was concluded that it was virtually impossible to calculate the losses of oil from shipwrecks with sufficient accuracy. The difficulties involved were, inter alia, variability in ship types, cargoes, fuels and absence of records. One example given is the shift from coal to oil, and later changes in fuel oil grades. The heavy fuel oil (HFO) used today is heated onboard to about 60° C in order to keep it in a liquid state. When discharged to the sea, the HFO form sticky masses. Earlier bunker oils forms thick slicks on seawater. The discharge to the sea thus depends on the characteristics of the oil contained in the wreck. Furthermore, it was acknowledged that vessels under 100 GT had not been included in the reporting of casualties through Lloyds Register of Shipping, though they may contain significant amounts of oil. The following recommendation was made: “Oil inputs from sunken vessels (e.g. war-related casualties) should be selectively monitored, given the number and location of vessels near vulnerable coastlines, and the ageing condition of the wrecks. The risks that such inputs pose to marine coastlines, living resources and ecosystems should be addressed with considerable urgency, given the aging condition of many WWII wrecks, and actions taken to reduce those risks” (GESAMP, 2007, para 293).

The jurisdiction and ownership reliability of WWII shipwrecks are much different from wrecks of commercial vessels or other non-military vessels. WWII vessels are State-owned and have “sovereign immunity” (Monfils, 2005, p.4), by which they are excluded from maritime conventions such as MARPOL 73/78. Any cargo, property or content onboard at the time of sinking is also excluded. Most of the WWII wrecks had American, Japanese or British flag. All three States have published policies on how to deal with these wrecks. Their views were that “the vessels and their contents are flag state (government) property no matter where they rest, and that this sovereignty does not diminish with depth of water nor passage of time“ (ibid). The Nairobi Convention on Wreck Removal was adopted in 2007 and provides a legal basis for Coastal States to remove wrecks from their coastlines if they pose a hazard to the safety of navigation or to the marine and/or coastal environments. Ship-owners are to be made financially liable and the convention requires them to “take out insurance or provide other financial security to cover the costs of wreck removal” (IMO, 2010a). However, the convention does not address old shipwrecks such as WWII wrecks. Furthermore, the convention has not yet entered into force since only Nigeria has ratified it (IMO, 2010b).

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1.3 The Unique and Sensitive Baltic Sea

This study concerns the regional aspects of potential shipwreck pollution in the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea is a unique sea. The total sea area of 415 000 km2 has an average depth of 56 m and includes shallow estuaries of about 42 000 km2 (Lindgren and Molander, 2009; MacKenzie et al., 2004; Erkki & Rytkönen, 1999). The narrow and shallow sounds at Denmark are its only connections to neighboring seas (Bernes, 2005). Thus, the water exchange with the North Sea is slow, but also infrequent. Since 1977, major inflows from the North Sea have been rare (MacKenzie et al., 2004). The limited water exchange makes it the second largest brackish water area in the world (after the Black Sea). It is characterized by its unique marine environment, and its sensitivity to pollution. Bernes (2005) estimated the turnover of all the water volume in the Baltic Sea to take more than 30 years. This gives a perspective for how the environment can respond to increased levels of pollution or eutrophication. The incoming saltwater from Kattegat is heavier than the brackish water and thus flows in along the bottom. The salt deepwater flow is hindered along its path by a series of sea basins, separated by sills (Bernes, 2005; Elmgren, 2001). Hence, the salinity ranges from about 20 PSU5 at the Danish Belts to only 1 PSU in the north (MacKenzie et al., 2004). The brackish water and natural cycles of anoxic deepwater has created a marine environment with low diversity. It includes only a small selection of marine and freshwater species, but also a few brackish-water specialists (Elmgren, 2001). The Baltic Sea drainage area includes about 85 million inhabitants. Together with the slow water exchange, this “has made the Baltic Sea one of the most heavily polluted seas in the world” (MacKenzie et al., 2004, p.1). As a result of eutrophication, the already low diversity is today accentuated with large areas of oxygen deficiency (Elmgren, 2001). Besides pollution and increasing nutrient loads, the Baltic Sea faces other threats such as overfishing and invasive species (Lindgren and Molander, 2009). Furthermore, it is one of the most crowded sea areas in the world with heavy marine traffic on narrow sea routes. Compared with ocean environments with greater water volume and depths, oil spills from shipwrecks can cause at least one magnitude larger environmental disasters (Erkki & Rytkönen, 1999). Further information about the conditions of the Baltic Sea environment is found in the bibliographies.

1.4 Purpose of the Report

The purpose is to study and compile what has been done in eight Baltic Sea States, concerning studies, inventories, strategies or policy on potential pollution from old and ownerless shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea. Furthermore, regional efforts are investigated.

1.5 Scope and Delimitations

Geographically, the study comprises eight Baltic Sea States’ territorial waters and exclusive economic zones (EEZ) in the Baltic Sea. Searches on regional co-operation also included international waters. Delimitation has been made to include only ownerless and old shipwrecks to avoid cases on oil spills related to newly sunken vessels. Both merchant and military vessels are included. The term “shipwreck” is used in order to avoid wrecks of

5 1 PSU (Practical Salinity Unit) = 1 ‰ (permillage / per thousand).

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abandoned or wrecked offshore units, which is regulated in Annex VI to the Helsinki Convention (Helsinki Convention, 1992, Annex VI, Regulation 8). The term “shipwreck pollution” (or pollution from shipwrecks) includes all pollution caused by old shipwrecks, mainly from its bunker fuel and/or cargo.

2 Method The study undertakes an exploratory approach, which is done to understand the nature of the problem when little is known or few studies have been made in the research area. First, information was collected on marine pollution from shipwrecks, and also on what was known within regional and international institutions. Searches for information were made on websites for the following institutions:

Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Swedish Ministry of the Environment, Swedish Maritime Administration and Swedish Transport Agency

IOSC

IMO

Europa, the official website for the European Union

European Commission, Maritime Affairs and the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region

HELCOM

GESAMP

UNEP Regional Seas Programme Furthermore, plenary sessions within the framework of the Copenhagen Agreement were investigated from 2000 to 2009. Initial searches were made on Google6. In most of the cases, the first three result pages were studied. Searches for articles, conference papers or proceedings concerning shipwreck pollution in the Baltic Sea were then made in the multi-disciplinary database Scopus (Elsevier BV, http://www.scopus.com). The search strings and search results are shown in Annex 3. The main part of the study was to collect information from institutions in each of the eight Baltic Sea States. As an initial step, Monika Stankiewicz, Professional Secretary for HELCOM MARITIME and HELCOM RESPONSE at the HELCOM Secretariat, was contacted by phone. The information provided was later supplemented by email conversations. Ms. Stankiewicz provided the list of participants to HELCOM Response Group 11th meeting 2009 (HELCOM, 2009). Emails were then sent to each head of delegation of the meeting7. When there were no replies, the next listed participants were contacted. Lithuania did not participate in the 11th meeting. Thus, an email was sent to the Lithuanian head of delegation for the HELCOM Response Group 10th meeting 2008 (HELCOM, 2008). This part was the first step in a long period of data collection by email conversations. Many emails were forwarded and many

6 Google searches generally consisted of the following components in different orders (both Swedish and

English): wrecks, shipwrecks, inventories, database, studies, environment, pollution, oil, oil spill, World War II, wreck removal, Baltic Sea, Baltic States, HELCOM, the European Union, UNEP, GESAMP, etc. 7 With exception for Denmark. Denmark’s head of delegation belonged to Admiral Danish Fleet HQ, and was

considered not to be the right contact person for this matter.

