interact newsflash mediterranean lab group spring 2012 issue

8/2/2019 INTERACT Newsflash Mediterranean Lab Group Spring 2012 Issue

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SPRING 2012 / SPECIAL ISSUE ON CAPITALISATION ACTIVITIES

key lessons from european territorialcooperation projects addressing

maritimerisks

INTERACT is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

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INTERACT MEDITERRANEAN NEWSFLASH02

contents

INTERACT 2007-2013

Unless otherwise stated, the copy-

right of material published in this

publication is owned by the INTER-

ACT Programme. You are permitted

to print or download extracts from

this material for your personal use.

This material is allowed to be used for

public use, provided the source is

acknowledged. None of this material

may be used for any commercial use.

Contact:

INTERACT Programme Secretariat

Bratislava Self Governing Region

Sabinovska 16

820 05 Bratislava 25

Slovakia

[email protected]

Publisher:

IP Valencia, February 2012

Editorial Team:

Mediterranean Lab Group and all its

participants. With thanks to all its con-

tributors.

External expertise:

Rseau Europe & Territoires Conseil

(Georges Mercier & Pascal Chazaud)

Graphic design:

www.01design.org

Aknowledgments:

Ana Subirats

David Incertis

Patricia Prez

Marisa Fernndez

Emili Garca Ladona

Enrique Alvarez Fanjul

Etienne Liberty

Nathalie Balcaen

Suzanne Slarsky Dael

Odd Aage Fre

Carsten Jrgensen

Peter S. Poulsen

04

mediterranean lab

group thematic pole

on maritime risks

04

european

context

05

mediterranean

context

07

overview of cooperation

projects addressing

maritime risks in the

mediterranean

10

examples of

projects good

practices

12

open discussion

on maritime safety

issues

14

main results of the

INTERACT survey on

maritime safety

projects

16

upcoming events in

the mediterranean

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editorial

Dear reader,

This third issue of the Mediterranean Newsflash, specifi-

cally devoted to maritime safety and risks, coincides with

the recent accident of Costa Concordia, the cruise ship

that struck a rock, on 13 January 2012, off the Islands

of Giglio, Italy. We all know the history of the Titanic

(14 April 1922), the cruiser that was preached to be the

most modern, most luxurious, fastest and even unsinkablebut it did sink.

Members of the European Parliament's Transport Com-

mittee have already engaged in debates regarding Costa

Concordia. However, they agreed to wait until the results

of the official investigation before reaching any conclu-

sion. Key questions relating to the compliance of existing

rules, size of the ship, number of passengers, human error

and liabilities were raised.

You may also remember recent accidents and oil spills

and their consequences to the sea and the land. Sincethen, international and European preventive measures

and response capacities have considerably improved, but

are we aware that from 1995-2005, approximately 80,000

tonnes of oil have been spilled in the Mediterranean Sea?

Must we raise awareness regarding these types of human

and environmental tragedies?

In this issue, the Mediterranean Lab Group highlights proj-

ects good practices (not only from the Mediterranean Sea

basin, but also from the Baltic, the Atlantic, North Sea

and French-English Channel), maps that show the areas

that are most prone to pollution and the allocated budgetto ETC projects in these areas. Also included are conclu-

sions from two workshops involving project practitioners

and an open discussion on how to improve the exchange

of information and data related to maritime safety.

Next steps within this thematic pole will focus on concrete

recommendations and key lessons for decision-makers,

project practitioners and operational programmes.

Bear in mind that the Mediterranean Sea basin receives

30% of world seaborne trade yearly as well as one quarter

of the worlds maritime traffic! In addition, human activi-

ties at sea (maritime transport, fisheries, tourism) create

great impact and cause risks. From the perspective of

European Territorial Cooperation, the programmes and

projects represent great opportunities to improve cooper-

ation and coordination capacities, to launch pilot activities

and to disseminate experiences throughout the EU while

improving the prevention and response capacities of

municipalities and regions!

Enjoy your reading!

