World Maritime Day 2022 is on 29 September, run by the International Maritime Organization.
This year, the theme is new technologies for greener shipping. We look at what the EU is doing to reduce incidents of pollution at sea and the projects tackling marine pollution incidents and their consequences for the marine and coastal environment.
An oil spill spreads across the sea surface, catching sea birds and other wildlife in its lethal slick. Birds covered in oil lose their natural buoyancy and are unable to fly. If they try to clean themselves, they ingest the oil that then damages their internal organs.
Marine environmental emergencies like oil or chemical spills have damaging effects on marine ecology, and human and marine life.
From participation in international treaties to EU-wide legislation, a range of anti-pollution services and national and regional funding, the EU is tackling the causes of marine pollution and supporting better prevention of, preparedness for, and response to marine disasters.
The EU co-funded the creation of the EUROWA network that can be mobilised 24/7 to assist a local response with oiled wildlife experts and equipment during emergency situations. The EUROWA-2 project further strengthens the network with new educational tools and training portfolio on oiled bird and sea turtle response.
EUROWA-2 joins other EU funded projects such as WestMOPoCo, whose guidelines on Hazardous and Noxious Substances are being considered for use by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and IMAROS, that provides insights into the environmental risks of spills of new generation Low Sulfur Fuel Oils.
Showing cooperation at work, the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre, which coordinates response offered by the Union Civil Protection Mechanism, benefits in its pollution monitoring and response activities through services offered by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).
EU Modules field exercises are also involved in better preparation for marine and coastal pollution. The first discussion-based ‘EU MODEX’ on marine pollution in Finland in February 2023 will focus on better coordination among offshore and shoreline pollution responders.
Strengthening the context within which these projects and activities take place, a legislative update is improving detection of pollution and enforcement of measures against illegal discharges. The EU’s Ship-Source Directive is currently being revised to make it more dissuasive to discharge polluting substances at sea and to ensure capacity to identify and verify pollution events and to effectively prosecute in a more coordinated approach across the EU.
There is long-standing regional cooperation against marine pollution, giving EU activities the strong framework for a collective effort on reducing the devastating effects of pollution emergencies at sea. The EU is party to the regional sea conventions - HELCOM, the BONN Agreement, the Lisbon Agreement and the Barcelona Convention - and is an observer to the Bucharest Convention.
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