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replies provided further contact information. All personal conversations, together with information on which persons emails were sent to, were compiled in a Word-document. The document thus constituted a base-structure for the written results in this report. In addition, a matrix of all the contact information collected for the study was established. The matrix is found in Annex 1. There were no replies from the emails sent to Russian contacts, even though two reminders were sent to each person. Information retrieved from contact persons in five States indicated that further investigation would be futile, e.g. no relevant studies or other work had been conducted. The work of Finland and Poland was thus investigated more than the other States. The data gathering from Finland and Poland included further requests of information, e.g. reports or specific questions. Furthermore, websites for relevant authorities and universities in Finland and Poland were searched for further information. After the main data had been gathered from documents, personal communications and websites, the data was compiled and written down in this report. A draft report on the study was completed in May 2010. It was then decided to conduct supplementary work. Since there were no Russian replies from the initial contact emails, the supplementary work was focused on getting hold of information on the Russian situation. The supplementary work also included getting hold of more written references on the information retrieved through personal communication. However, contact persons in each State had informed that the documents retrieved was the only ones written in foreign language. The strategy was thus to focus on the retrieved documents and to search further information on the Internet. Specific supplementary information was requested from Finland and Latvia. The first supplementary step on the Russian situation was to contact Mr. Mikhail Durkin, Professional Secretary for HELCOM LAND at the HELCOM Secretariat. His Russian background in environmental legislation and oil pollution response was considered useful. Mr. Durkin provided useful contact information and advices, e.g. to approach the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) in order to reach contacts at EMERCOM of Russia8. Reply from the Directorate for International Cooperation at EMERCOM of Russia was received in October 2010. Reply from the Maritime Environment Protection Division at SMPCSRA9, was received the following month. However, the Russian answer from both was to submit a formal request of the sought information through the SMA. A fax was thus sent from the SMA to the head of Directorate for International Cooperation, EMERCOM of Russia, requesting the sought information. However, no information had been received in December 2010 and the Russian situation was left aside.

8 Ministry of Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural

Disasters (EMERCOM of Russia). 9 State Marine Pollution Control, Salvage and Rescue Administration of the Russian Federation (SMPCSRA).

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3 Results

3.1 Research and Regional Co-operation within the Baltic Sea Area

The results of the database searches showed no research on shipwreck pollution in the Baltic Sea. However, some articles and conference papers on shipwreck pollution as a whole were found, e.g. Monfils (2005). Most of the search results concerned shipwrecks from recent accidents. Results from the Swedish Google searches concerned mostly the Swedish inventory, earlier work in Sweden, news articles, blogs and websites on archaeological, hobby or cultural interests. Most of the English Google search results concerned pollution from recent shipwrecks. Furthermore, potential pollution from shipwrecks was not reported as a marine pollution issue on investigated websites addressing the marine environment10. Two relevant statements on shipwreck pollution were found in documentation within the European Union:

1. Conclusions from the Consultation on a European Maritime Policy. 2. Action Plan to the Baltic Sea Strategy.

A Green Paper on a Future Maritime Policy for the European Union was adopted in 2006. The paper is the result of consulting with different stakeholders. The consultations was analysed by the European Commission and summarized in COM (2007) 575 final. The statement found in the document concerned demands from “many” stakeholders to consider “legacy environmental risks such as existing wreckage or remnants of wartime ammunitions” when planning new projects (COM (2007) 575 final, p. 7). In the Action Plan to the Baltic Sea Strategy, shipwreck pollution was mentioned as an example of flagship projects under the third priority area (To reduce the use and impact of hazardous substances) (SEC (2009) 712, p. 15). The following quote was found: “’Assess the need to clean up contaminated wrecks and chemical weapons’, where required to protect sensitive marine ecosystems, including through exchange of experiences (taking into account the work carried out within HELCOM). Activities should encompass identification of the current priority threats and establishment of the costs and benefits of any possible action through agreed research programmes. This should build on existing knowledge and mapping in the Baltic Sea. The development of major offshore infrastructure projects should also take into account the location of underwater chemical weapon dumping sites (Lead: Poland; Deadline for progress review: to be

determined) FAST TRACK” (ibid, p. 16).

No information on shipwreck pollution was found on the HELCOM website. A recommendation that only concerned pollution from recently wrecked vessels was made in 1996 (HELCOM Recommendation 17/12). Monika Stankiewicz at the HELCOM Secretariat informed in December 2009 that nothing had been done within HELCOM and that there were no current activities on the topic. This was reconfirmed in October 2010 in a supplementary mail conversation. However, Estonia had raised the issue during the 10th meetings of the HELCOM Response Group in 2008. The following text is found in the report:

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Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, IMO, Europa, HELCOM, GESAMP, UNEP Regional Seas Programme and Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.

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“The Meeting further took note of the information by Estonia on a small leakage from a wrecked fishing ship, which is a part of a bigger picture of many uncharted wrecks being a possible source of oil pollution in Estonia. The Meeting noted that this problem is common for many Baltic Sea countries and that some activities, including surveillance of ships and charting them on the basis of hydrological re-surveys, are ongoing in the countries” (HELCOM, 2008, agenda item 7.3 and 7.4).

Within the framework of the Copenhagen Agreement, shipwreck pollution has been addressed at all the investigated sessions from 2000 to 2009, and on the same agenda item; Shipwrecks with oil and chemicals. The Copenhagen Agreement is a regional co-operation between the Nordic States (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) on response measures after pollution of the sea by oil or other harmful substances. The agreement covers coastal waters, territorial waters “and other waters within the respective fishing zones, continental shelf and economic zone boundaries” (Copenhagen Agreement, 2005, p.1). The co-operation covers, inter alia, monitoring, investigation, reporting, pollution control assistance and information exchange through direct contact between the responsible authorities of the parties (ibid). In general, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Sweden has informed of their work on shipwreck pollution at the plenary sessions. Norway has been the lead country on this agenda item and has compiled information received from the parties, which was then reported to the plenary sessions. As for the Baltic Sea States, Finland has informed of their investigations and removal operations on M/S Park Victory, M/S Brita Dan, M/S Coolaroo, a fuel barge and M/A Jut'n Feldman, as shown in the next section. Sweden has forwarded information on the S/S Skytteren, two leaking submarine wrecks off the west coast, the Chalmers pre-study of oil removal (Hassellöv, 2007) and the ongoing governmental work. At all the plenary sessions, the working group was requested to monitor the development on this matter and to report to the plenary sessions (Copenhagen Agreement, 2000-2009).

3.2 Finland

3.2.1 Inventory and Surveys

The Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) and the Ministry of the Environment are responsible for the prevention of oil leakage from wrecks. The Finnish 2005 Action Plan for the Protection of the Baltic Sea and Inland Watercourses provides the following statement: “Surveys of wrecks in Finnish waters should be continued wherever there are risks of oil leakages. Oil must be safely removed from wrecks where risks are serious” (Finnish Ministry of the Environment, 2005, p.36).

SYKE has been working with an inventory of potential environmental hazards from shipwrecks in Finnish waters since 1987. The work is conducted by SYKE’s Marine Pollution Response unit.11 SYKE has been the leading institution with co-operation between the Finnish Navy and Border Guard, which have provided ships, divers and equipment for on-site inventories and oil removal (Finnish Ministry of the Environment, 2005; Heli Haapasaari, pers. comm.). The first version of the inventory was a literature study. It was later supplemented by interviews with divers, ship crews etc. (Heli Haapasaari, pers. comm.).