Juan Viesca Marqus

welcome to the third issue

of the mediterranean newsflash

INTERACT MEDITERRANEAN NEWSFLASH 03

Juan Viesca Marqus

Director General of European Projects and Funds, Regional Govern-

ment of Valencia, Hosting Institution of the INTERACT Point Valencia

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mediterranean lab group thematic pole on maritime risks

INTERACT Point Valencia launched the second thematic pole of the

Mediterranean Lab Group on maritime risks on 19 April 2011. This

meeting gathered representatives from DG MARE, the CPMR and

Mediterranean regions and projects stakeholders. The goal was to

highlight EU priorities and to share practices between project partners.

focus

In July 2011, INTERACT Point Valencia launched a survey

regarding maritime safety. The purpose was to collect

projects key achievements (methods, tools, synergies

with other initiatives/regions) and to identify priorities

and desirable improvements for future programmes.

Because of this survey, a second Lab Group meeting

took place on 23 November 2011 with an objective toexchange in-depth information on projects outputs.

The meeting was organised around three round tables,

which focused on the following issues:

Monitoring and forecasting risks and pollution

Planning and management of coastal and

maritime areas

Managing response capacities

In order to concretely capitalise information and outputs,

a database has been elaborated1. It refers to the three mainintervention fields mentioned above and to the outputs pro-

duced by projects. The purpose of the database is to inform

those projects working on different EU maritime basins about

achievements in other areas, help them share experiences

and also to broadcast relevant tools and practices.

European context

With its Integrated Maritime Policy the EU seeks to

provide a coherent approach to maritime issues utilising

increased coordination between different policy areas

including marine data and knowledge management, inte-

grated maritime surveillance, maritime spatial planning,

blue growth and sea basin strategies2.

Maritime safety and maritime risks concern specific fields

of intervention (surveillance, spatial planning, etc.) with

the operational contribution of the European Maritime

Safety Agency, which is in charge of pollution response,

vessel traffic monitoring, identification and tracking ofships, etc.

1 INTERACT Point Valencia can provide access to this database upon request.

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This and next picture: Rescue and cleaning oil spill operations at sea.


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With the adoption of the third Maritime Safety Package

(March 2009), the EU completed its regulatory framework

for shipping by enforcing existing EU and international

rules and promoting shared maritime safety culture.

However, maritime surveillance is still carried out in a

sectoral manner, characterised by multiplied surveillancedata gathering at national level and amongst different

authorities. In this context, one of the key goals of the

EU Integrated Maritime Policy is that of integrating poli-

cies and activities by promoting information exchanges

and enhancing cooperation between national authorities

responsible for monitoring and surveillance at sea.

Looking ahead to 2018, the Commission highlights the

need to strengthen the maritime transport system by

establishing an integrated information management sys-

tem, which will enable identification, monitoring, tracking

and reporting of all vessels at sea as well as on inlandwaterways to and from European ports3.

In a broader context, the objective would be to promote the

creation of a platform to ensure the convergence of sea-, land-

and space-based technologies, with the support of existing

systems such as AIS, LRIT4, SafeSeaNet or CleanSeaNet, or

those that are being developed, such as Galileo and GMES5.

This shall be implemented in coherence with the Maritime

Spatial Planning policy (MSP), which is geared towards

planning and regulating all human uses of the sea, while

protecting marine ecosystems6.

For a more specified focus on coastal areas, in 2002, the

European Parliament and the Council adopted the EU In-

tegrated Coastal Zone Management Policy. Although not

directly related to maritime safety issues, this policy

contributes to the establishment of coherent management

and planning tools of coastal and maritime areas (to face

the deterioration of natural resources, to anticipate con-

sequences of climate change, to prevent flooding and

coastal erosion, etc.)7.

Mediterranean context

The Mediterranean Sea receives 30% of world seaborne

trade from or to approximately 450 ports and terminals

and one quarter of the world maritime oil traffic. Approxi-

mately 220,000 vessels of more than 100 tonnes each cross

the Mediterranean each year, corresponding to 420 million

tons of oil (as compared to the 300 million ten years ago).

Over the 19902005 period, it is estimated that approxi-

mately 80,000 tonnes of oil have been spilled in the

Mediterranean Sea and with the immediate cause being

shipping accidents. In addition, between 100,000 and

250,000 tons of oil are spilled as a direct result of boats

cleaning their tank at sea.



