Mitigation of Environmental Impact from Shipping

Abstract: In April 2014, the European Parliament endorsed a new Directive on Maritime Spatial Planning, a way to analyse and organize marine areas in an economically efficient and sustainable way. The Spatial planning includes mapping of all marine activities, such as aquaculture, shipping, nature conservation, military and wind turbines. Many interests are competing for the same geographical areas, and the conflict is often between economic and environmental interests. One dispute is between shipping and protected areas. Dynamic route planning is a way for vessels to adjust the shipping routes to various aspects, such as ecological sensitive areas. The focus of this study is to collect basic information and to mark on maps where protected areas with sensitive species exist in the Baltic Sea, with rough estimates of critical seasons that can be used in dynamic route planning for shipping. It will include recommendations for possible restrictions in various sensitive areas. This study shows that the environmental values most exposed to shipping in the Baltic Sea are birds, seals and porpoises. Oil spills are the greatest threat to sea-bird populations, since a high density of the species population can occur in the same geographical area during some seasons. Seals are especially vulnerable during winter when they rest and breed on the ice, where ships might cross and disturb or harm the populations. Passing vessels can physically injure porpoises, and the noise from the engines and sonar can disrupt their communication and scare them away from areas that might be important for their breeding and feeding. The main conclusions and recommendations are that the most important areas for porpoises should have a speed limit. The seal areas should have restricted shipping routes during winter ice conditions in the Gulf of Finland. Some of the sea-bird areas should be avoided completely during the seasons when a high density of the species population occurs there.