11

Former Environmental Emergency Response unit.

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About 500 shipwrecks were registered in 1996 (www.environment.fi, 2010). Most of them have been identified. However, the number of known disappeared vessels in the area is high. Their precise location and the amount of oil remaining are unclear. Most of the identified wrecks have been classified according to their potential environmental hazards. Shipwrecks are divided into four categories based on the potential of oil spill risks or chemical spill risks (Erkki & Rytkönen, 1999).12

Category 1 – contains more than 100 tonnes of oil with high certainty.

Category 2 – contains more than 100 tonnes of oil with a slightly lower certainty.

Category 3 – contains 10 to 100 tonnes of oil.

Category 0 – contains less than 10 tonnes of oil. Twenty-two wrecks have been reported as Category 1 in Erkki & Rytkönen (1999). Seven of these have been identified with confidence (by name) and their location has been confirmed. One wreck has not been identified, though its location was known. Twelve have been identified, but their exact location was unknown. Two wrecks have not been located and their existence was reported unclear. Furthermore, category 2 had 24 wrecks, category 3 had 68 wrecks and category 0 had 306 wrecks. Ms. Heli Haapasaari at SYKE’s Environmental Damage Division informed that they have not published many wreck studies and that they mainly have some internal documents. However, one important document was provided by Ms. Haapasaari. In 1999, SYKE ordered a study from Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) concerning oil spill risks from shipwrecks in Finnish territorial waters. The retrieved document was an English abstract (Erkki & Rytkönen, 1999), since the report (Rytkönen, 1999) was written in Finnish. The aim of the study was to analyse the environmental risks of reported oil spills from shipwrecks in order to develop a concrete policy for the Finnish oil combating authorities. The abstract highlighted that there were few available reports or technical papers on oil spills from shipwrecks. Reported oil spills were of unknown origin, but were assumed to originate from shipwrecks. It was emphasized that even with small oil spills the topography of the Finnish coastline, together with the sensitivity of the Baltic Sea, could result in serious consequences for the environment. The coastline is surrounded by many islands and the seaways are often narrow and shallow. The Gulf of Finland is 400 km long. The mean depth is 37 m and the width varies between 58 and 135 km. An oil spill of only 200 tonnes of heavy fuel oil in 1984 reached an area of 2000 km2 with 200 islands and smaller rocks. The oil spill had significant impact on the local sea bird population. According to Erkki & Rytkönen, shipwrecks with corroded fuel tanks could thus constitute a serious risk for the environment. The fuel oil can persist rather intact for a long time in the fuel tanks of shipwrecks. Oil samples taken from the wreck of S/S Park Victory, sunken in 1947, were considered to be of such high quality that it was “ready to be reloaded into the engine!” (Erkki & Rytkönen, 1999, p. 3). It was concluded that after 40 to 50 years under water these wrecks pose potential risks of oil spills. Even if oil spills does not occur on the surface directly, but occasionally with changes in water temperature and the slow corrosion of the fuel tanks, it will cause much damage to the marine environment. Regular observations were considered too expensive, but the report emphasized that there are risks for a large oil spill with some hundred tonnes of fuel

12

Ships that had sunk before 1910 were not included (Heli Haapasaari, pers. comm.).

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oil drifting to the shore (ibid). Furthermore, the study described cases of oil recovery operations from shipwrecks, as shown in the next section. The table of contents for Rytkönen (1999) was translated by Ms. Haapasaari and is presented in annex 2.

3.2.2 On-site Inventories and Oil Removal

SYKE further conducts one to two on-site inventories annually to assess pollution risks from category 1 shipwrecks. Based on these studies, SYKE take decisions whether to remove oil from the wrecks that poses danger to the environment. According to Erkki & Rytkönen (1999) the main oil removal operations in the 1990’s concerned M/S Estonia and S/S Park Victory.

Figure 2. Similar ship type as S/S Park Victory (from SYKE, 2009, p. 4).

The case of S/S Park Victory is of particular interest here since it was a 50 year old wreck that leaked large quantities of oil. The report, SYKE (2009), show the complexity, the difficulties, the costs and also the success of oil removal from old shipwrecks. The American 9000 DWT freighter (Victory type) S/S Park Victory was built in 1945. The ship was loaded with coal when it sank in 1947 after being hit by a snow storm on her way from Newport, USA to Helsinki. The ship broke in half and is now located in about 30-40 meters depth outside Utö Island. Already in 1985, divers had informed about the oil onboard. Oil leakage was detected in august 1994.13 About 35 litres per day leaked from the wreck. After two days the holes were blocked by divers, but this was only a temporary solution. About 20 m3 of oil from the settling tanks was then removed the same year. The volume of bunker fuel inside the wreck was estimated to 600 tonnes. The poor condition of the wreck was an obvious threat to the environment. The Finnish Ministry of the Environment thus authorized SYKE to conduct oil removal from the other tanks of the wreck. The removal operation was carried out during 1994 to 2000. A total of 410 m3 oil was removed. The report describes the operation as from 1998. Before that, about 100 tonnes had been removed, but there were still oil in the bottom tanks. The operation was difficult because of the wreck’s poor condition, the amount of coal that had to be removed and the weather conditions. The coal was removed by a special remote controlled equipment called “Mammut Pump”. Some coal was soiled by oil. This was dealt with by pumping oily coal though a pipe into a barge. The oil was then collected from the water surface of the barge by shovelling. After a ladder had collapsed when a diver touched it, SYKE had to consider the risks involved compared to the benefits from the operation. An example of other difficulties experienced was leakage of oil when heating up the tanks in order to remove the oil. Heating was thus interrupted during several nights, since leakages would not have been detected. The total cost of the operations from

13

However, the report also says that “oil emissions had been detected from the wreck during several summers” (SYKE, 2009, p. 4).

16

1994 to 2000 was 21 320 938 FIM14. The unit cost for the removed oil was 52 FIM/litre15 (SYKE, 2009).

Figure 3. “The crane on the right is hosting the Mammut pump” (from SYKE, 2009, p.12).

Figure 4. Oil removal operation from the surface (from SYKE, 2009, p.33).

Another highly relevant on-site inventory was of the wreck of M/S Coolaroo. The 5600 DWT freighter was built in 1956 at EMV in Gothenburg (www.environment.fi, 2010c; Kommandobryggan, 2010). It sank in 1961 outside Helsinki after leaving the Port of Helsinki with full tanks. SYKE conducted on-site inventories of the wreck from 2001 to 2005, since it was categorized as category 1. The aim of the inventories was to give a realistic estimate of the amount of oil left in the wreck. The double bottom tanks were still intact after 45 years, even though the vessel had broken into two parts and was located about 20 meters deep. The ship had no cargo when it sank. However, the cargo hold was filled with coarse gravel and wood after the sinking, making oil removal difficult. Debris was cleared in order to access the tanks, though there were still over 400 cubic meters of gravel and wood to remove from the hold in 2006. The strategy was to clear the bow cargo holds in order to access the bow tanks and estimate the amount of oil (www.environment.fi, 2010c). When the tanks finally were checked it was found that there were no oil left in the tanks. The work on M/S Coolaroo was thus finalised without the need for oil removal operation (Heli Haapasaari, pers. comm.).