2 An Integrated Maritime Policy for the European Union, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic

and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Brussels, 10.10.2007, COM(2007) 575 final / Regulation (EU) n1255/2011 of the European Parliament

and of the Council of 30 November 2011 establishing a programme to support the further development of an Integrated Maritime Policy.3 Strategic goals and recommendations for the EUs maritime transport policy until 2018. Communication from the Commission to the European parliament, the

Council, the European economic and social committee and the Committee of the regions, Brussels, 21.1.2009, com(2009) 8 final.4 AIS: Automatic Identification System; LRIT: Long Range Identification and Tracking System.5 GMES: Global Monitoring for Environment and Security.6 Maritime Spatial Planning in the EU, Achievements and future development, Communication from the Commission to the European parliament, the Council,

the European economic and social committee and the Committee of the regions, Brussels, 17.12.2010, COM(2010) 771 final / Roadmap for Maritime SpatialPlanning: Achieving Common Principles in the EU, Communication from the Commission, Brussels, 25.11.2008, COM(2008) 791 final.

7 Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2002 concerning the implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management

in Europe (2002/413/EC).8 Towards an Integrated Maritime Policy for better governance in the Mediterranean. Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European

Parliament. Brussels, 11.9.2009, COM(2009) 466 final.

Mediterranean Lab Group meeting on maritime risks in Valencia,

November 2011

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Sea Basin Strategies

From a European perspective, sea basin strategies are

being implemented to better adapt intervention means

to geographic, environmental, institutional and political

contexts.

The European Commission is willing to improve the gov-

ernance of maritime activities, complementing the var-

ious sectoral actions that the EU promotes in the

Mediterranean area8.

Recent initiatives like the pilot project BLUEMASSMED -

dedicated to the integration of maritime surveillance of

the Mediterranean area and its Atlantic approaches

can be highlighted. In a comparable way, SAFEMED I and

II projects contribute to the narrowing of the regulato-

ry and structural gaps between Mediterranean Member

States and partner countries.


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des protocols that focus on the prevention and elimina-

tion of land-based and sea pollution, the protection of

biodiversity (especially protected areas) or, more recent-

ly, the Integrated Coastal Zone Management and Protocol

On Offshore Activities.

Involved authorities and their competences

Concerning the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM),

national strategies are being developed by Member States

in the Mediterranean and the Commission has recently

signed a first basin-wide legal instrument on ICZM, which

has been adopted within the framework of the Barcelona

Convention9.

From an EU-wide perspective, these activities involve

mainly national authorities and international bodies,

with initiatives taken towards non EU partners.

Other public and private bodies at the regional and local

level are directly concerned with maritime safety issues

(public authorities, port authorities, local administrations,

civil society, etc.). They develop partnerships and actions at

their institutional and geographical levels to improve pre-

vention and intervention capacities in case of an accident.

However, the connection between the EU and national poli-

cies on the one hand and local and regional stakeholders on

the other is not an easy task in a field where information

management is raising strong political, legal, economicaland technical issues.


The overall traffic should continue to grow because of in-

creasing demands in transportation of goods, passengers

and tourists. Accidents might involve tankers causing large

oil spills such as the Haven near Genoa in 1991 or cruise

ships accidents like the Costa Concordia in Tuscany in 2012.

Moreover, various human activities (maritime transport,

fisheries, tourism) compete in sea and coastal areas also

causing specific risks.

The main agreement related to protecting the Mediter-

ranean Sea against pollution is the Barcelona Convention,which entered into force in 1978. This convention inclu-

Costa Concordia wreck off the Islands of Giglio, Italy.

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The role of European Territorial Cooperationin maritime risks / safety

Since the beginning of 2000, significant progress has

been made with new international regulations (Erika I, II

and III packages) as well as the establishment of inter-

national bodies dedicated to maritime safety and the

fight against maritime pollution (EMSA and REMPEC for

the Mediterranean).

However, due to the excessive diversity of territories

and the target group concerned with maritime safety, no

single solution can be provided to answer local, region-

al or cross- borders specific needs for the whole of EU

maritime basins. In this context, local and regional insti-

tutions, including private bodies and the civil society,

constitute key players in improving environmental man-

agement, risk monitoring and in bringing operational

solutions with respect to pollution.

The role of territorial cooperation projects (cross-border

or transnational) is to foster cooperation initiatives,

support innovative practices and share knowledge

between these bodies beyond the national borders. They

seek to improve multilevel governance practices with a

better cooperation between international, national and

regional authorities including support of inter-sectoral

coordination at territorial level (for example, more inte-

grated land/sea management of risks, environment and

pollution).

9 Protocol on Integrated Coastal Zone Management in the Mediterranean, signed in Madrid, Spain, on 21 January 2008.


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overview of cooperation projects

addressing maritime risks in the

mediterranean

maritime projects

Cooperation projects implemented since 2000

During the 2000-2006 programming period, only a limited

number of transnational projects, regarding maritime safe-

ty issues in the Mediterranean, have been implemented.

Most of these projects focussed on maritime traffic man-agement and information systems: Maritime Electronic High-

ways in the Mediterranean (AEM-MED); Risk management

systems for dangerous goods transport in the Mediterran-

ean area (MADAMA); Information and communication tools,

for secure and efficient information exchange in the logis-

tic chains of ports and intermodal terminals (SESTANTE);

Weather routing in the Mediterranean (WERMED). Beyond

these issues, the project SECUR MED also took into account

the environmental impact of pollution (Interregional and

transnational approach for maritime safety and protection

of the environment in the western Mediterranean). BEACH-

MED-e focuses especially on coastal erosion while also tak-ing into account the consequences of climate change.

During the 2007-2013 period, a new set of projects has

been launched - often as a continuation of previous ones

(SECUR MED PLUS, MEMO, COASTANCE), or following

new approaches highlighting the need to promote more

integrated activities between land and sea priorities. The

Project MAREMED addresses a large set of issues including

data management, fisheries, governance, climate change,

pollution and integrated coastal zone management. Withprojects like TOSCA or Prevention and Fight against Mari-

time Pollution, the objective is not only to monitor risks

and pollution, but to improve governance, reach agreements

and set up common management and intervention strate-

gies in case of pollution. The recently approved strategic

project MEDESS 4MS (MED) is geared towards delivering

integrated operational multi-model oil spill prediction

service in the Mediterranean.

Between the two programming periods, projects evolved

towards more integrated approaches, working not only

on the origin of risks but also taking into account thepotential consequences for maritime and coastal areas.

An additional precaution would be to better take into

account experiences from other maritime basins - which

is one of the objectives of the Mediterranean Lab Group.

INTERREG III

2000-2006

6 projects

INTERREG IV / ETC

2007-2013

7 projects

Projects acronym

AEM-MED

BEACHMED-e

MADAMASECUR MED

SESTANTE

WERMED

CALYPSO

COASTANCE

MAREMED

MEDESS 4MS

MEMO

Prevention and Fight Against

Maritime Pollution

SECUR MED PLUS

TOSCA

Co-financing programmes

Transnational programme MEDOCC

Interregional IIIC South

Transnational programme MEDOCCTransnational programme MEDOCC



Cross-border programme Italy-Malta

Transnational programme MED




Cross-border programme ALCOTRA



Projects implemented in the field of Maritime safety and risks in the Mediterranean.



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overview of cooperation projects addressing maritime risks in the mediterranean

Institutions involved in ETC projects

About 40% of institutions involved in ETC projects are

regional authorities (the large majority being Italian).

Local and sub-regional authorities contribute around 10%,

which brings the participation of elected bodies to 50%.

Concerning other categories, key stakeholders, such asport authorities, remain less involved (10%). In Greece,

port authorities have been participating six times in total

to cooperation projects. They participated three times in

Spain, and only once in France, Italy or Slovenia (no par-

ticipation in Cyprus or Malta).

Concerning national authorities, despite their responsibili-

ties in the field of maritime safety, their contribution

remains limited. Only in Greece and Cyprus have the cen-

tral administrations (Ministries) been directly involved in

cooperation projects. In other cases, regional state admin-

istrations are able to contribute to the implementation ofprojects, but in a more limited way.

With a 12% share, universities and research bodies repre-

sent one of the steadiest contributors to ETC projects.

Beyond specific categories, certain institutions are fre-

quently involved in maritime safety projects, showing their

interest in these issues and relevant experiences in the im-

plementation of territorial cooperation projects. In this

regard, we can highlight the Liguria Regional Authority

(seven projects), the Tuscany Regional Authority (six proj-

ects), the Port Institute for Studies and Cooperation in the

Valencian Region (FEPORTS five projects), the Crete Re-

gional Authority (four projects) and the Emilia Romagna

Regional Authority (four projects).