Figure 5. M/S Coolaroo (from Kommandobryggan, 2010).

14

Approximately 3.6m € (conversion date: 21.5.2010). 15

Approximately 8.7 €/litre (conversion date: 21.5.2010).

17

Furthermore, the freighter M/S Brita Dan sank in 1964 and started to leak oil outside Rauma in June 2003. SYKE removed a total of 20 m³ relatively light grade fuel oil (www.environment.fi, 2010b). Oil removal has also been conducted from a fuel barge that sank during the Second World War and was located in a nature reserve outside Hangö. The oil removal operation was conducted in 2007. About 700 tonnes of diesel and heavy fuel oil was removed (Copenhagen Agreement, 2007). As recent as October 4, 2010, YLE News reported that the oil has been successfully removed from the cargo ship M/A Jut'n Feldman, which sank near Helsinki in 1953 on its way from Hamina to Germany. The wreck is located 45 metres deep. The investigations started in 2008. There was no leakage, though the fact that the oil tanks were located inside the engine room, raised concern about leakage through a ventilation pipe. The tanks contained 4,500 litres of fuel oil. There were also lube oil onboard. In October 2010, the fuel tanks were successfully drained. The news report further mentioned that a number of other wrecks are being investigated (YLE News, 2010; Copenhagen Agreement, 2008).

3.3 Russia

Nothing could be said in this report about the Russian situation since no information was provided, nor found, on potential pollution from shipwrecks in Russia. The reader is referred to the method section for a description of the efforts made to get hold of the information sought and also to the contact list in Annex 1.

3.4 Estonia Under the Estonian Code of Merchant Shipping (Chapter 6), the Estonian Maritime Administration is responsible for investigating wrecks and has to eliminate those which pose danger to safety or the environment. The Estonian Maritime Administration is also responsible to map and register wrecks along the fairways. According to Mr. Mart Käbin at the Estonian Border Guard, the practice for wreck pollution is to react like any other pollution matter. Mr Käbin highlighted that it would be too expensive to map, investigate and monitor old shipwrecks or to take preventive measures to ensure the environmental safety. No documents on shipwreck pollution where known by Mr. Käbin other than the legislation concerned, which is in Estonian language (Mart Käbin, pers. comm.). The Estonian Maritime Museum has been involved in the work of the Estonian Register of Wrecks for more than 30 years. No wreck has been investigated from the aspects of potential pollution. Mr. Vello Mäss at the Estonian Maritime Museum did not know any institution in Estonia working on shipwreck pollution at the time. He further noted that they have found wrecks with ammunition and explosives on board. The Estonian Maritime Museum participated in the removal operations of these wrecks, but it has been the only work conducted with environmental aspects (Vello Mäss, pers. comm.).

3.5 Latvia Ms. Vija Putane, senior legal adviser at the Maritime Administration of Latvia and PhD student for Latvian University, is currently writing a thesis on wreck removal operations and national and international regulations. Ms. Putane informed that Latvian authorities have not conducted any work on potential pollution from shipwrecks and that no databases or

18

official programs dealing with shipwrecks exist (Vija Putane, pers. comm.). The legislation prescribing the procedures for the use of Latvian waters (and the navigation regime therein) states that the Maritime Administration of Latvia shall register shipwrecks (Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia, Regulation 508, 2005, para 33). According to Ms. Putane this task consisted of compiling information and identifying wrecks that poses danger to navigation. The legislation further states the following: “Research and retrieval of ship wrecks and other property sunken in Latvian waters shall be carried out with a permit of the Maritime Administration. After co-ordination with the State Inspection for Heritage Protection, the referred to permit shall be issued only for scientific and archaeological purposes, as well as in order to destroy a ship wreck, if it impedes navigation” (Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia, Regulation 508, 2005, para 32).

Evija Smite at the Ministry of Environment informs that there have been cases when pollution from shipwrecks has been evaluated and eliminated, but that they concerned recently sunken ships in port areas where oil pollution was visible on the surface. No visible pollution has been detected from old shipwrecks. Furthermore, Ms. Smite expressed that old shipwrecks are “not a significant source of pollution in Latvian marine waters” (Evija Smite pers. comm.).

3.6 Lithuania

Mr. Robertinas Tarasevičius, Deputy Director at the Lithuanian Maritime Safety Administration, informs that no work has been conducted on shipwrecks in Lithuania. The Maritime Safety Administration is the only institution capable of conducting wreck surveys, since it is the only institution which possesses hydrographical survey vessels and conducts underwater surveying. The surveys concerns only waterways adopted by HELCOM, and thus not all of the territorial sea. Wrecks discovered within the HELCOM area are of interest for obstruction to navigation. In addition, survey information is submitted to Klaipeda University for their historical value (Robertinas Tarasevičius, pers. comm.).

3.7 Poland

The Maritime Search and Rescue Service at the Polish Maritime Administration is responsible for pollution incident response. There are three Maritime Administration Offices. The Maritime Office in Gdynia has various responsibilities for pollution prevention and control, such as satellite and aerial surveillance of the Polish territorial waters and EEZ. The governmental work on shipwrecks has primarily been related to safety of navigation issues. The central rescue services have only been involved in one oil spill case. This was an oil spill from a World War II shipwreck, which occurred when an operation to destroy munitions caused a release of light fuel oil (Baltic Master II, 2010; Marek Reszko, pers. comm.; European Commission, 2010). However, the Maritime Institute in Gdaosk has a wreck monitoring program in the Polish EEZ and has been conducting inventories since 1998 (Gajewski et al., 2009; Benedykt Hac, pers. comm.). The institute is a research and development unit under the Ministry of Maritime Economy. It offers consultations and services in, inter alia; transport economy, maritime law, economics, operational oceanography, marine ecology and monitoring of the Southern Baltic (Maritime Institute in

19

Gdaosk, 2010). Surveys on 2-3 shipwrecks are conducted annually (Benedykt Hac, pers. comm.). The aim of the surveys is to assess the wreck’s impact on the marine environment. The work has resulted in a list of wrecks categorized according to the “degree of danger” to the environment (Gajewski et al., 2009). Dr. Benedykt Hac has participated in the inventories and provided a report on the wreck of S/S Stuttgart. It was in Polish, but included a summary in English. The report concerns monitoring pollution of bottom sediments in the area of the wreck, which was carried out in 2009. The hospital ship S/S Stuttgart sank in 1943 in the Gulf of Gdaosk. The wreck is lying in a trough, which is filled by heavy fuel oil from the wreck. The oil is slowly flowing down the Gulf of Gdaosk, reaching about 2 hectares with an estimated volume of 500-1000 m3. It had been investigated earlier in 1999 and 2001. The aim of the 2009 inventory was to asses the wreck’s impact on the marine environment. The inventory included, inter alia, geological analysis of the seabed and chemical analysis of the water column and bottom sediments. Furthermore, zoobenthos16 was used as an indicator of the condition of the marine environment.

Figure 6. S/S Stuttgart (from Gajewski et al., 2009, figure 3).

It was found that the spreading of the contaminated area had stagnated. However, the study concluded that the site is a “local ecological disaster”. Additional investigations were recommended in order to choose appropriate recovery measures. The report argues that inventories of sunken wrecks for potential negative impacts on the environment (and for the prevention of pollution) follow obligations under the Helsinki Convention and Polish Acts. Gathered data can be used in forecasting potential pollution by the Polish Maritime Administration (Gajewski et al., 2009).