However the MEDESS4MS strategic project (MED), launched

at the end of 2011, involves institutions that have never

before participated in other cooperation projects: theDepartment of Merchant Shipping in Cyprus as Lead Partner,

the REMPEC in Malta, and the Italian Coast Guards, which

constitute key stakeholders in the field of maritime safety.

Institutions involved in at least two ETC projects related to maritime safety issues from 2000 to 2013

MAREMED project partners from five different countries gathered

in Marseille in January 2012.

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overview of cooperation projects addressing maritime risks in the mediterranean

Pollution areas and budget allocated to Interreg III and IV / ETC projects addressing maritime safety

10 Co-funded by the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI).11 The MAPMED project is seeking to improve sustainable management of tourist ports/harbours with regard to monitoring and reduction of marine pollution.

Cooperation with non-EU countries

For the 2007-2013 programming period, candidate coun-

tries have had the opportunity to participate in transna-

tional cooperation programmes. Around the Adriatic Sea,

partners from Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro,

and Albania have been especially involved with some proj-

ects with the support of the Instrument for Pre-Accession

Assistance (IPA).

As the map above illustrates, strategic intervention areas

clearly concern both EU member states and non-EU coun-

tries: there are cooperation possibilities with future or

potential member states (previous ones plus Turkey) on

the one side and with Southern or Eastern Mediterranean

countries (Tunisia, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Palesti-

nian Authority, etc.) on the other.

Concerning the second group of countries, the multilateral

cross-border cooperation "Mediterranean Sea Basin Pro-

gramme" (ENPI CBC MED)10 has already launched coopera-

tion projects including one related to maritime safety

(MAPMED project).11

For the future programming period, cooperation with

these countries ought to be strengthened, taking into

account experiences and tools already tested and imple-

mented in EU Mediterranean regions.

Number and types of institutions involved in Mediterranean

Maritime Safety projects (20002013)



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examples of projects good practices

The Mediterranean Lab Group meeting held in November 2011, in

Valencia, was an occasion for the selected projects to present their out-puts and share experiences. Three main intervention fields were chosen

to guide the round tables, and we could identify particularly relevant

practices which would deserve to be better disseminated12

.

benchmarking

Monitoring and forecasting risks and pollution

One of the main challenges concerning the monitoring and

forecasting of risks and pollution is to ensure that each EU

maritime area (including sub-regional areas) is covered bymonitoring tools (AIS-VTS systems, forecasting, mapping

surveillance, etc.) and that these tools are well structured

and coordinated at interregional, national and transnation-

al levels. These two processes are underway with the con-

tribution of targeted cooperation programmes.

In the Mediterranean area, the project TOSCA contributed

to developing the network of HF radar in order to improve

coastal monitoring. It also tested a new generation of

drifting instruments (drifting buoys for spill detection and

tracking), which could be used in other areas. Another key

contribution was the promotion of new forecasting modelsfor oil spill dispersion and rescue operations.

On a more institutional level, the MEMO project goals are

directed towards establishing a Mediterranean Electronic

Marine Highways Observatory. In a comparable way, the

project SECUR MED established a Research Centres Net-

work (ReCRIS) and its follow-up project (SECUR MED PLUS)

developed indicators, a database and ICT for the integra-

tion of control navigation systems.

In the Baltic Sea, the BRISK project established an inte-

grated system of modules for risk assessment using ship

traffic data, types of goods transported, spill frequency,

potential damage on the environment, etc. Based on this,

scenarios are being established to anticipate risks and

optimise intervention capacities in case of an accident.

Planning and Management of coastaland maritime areas

Maritime risks and pollution should be considered within

a large ecosystem where diverse activities (transport of

goods and passengers, fisheries, tourism, offshore facili-

ties, etc.) take place. Their potential impact on coastal

biotopes (land and sea) is very high and can affect highly

densely populated areas.

Due to the division of institutional and political compe-

tences, land and sea development, as well as managementstrategies, have often been developed separately thus

reducing the scope and efficiency of measures dedicated

to maritime risks and pollution.