3.8 Germany

The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany (BSH) is responsible for wreck search17, which also includes objects such as containers and old ammunition. The location and shallowest depth of an object are identified and charted to ensure the safety of navigation. Each year, about 200 objects are surveyed. Many positions are routinely re-

16

Zoobenthos = “Invertebrate animals that live in or on seabed habitats, including the intertidal zone” (European Environment Agency, 2010). 17

The term is defined by the BSH as “the investigation of underwater obstructions” (BSH, 2010)

20

surveyed, since wrecks may change their position due to scours in the seabed18. In addition, the depth above a wreck could change. A database has been developed by the BSH, which today comprises about 2,500 positions (BSH, 2010). The focus of the wreck search is safety of navigation. However, “obvious” pollution threats are included in the reports when they can be identified during regular investigations. Reports are submitted to different authorities depending on the relevance to their responsibilities. Each federal state of Germany has responsibility for environmental protection. Thus, the federal state concerned with the specific pollution threat decides the course of action (Thomas Dehling, pers. comm.).

3.9 Denmark

The Danish Maritime Safety Administration (DMSA) records all wrecks within the Danish EEZ and has established a shipwreck database. The purpose of the database is only for safety of navigation. It includes information such as ship type, ownership, cargo and fuel. Denmark has not experienced oil pollution from old shipwrecks. Mr. Jan Anker at DMSA informs that he has no knowledge of any work done on shipwreck pollution, except for the Swedish study Lindström (2006) made within the project Forum Skagerrak II (Jan Anker, pers. comm.). The study compiles existing information from Denmark, Norway and Sweden concerning the number of shipwrecks likely to contain oil and/or other hazardous substances in the sea of Skagerrak (Lindström, 2006). 90% of shipwrecks recorded by DMSA before the year 2000 only include information about the clearance depth above the wreck, the best known position and water depth at the position. The deep part of the North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat, and the Baltic Sea were not considered Danish responsibility before the 1960’s. Hence, the DMSA has very little information about the World War II wrecks in these areas (Jan Anker, pers. comm.).

3.10 Summary of Work in the Investigated States

To summarize, the table below shows the different approaches taken by the countries examined in this chapter.

State Registration by authorities

Reasons (1) Potential

pollution (2) Safety of navigation

Work on potential

pollution risks

On-site investigations

Oil removal from old

shipwrecks

Finland Yes 1/2 Yes (G) Yes Yes Russia - - - - - Estonia Yes 2 Latvia Yes 2

Lithuania Yes 2 Poland Yes 2 Yes Yes

Germany Yes 2 Denmark Yes 2

G = Governmental

18

Scour holes are formed when changing tidal streams wash out sediments around the wreck. A wreck could slide down into the scour hole with different results, e.g. bow lifted higher (BSH, 2010).

21

4 Conclusions A conclusion of the early work of this study is that potential pollution from old and ownerless shipwrecks is an environmental issue receiving little attention. No research on shipwreck pollution in the Baltic Sea was found in database searches. Within the European Union, a flagship project under the Action Plan to the Baltic Sea Strategy was found, which does not focus on oil pollution from shipwrecks. Although the topic has been raised a few times, nothing has been done within HELCOM. It is concluded that the sessions within the framework of the Copenhagen Agreement has been the closest and most active regional forum for considering shipwreck pollution for three Baltic Sea States; Sweden, Denmark and Finland. The results of this study have shown varied commitments on potential shipwreck pollution in seven of the eight investigated Baltic Sea States. Further research should be devoted to the Russian situation. All other investigated States have responsible authorities for mapping shipwrecks for safety of navigation, and in a few cases, immediate pollution threats. Only Finland has governmental work on potential pollution risks and oil removal. For Sweden, there are much to be learnt from the experiences and findings of both SYKE in Finland and the Maritime Institute in Gdaosk, Poland. However, the majority of their work is reported in national language. As emphasized by the recommendation in GESAMP (2007), there is urgency to address and monitor the risks of shipwreck pollution and to take actions. The great variety shown in this study on how the States deal with the issue, together with the vulnerable marine and coastal environment of the Baltic Sea, are incentives for co-operation between the Baltic Sea States. Regional harmonization of approaches to shipwreck pollution should thus be higher on the agenda at HELCOM. An oil spill in the Baltic Sea could have severe effects on any Baltic Sea State’s marine and coastal environment.

5 Recommendations A possible first step for co-operation between the Baltic Sea States would be a mutual presentation of Sweden’s, Finland’s and Poland’s work at HELCOM. It is suggested to address the issue through a seminar or workshop on methods for dealing with potential pollution from old shipwrecks. It is also recommended that Sweden, Denmark and Finland make joint efforts to raise the work conducted within the framework of the Copenhagen Agreement at HELCOM. Furthermore, it is recommended that all Baltic Sea States write any report on shipwreck pollution in English for future knowledge sharing.

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6 References Baltic Master II (2010) Documentation Baltic Master II conference, Gdaosk 5-6 May, 2010. http://www.regionblekinge.se/upload/documentation.pdf Bernes, C. (2005) Förändringar under ytan: Sveriges havsmiljö granskad på djupet. Monitor 19, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Stockholm, Sweden. ISBN: 91-620-1245-2. BSH (2010) Wreck search. Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany, 27.4.2010. http://www.bsh.de/en/Marine_data/Hydrographic_surveys_and_wreck_search/Wreck_search/index.jsp Copenhagen Agreement (2005) Copenhagen Agreement: Nordic cooperation for the marine environment. Sirius, June 2005. http://www.ust.is/kph/brochure2006.pdf Copenhagen Agreement (2000 – 2009) Plenary Sessions. Retrieved 1.11.2010 on: http://www.copenhagenagreement.org/ Specific URL: http://www.ust.is/kph/rapporter1.htm European Commission (2010) Fact Sheet – Poland. Maritime Affairs, 29.9.2010. http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/memberstates/factsheet_poland.pdf European Environment Agency (2010) Environmental Terminology and Discovery Service (ETDS). 8.11.2010. http://glossary.eea.europa.eu/terminology/concept_html?term=zoobenthos Elmgren, R. (2001) Understanding Human Impact on the Baltic Ecosystem: Changing Views in Recent Decades. Ambio 30. Erkki, M., & Rytkönen, J. (1999) The threat of oil spill from sunken ships in Finnish coastal waters. Finnish Environment Institute, Helsinki, Finland. Facta Nautica. LAZARETTSCHIFF C, ex STUTTGART. 3.5.2010. http://www.graptolite.net/Facta_Nautica/Stuttgart.html Finnish Ministry of the Environment (2005) Action Plan for the Protection of the Baltic Sea and Inland Watercourses. Finnish Ministry of the Environment, Environmental Protection Department, ISBN 952-11-2294-3 (PDF). Formas (2008) Development of a protocol for risk assessment of potentially polluting shipwrecks in Scandinavian waters. Hassellöv IM. et al. Formas project description, registration no. 2008-1510, The Swedish Research Council Formas. Retrieved at: http://proj.formas.se/default.asp?funk=as

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Gajewski, Ł., Hac, B., Lisimenka, A., Nowak, J., Osowiecki, A., Spacjer R. (2009) Monitoring of seabed pollution in the areas of sunken wrecks: Wreck of s/s Stuttgar. Maritime Institute in Gdaosk, Gdaosk, Poland. Hassellöv, I.M. (2007) Förstudie om Vraksanering. AGS office at Chalmers, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden. ISBN: 978-91-976534-4-2. GESAMP (2007) Estimates of oil entering the marine environment from sea-based activities. IMO/FAO/UNESCO-IOC/UNIDO/WMO/IAEA/UN/UNEP Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP), Rep. Stud. GESAMP No. 75, 96 pp, ISBN 978-92-801-4236-5. HELCOM (2008) Response Group, Minutes of the Tenth Meeting, Warnemünde, Germany, 29-31 October 2008. Document: HELCOM RESPONSE 10/2008 17/1/Rev.1. Helsinki Commission, Helsinki, Finland. HELCOM (2009) Response Group, Minutes of the Eleventh Meeting, Stockholm, Sweden, 23-25 September 2009. Document: HELCOM RESPONSE 11/2009 16/1/Rev.1. Helsinki Commission, Helsinki, Finland. IMO (2010a) Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, 2007. 7.5.2010. http://www.imo.org/Legal/mainframe.asp?topic_id=1319 IMO (2010b) Status of Conventions, as at 31 march 2010. http://www.imo.org/includes/blastData.asp/doc_id=693/status-x.xlsx.xls Kommandobryggan (2010) M/S Coolaroo. 1.11.2010. http://www.kommandobryggan.se/transatlantic/coolaroo.htm Lindgren, F. and Molander, S. (2009) Using a Weight of Evidence method to connect anthropogenic stressors with environmental effects in the Baltic Sea. ESA Report 2009:1. Department of Energy and Environment, Division of Environmental Systems Analysis, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden. ISSN nr: 1404-8167 Lindström, P. (2006) Vrak i Skagerrak: Sammanfattning av kunskaperna kring miljöriskerna med läckande vrak i Skagerrak. Forum Skagerrak II, the County Administrative Board of Västra Götaland, Sweden. MacKenzie, B., Almesjö, L., Hansson, S. (2004) Fish, Fishing, and Pollutant Reduction in the Baltic Sea. Envron. Sci. Techno. 38, 1970-1976. Maritime Institute in Gdaosk (2010) About Institute. 27.4.2010. http://www.en.im.gda.pl/about-institute Michel, J., D. Etkin, T. Gilbert, J. Waldron, C. Blocksidge, and R. Urban (2005) Potentially Polluting Wrecks in Marine Waters: An Issue Paper Presented at the 2005 International Oil Spill Conference. American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C., 76 pp.

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Monfils, R. (2005) The global risk of marine pollution from WWII shipwrecks: Examples from the seven seas. Proceedings of the International Oil Spill Conference (IOSC), May 15-19 2005, Miami Beach, Florida, USA. Swedish Agency for Administrative Development (2008) Vrak och ägarlösa båtar. 2008:6, Swedish Agency for Administrative Development, Stockholm, Sweden. Swedish Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications (2009) Uppdrag till Sjöfartsverket att inventera förekomsten av miljörisker från vrak. Governmental decision 1113, date: 20.5.2009, reg. nr: N2009/4683/TR, Swedish Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications, Stockholm, Sweden. SYKE (2009) Oil removal from a 50 year old wreck of S/S Park Victory, 1994-2000. Finnish Environment Institute, Helsinki, Finland. www.environment.fi (2010a) Developing response techniques. 9.4.2010. http://www.miljo.fi/default.asp?contentid=62065&lan=EN www.environment.fi (2010b) Oil in wrecks. 1.11.2010. http://www.ymparisto.fi/default.asp?contentid=344186&lan=EN www.environment.fi (2010c) Oljebekämpningen återupptas vid vraket av M/S Coolaroo utanför Helsingfors. 1.11.2010. http://www.environment.fi/default.asp?contentid=196631&lan=sv YLE News (2010) Oil Removed from 1950s Ship Wreck. Published 4.10.2010. http://yle.fi/uutiset/teksti/news/2010/10/oil_removed_from_1950s_ship_wreck_2030138.html LEGAL/POLITICAL DOCUMENTS COM (2007) 575 final Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee Of The Regions. Conclusions from the Consultation on a European Maritime Policy. Commission of the European Communities, Brussels, 10.10.2007. SEC (2009) 712 Commission Staff Working Document Accompanying the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions Concerning the European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. Action Plan. Commission of the European Communities, Brussels, 10.6.2009.

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Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, 1992 (Helsinki Convention). November 2008, including the 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2007 amendments. HELCOM Secretariat, Helsinki Commission, Helsinki, Finland. HELCOM Recommendation 17/12. Measures to Abate Pollution by Oil and Other Harmful Substances in Cases of Grounding, Collision, Sinking of a Ship or Other Maritime Casualty. Adopted 13 March 1996. HELCOM Secretariat, Helsinki Commission, Helsinki, Finland. Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia, Regulation No. 508, 12 July, 2005 Procedures for the Use of Latvian Waters and the Shipping Regime Thereof. Issued pursuant to Section 7, Paragraph two of the Latvian Maritime Administration and Marine Safety Law. PERSONAL COMMUNICATION Benedykt Hac, PhD, Maritime Institute in Gdaosk, Department of Operational Oceanography, Gdaosk, Poland. Email conversation, 26.3.2010. Evija Smite, Ministry of Environment, State Environmental Service, Marine and Inland Waters Administration, Riga, Latvia. Email conversation, 15.12.2009. Heli Haapasaari, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Environmental Damage Division, Helsinki, Finland. Email conversation, 11.12.2009, 26.2.2010, 1.3.2010 and 11.5.2010. Jan Anker, Danish Maritime Safety Administration, Copenhagen, Denmark. Email conversation, 29.4.2010. Marek Reszko, Maritime Search and Rescue Service, Gdynia, Poland. Email conversation, 25.3.2010. Mart Käbin, Estonian Board of Border Guard, Tallinn, Estonia. Email conversation, 10.12.2009. Monika Stankiewicz, Professional Secretary, HELCOM Secretariat, Maritime & Response, Helsinki Commission, Helsinki, Finland. Conversation by phone and email, 8.12.2009 and 28.9.2010. Pawel Banas, Ministry of Infrastructure, Shipping Safety Department, Warsaw, Poland. Email conversation, 22.3.2010.

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Robertinas Tarasevičius, Deputy Director, Lithuanian Maritime safety Administration, Klaipėda, Lithuania. Email conversation 1.4.2010. Thomas Dehling, Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany, Head of Hydrographic Surveying Division, Rostock, Germany. Email conversation, 26.4.2010. Vello Mäss, Maritime archaeology researcher, Estonian Maritime Museum, Tallinn, Estonia. Email conversation, 21.3.2010. Vija Putane, PhD student, Latvian University, senior legal advisor, Maritime Administration of Latvia, Riga, Latvia. Email conversation, 30.3.2010.