At different geographical levels, territorial cooperation pro-

grammes tend to improve this situation with the setup of

common or better coordinated monitoring and planning tools.

In the Baltic Sea Region, BALTIC MASTER II is promoting oil

contingency planning and stronger integration of coastal

zone management with the drafting of land/sea environ-

mental atlas. It developed scenario exercises and guide-

lines on how to integrate contingency planning in coastalmanagement.

The BLAST project (North Sea) is harmonising land and

sea geographic datasets, creating a metadatabase and

specifically targeting the consequences of climate change

on coastal areas (sea level rise scenarios for decision-

making support).

In the same way, BEACHMED-e (Mediterranean) elaborated

technical tools to characterise the erosion phenomenon

and evaluate risks for Mediterranean coastlines. The Pro-

ject established legislative and organisational instrumentsto regulate and manage coastal defence with the support

of public and private bodies.

Even if not directly connected to maritime safety, coastal

zone erosion has an impact on land and sea human activi-

ties and is gaining momentum as a consequence of climate

change impact.

Managing response capacities

Within the field of maritime safety, important legislative

packages have already been adopted by the European Union

12 For more details on projects activities see the database (access can be provided by the INTERACT Point Valencia upon request).


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(Erika packages I, II and III) and recent accidents such as

the Costa Concordia are a good reason to improve or com-plete the international rules. In a more operational way,

the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) can provide

technical support in preventing or fighting against pollu-

tion, as it is being done in Tuscany.

However, in coastal areas, operational capacities are usu-

ally managed by national or regional authorities (depend-

ing on the institutional context) and local areas do not al-

ways have the capacity to respond rapidly and efficiently

in the case of pollution.

To improve this situation, local and regional bodies are

experimenting with new cooperation practices (horizontaland vertical administrative cooperation) testing opera-

tional intervention capacities with alert systems, training

and exercises.

In the Mediterranean Sea basin, the project called Pre-

vention and Fight against Maritime Pollution set up a per-

manent alert system between two municipalities on the

border between France and Italy. The project organised

training activities and established the use of common or

compatible equipment for intervention in case of pollution

on either side of the border.

In the Atlantic Region, the ARCOPOL project organised

awareness-raising activities and proposed targeted training

sessions with pedagogic and detailed support tools. Videos

outline the main issues regarding responses to accidentalcoastal maritime pollution. Web tools are used for infor-

mation management and to improve the integration of

data from different sources and in different formats (data

from drifters, satellite, in-situ data, radar HF, etc.).

Within the French-England Channel area, the CAMIS project

is geared towards mobilising cross-border local authorities

and ensuring long-term risk monitoring and operational pre-

paredness for local bodies (inventory and analysis of stake-

holders, awareness raising, setting up of a Franco-British

network for the management of maritime pollution, etc.).

examples of projects good practices

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Projects references:

ARCOPOL http://www.arcopol.eu

BALTIC MASTER II http://www.balticmaster.org

BEACHMED-e http://www.beachmed.it/

BLAST http://www.blast-project.eu/

BRISK http://www.brisk.helcom.fi/

CAMIS http://www.arcmanche.com

MEMO http://www.memo-med.net/

PREVENTION AND FIGHT AGAINST MARITIME POLLUTION

http://www.interreg-alcotra.org/2007-2013/index.php?pg

=progetto&id=134SECUR MED PLUS http://www.securmedplus.eu/

TOSCA http://www.tosca-med.eu/

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The MEMO Steering Committee having its meeting in Valencia in 2011.

ARCOPOL partners and members of the advisory board during

the project final conference in Vigo.

Snapshot of the production for the BLAST film.

SECUR MED PLUS project partners discussing the state of the art

in Marseille in 2010.


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open discussion regarding

maritime safety issues

Among the key issues addressed by the Mediterranean Lab Group on

maritime safety and risks, the question of data accessibility and information

management appeared to be a crucial one. This open discussion reports

on the exchanges in the lab group with the objective to stimulate the

debate and improve upon collaboration with relevant public and private

authorities (international bodies, state services, port authorities, etc.).

key topic

Higher quality data for safety, securityand businesses

For most of the projects intervening in the field of mar-

itime safety, data management is a crucial issue, especial-

ly when it relates to traffic monitoring (AIS-VTS systems,

transport of hazardous and noxious substances, etc.), pol-

lution monitoring (currents modelling, statistics on acci-

dents, etc.) or environmental monitoring (data on oceano-

graphic variables - such as currents, wind, temperature,

salinity -, environmental sensitivity, meteorology, etc.).