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7 Bibliographies THE BALTIC SEA ENVIRONMENT Baltic Sea Portal http://www.itameriportaali.fi/en/en_GB/en Bernes, C. (2005) Change Beneath the Surface: An In-Depth Look at Sweden’s Marine Environment. Monitor 19, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Stockholm, Sweden. ISBN: 91-620-1246-0. European Commission. EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cooperation/baltic/index_en.htm Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) http://www.helcom.fi/ SHIPWRECK POLLUTION Section 3.3.5. in: GESAMP (2007) Estimates of oil entering the marine environment from sea-based activities. IMO/FAO/UNESCO-IOC/UNIDO/WMO/IAEA/UN/UNEP Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP), Rep. Stud. GESAMP No. 75, 96 pp, ISBN 978-92-801-4236-5. Michel, J., D. Etkin, T. Gilbert, J. Waldron, C. Blocksidge, and R. Urban (2005) Potentially Polluting Wrecks in Marine Waters: An Issue Paper Presented at the 2005 International Oil Spill Conference. American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C., 76 pp. Monfils, R. (2005) The global risk of marine pollution from WWII shipwrecks: Examples from the seven seas. Proceedings of the International Oil Spill Conference (IOSC), May 15-19 2005, Miami Beach, Florida, USA. SWEDEN Hassellöv, I.M. (2007) Förstudie om Vraksanering. AGS office at Chalmers, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden. ISBN: 978-91-976534-4-2. Lindström, P. (2006) Vrak i Skagerrak: Sammanfattning av kunskaperna kring miljöriskerna med läckande vrak i Skagerrak. Forum Skagerrak II, the County Administrative Board of Västra Götaland, Sweden. Swedish Agency for Administrative Development (2008) Vrak och ägarlösa båtar. 2008:6, Swedish Agency for Administrative Development, Stockholm, Sweden.

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Swedish Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications (2009) Uppdrag till Sjöfartsverket att inventera förekomsten av miljörisker från vrak. Governmental decision 1113, date: 20.5.2009, reg. nr: N2009/4683/TR, Swedish Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications, Stockholm, Sweden. FINLAND

The website for Finland’s environmental administration www.environment.fi Jolma, K. & Mykkänen, E. (1996) THE REMOVAL OF OIL IN THE WRECK OF THE MS. "ESTONIA". Technical report. Finnish Environment Institute, Helsinki, Finland. SYKE (2009) Oil removal from a 50 year old wreck of S/S Park Victory, 1994-2000. Finnish Environment Institute, Helsinki, Finland. Rytkönen, J. (1999) Uponneiden alusten öljypäästövaara. Research Report: VAL34-992239. VTT Manufacturing Technology, April 1999, Espoo, Finland. POLAND Website for Maritime Institute in Gdaosk http://www.en.im.gda.pl/ Gajewski, Ł., Hac, B., Lisimenka, A., Nowak, J., Osowiecki, A., Spacjer R. (2009) Monitoring of seabed pollution in the areas of sunken wrecks: Wreck of s/s Stuttgar. Maritime Institute in Gdaosk, Gdaosk, Poland. FURTHER INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL CO-OPERATIONS

Copenhagen Agreement http://www.ust.is/kph/ International Maritime Organization (IMO) http://www.imo.org/ International Oil Spill Conference (IOSC) http://www.iosc.org/index.aspx Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) http://www.gesamp.org/ Nordic Council of Ministers http://www.norden.org/en/nordic-council-of-ministers?ref=info_for

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Annex 1: Contact List Name Organization

/ Department Address Phone, fax and email Use in the

study

HELCOM Ms. Monika Stankiewicz

Helsinki Commission HELCOM Secretariat Maritime & Response Professional Secretary

Katajanokanlaituri 6 B FI-00160 Helsinki Finland

Phone/Fax/SMS: +358 (0)207 412 643 monika.stankiewicz@helcom.fi

Useful information by phone and email and a contact list was provided.

Mr. Mikhail Durkin

Helsinki Commission HELCOM Secretariat Land Professional Secretary

Katajanokanlaituri 6 B FI-00160 Helsinki Finland

Phone: +358 46 850 9195 Fax: +358 (0)207 412 645 mikhail.durkin@helcom.fi

Contacted concerning the Russian situation. Useful contact information.

DENMARK Mr. Morten Siersbæk

Ministry of the Environment Agency for Spatial and Environmental Planning Nature Division

Haraldsgade 53 DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø

Dir.Phone: +45 7254 4818 Fax: +45 3927 9899 Email: mosie@blst.dk

Email forwarded.

Mr. Kjeld Frank Jørgensen

Danish Ministry of the Environment Agency for Spatial and Environmental Planning Nature Division

Haraldsgade 53 DK - 2100 Copenhagen Ø

Direct phone: (+45) 72 54 48 65 kjeldf@blst.dk

No knowledge of information on this matter. Try with DMSA.

Ms. Gertrud Hermansen

Danish Maritime Safety Administration (DMSA)

Overgaden o. Vandet 62 B P.O. Box 1919 DK -1023 Copenhagen K

Mob. +45 4131 9243 Fax +45 3257 4341 ghe@frv.dk

Searched for right contact person and forwarded email.

Mr. Jan Anker

Danish Maritime Safety Administration (DMSA)

Overgaden o. Vandet 62 B P.O. Box 1919 DK -1023 Copenhagen K

Phone: +45 3268 9662 Fax: +45 3257 4341 jaa@frv.dk

Short and useful information by email.

ESTONIA Mr. Olev Luhtein

Ministry of the Environment of Estonia Water Department

Narva mnt. 7A EE-15172 Tallinn

Dir.Phone: +372 6262896 Fax: +372 6262896 Email: olev.luhtein@envir.ee

Email forwarded.

Mr. Mart Käbin

Estonian Board of Border Guard

Pärnu mnt 139/1 EE-15183 Tallinn

Dir.Phone: +372 6149 174 Fax: +372 6149 016 Email: mart.kabin@pv.ee

Short and useful information and two contacts.

Mr. Vello Mäss

Estonian Maritime Museum Maritime archaeology researcher

Pikk 70, 10133, Tallinn

Phone: +372 52 61 991 E-mail: vello@meremuuseum.ee

Short and useful information by email.

Mr. René SIROL Estonian Maritime Administration chief Ship Traffic Safety Section

Lume 9, 10416 Tallinn

Phone: +372 620 5700 rene.sirol@vta.ee

Email forwarded by an employee.

FINLAND Mr. Kalervo Jolma

Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) Expert Services Department Environmental Damages Division

P.O. Box 140 FI-00251 Helsinki

Dir.Phone: +358 400 444 686 Fax: +358 9 5490 2478 Email: kalervo.jolma@environment.fi

Email forwarded

Ms. Heli Haapasaari Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) Environmental Damage Division

P.O. Box 140 FI-00251 Helsinki

Dir.Phone: +358 40 1793 050 Fax: +358 9 5490 2478 Email: heli.haapasaari@environment.fi

Plenty information by email and reports.

30

Name Organization / Department

Address Phone, fax and email Use in the study

GERMANY Mr. Michael Akkermann

Central Command for Maritime Emergencies (CCME) Maritime Pollution Control/High Sea Section

Am Alten Hafen 2 D-27472 Cuxhaven

Dir.Phone: +49 4721 567 481 Fax: +49 4721 567 490 Email: MAkkermann@havariekommando.de

One link and two contacts.

Mr. Thomas Dehling Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany (BSH) Head of Hydrographic Surveying Division

Neptunallee 5 18057 Rostock

Tel: +49 (0) 381 4563-719 Fax: +49 (0) 381 4563-948 Email: thomas.dehling@bsh.de

Short and useful information.

Mr. Jürgen Monk Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany (BSH) Division N (survey and wrecksearch).

Neptunallee 5 18057 Rostock

Email: juergen.monk@bsh.de

No reply.

LATVIA Ms. Evija Smite

Marine and Inland Waters Administration State Environmental Service Ministry of Environment

Voleru Street 2 LV-1007 Riga

Dir.Phone: +371 6740 8169 Fax: +371 6746 5888 Email: evija.smite@jiup.vvd.gov.lv

Short and useful information and email forwarded.

Ms. Gertrude Anina Maritime Administration of Latvia

Trijadibas str. 5 LV-1048 Riga

gertrude.anina@lja.lv Email forwarded.

Ms. Vija Putane Maritime Administration of Latvia and PhD student for Latvian University.

Trijadibas str. 5 LV-1048 Riga

vija.putane@lja.lv Information by email.

LITHUANIA Mr. Robertinas Tarasevičius

Lithuanian Maritime safety Administration Deputy Director

J.Janonio str. 24, 92251, Klaipėda

+370 46 469 603 robertinas.tarasevicius@msa.lt

Short and useful information.

POLAND Ms. Agnieszka Zaplatka

Ministry of Infrastructure Shipping Safety Department

Chalubinskiego Str. 4/6 PL-00 928 Warsaw

Dir.Phone: +48 22 6301 377 Fax: +48 22 6301497 Email: azaplatka@mi.gov.pl

Email forwarded.

Mr. Stanislaw Lunkiewicz

Maritime Office in Gdynia

10 Chrzanowskiego Str. PL-81 338 Gdynia

Dir.Phone: +48 58 6205 825 Fax: +48 58 6206 743 Email: foka@umgdy.gov.

No reply.

Mr. Marek Reszko

Maritime Search and Rescue Service

Hryniewickiego 10 P.O. Box 375 PL-81 340 Gdynia

Dir.Phone: +48 58 6607 613 Fax: +48 58 6607 614 Email: marek.reszko@sar.gov.pl

Short and useful information, one link and email forwarded.

Ms. Magdalena Wesolowska

Maritime Office in Szczecin International Co-operation Division

Pl. Batorego 4 PL-70 207 Szczecin

Dir.Phone: +48 91 4403 301 Fax: +48 91 4403 306 Email: mwesolowska@ums.gov.pl

No reply.

Mr. Pawel Banas

Ministry of Infrastructure Shipping Safety Department

4/6 Chałubińskiego Str. 00-928 Warsaw,

tel. +48 22 630 18 06 fax. +48 22 630 14 97 pbanas@mi.gov.pl

Information by email and two contacts.

Mr. Kazimierz Szefler

Maritime Institute in Gdańsk Department of Operational Oceanography professor

Długi Targ 41/42 80-830 Gdańsk

im@im.gda.pl No reply.

Mr. Benedykt Hac, Maritime Institute in Gdańsk Department of Operational Oceanography PhD and college to professor Szefler.

Długi Targ 41/42 80-830 Gdańsk

Benedykt.Hac@im.gda.pl Plenty information by email and reports.

Mr. Andrzej Osowiecki

Department of Ecology Maritime Institute in Gdańsk PhD

80-307 Gdańsk Abrahama 1 St.

tel.: (0-58) 552-00-93, 552-03-68 fax: (0-58) 552-46-13

No new information.

31

Name Organization / Department

Address Phone, fax and email Use in the study

RUSSIA Ms. Natalia Kutaeva

State Marine Pollution Control, Salvage and Rescue Administration of the Russian Federation (SMPCSRA) Maritime Environment Protection Division

Ul. Petrovka 3/6 RU-125993 Moscow

Dir.Phone: +7 495 6261 808 Fax: +7 495 6261 809 Email: kutaevang@smpcsa.ru

Reply on the third email in November 2010. Formal request was needed.

Ms. Julia Smolina

State Marine Pollution Control, Salvage & Rescue Administration of the Russian Federation (SMPCSRA)

3/6 Petrovka Str. RU-125993 Moscow

Dir.Phone: +7 495 6261 807 Fax: +7 495 6261 809 Email: smolinayy@smpcsa.ru

No reply.

Mr. Igor I. Maydanov

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation Department for International Cooperation

4/6, B. Gruzinskaya st., D-242, GSP-5 RU-123995 Moscow

Dir.Phone: +7 495 2520300 Fax: +7 495 2548283 Email: maydanov@mnr.gov.ru

No reply.

- Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, Department of Rosprirodnadzor in North-West Federal District, Marine Control Division.

Odoevskogo 24/1 St. Petersburg

marininspect@baltnet.ru No reply.

Mr Yury Brazhnikov Head of Directorate for International Cooperation, EMERCOM of Russia.

- Fax: +7 495 624 84 10, Email: dmd@mchs.gov.ru

No reply on email. No reply on formal request.

Ms. Olga Lukasheva

EMERCOM of Russia. - Email: dmd@mchs.gov.ru Formal request was needed.

32

Annex 2: Table of Contents, Rytkönen (1999)

wrecks in Finnish coast o M/S Estonia oil removal o S/S park Victory oil removal o Other wreck oil removal works (i.e. in other countries)

Wrecks’ fuel and cargo properties and the environmental threat o Fuel systems o Oil properties / tendency to surface

sea water temperature changes o the weathering of the oil in wrecks’ tanks o costs of wreck oil removal works

conclusions

literature references In total 70 pages (38 pages text + literature references and annexes)

33

Annex 3: Database Searches Searches were made in Scopus (Elsevier BV) http://www.scopus.com. TITLE-ABS-KEY = searches in title, abstract and keywords SHIPWRECKS IN GENERAL If one starts the simplest way, i.e.to search with shipwrecks in general, many disciplines and sources appear. The following Sciences were searched:

Earth and Planetary Sciences

Environmental Science

Agricultural and Biological Sciences The following sources (journals and conference papers) were searched:

International Journal of Nautical Archaeology

2005 International Oil Spill Conference IOSC 2005

Marine Pollution Bulletin

Oceans Conference Record IEEE

Petrole Et Gaz Informations When numerous results were presented only 40 were checked. Search 2009-11-30: TITLE-ABS-KEY(wreck) The results included three relevant conference papers from IOSC 2005 and an article from Environmental Science. Another simple search was made: TITLE-ABS-KEY(shipwrecks). The search gave 651 results. The results were limited to Environmental Science and gave 74 results. 40 checked results yielded no relevant articles or conference papers. SHIPWRECK POLLUTION IN THE BALTIC SEA The next step was to search for pollution from shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea. The searches and results are shown below. Search 2009-11-30: TITLE-ABS-KEY(shipwrecks AND pollution)

- 42 results, 1 relevant TITLE-ABS-KEY(shipwrecks AND "Baltic Sea")’

- 4 results, 0 relevant

34

Search 2009-11-26: TITLE-ABS-KEY(wreck AND "environmental impacts")

- 38 results, 0 relevant. TITLE-ABS-KEY(Wreck AND "environmental impacts" AND Baltic)

- No results. TITLE-ABS-KEY(wreck AND baltic)

- 18 results, 0 relevant. TITLE-ABS-KEY(wrecks AND "Baltic Sea")

- 12 results, 0 relevant. - The truncation (wreck*) gave equal results.

Search 2009-11-27: TITLE-ABS-KEY(wreck AND pollution)

- 140 results. Limitation to environmental science:

- 65 results, 1 relevant.

Search 2009-12-01: TITLE-ABS-KEY(WW2 AND shipwreck AND pollution)

- 0 results, - The truncation (shipwreck*) gave equal results.

TITLE-ABS-KEY(ww2 AND wreck AND pollution)

- No results TITLE-ABS-KEY("World War II" AND shipwreck*)

- 9 results, 0 relevant TITLE-ABS-KEY("World War II" AND wreck* AND pollution)

- 3 results. All were relevant, but not new for the searches.

35