It can include high resolution satellite radar images or anygeo-referenced data on traffic, spills, human activities or

natural resources.

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), with proj-

ects like SafeSeaNet and CleanSeaNet already provide rel-

evant information to national authorities and specific key

players within the whole of EU. In a similar way, the Blue-

massmed project will improve the international coopera-

tion for maritime surveillance in the Mediterranean Sea.

However, due to regulatory, political, security or commer-

cial reasons, data produced by these international initia-

tives is not fully accessible for local and regional actors.

If it is necessary to maintain a certain degree of confiden-

tiality, a wider use of databases for studies and scientific

research could however bring positive inputs to the public

and private bodies involved in maritime activities and in

the promotion of maritime safety.

Experiences and expectations at localand regional level

Project partners notice that data accessibility can be pro-

blematic. However, large amounts of studies, diagnoses and

analyses are produced every year at local or regional level.

As mentioned by the MAREMED project (Mediterranean

area), there is a need to better understand and assess

coastal areas and coastal lines. Efficient geographic infor-

mation systems are used by local and regional authorities

but they do not always provide free access to original vec-

tor maps which are necessary for projects.

With respect to the ARCOPOL project (Atlantic area), a

prioritisation database with 350 HNS has been set up. To

calculate the risk, it includes information on toxicity and

behaviour of every chemical and requires the introduction

of data on volume and/or frequency of shipping by finalusers. Prioritisation results can be used to build contin-

gency plans and improve preparedness at local (ports),

regional and national level.

For the BRISK project as well (Baltic Sea Region), the

access to AIS data proved to be easier than for HNS, men-

tioning that the reasons for confidentiality are not always

clearly stated by data owners.

For the TOSCA project (Mediterranean area), data accessi-

bility depends as well on circumstances. It can be facili-

tated when partners are asked by public authorities tointervene in case of an accident. Otherwise, state authori-

ties maintain limited access to databases and project part-

ners must find other ways to support their analyses.

In the case of BLAST (North Sea Region), most of the data

have been provided by project partners (and some by non-

project partners) without difficulty. The facts that the

data (bathymetry, detailed imagery, terrain model) relate

to the project's environmental monitoring targets and pro-

totype developments, and that the partners have shared

objectives, helped to create consensus and ease the data

collection process.


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open discussion regarding maritime safety issues

A need for clearer regulation andstronger partnerships

For project partners, it would be necessary to clarifythe status of data, especially for those generated with

the support of public funding and which should be more

widely accessible. In the EU, data availability can still

vary from one member state to another, which hampers

transnational cooperation activities. Each member state

should clarify its position and improve access to informa-

tion using licence agreements regarding confidentiality

when necessary.

In a general way, AIS data can be obtained through nation-

al AIS servers whereas information on the transport of haz-

ardous substances is much more difficult to get. Open AIS

database exchange could still be implemented to improvenational and international geographic coverage.

At transnational level, bodies like REMPEC in the Mediter-

ranean area, HELCOM in the Baltic Sea Region or the EMSA

constitute good opportunities to improve information man-

agement. They could play a stronger role in the imple-

mentation of unified rules and to the use of more open

data systems.

Another perspective relies on the stronger involvement of

key international and national bodies in territorial cooper-

ation projects. This would be a way to compare needs and

objectives, to share results and find ways to share data

through formal agreements.

In coherence with the INSPIRE directive, efforts should be

made to inform public authorities about the need to share

data and maps in a relevant format. It is not only about

providing information about the activities (studies, analy-ses, mapping), but also about providing access to original

data, which can be used as working tools by other public

and private bodies (promotion of open data systems at dif-

ferent territorial levels).

Ten project partners from eight countries participate to the BRISK project.

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Lagangrian instruments in TOSCA project will measure the

spatio-temporal evolution of eventual oil slicks near the surface.

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main results of the INTERACT survey

on maritime safety projects

INTERACT Point Valencia launched a survey on maritime safety issues

in July 2011 in order to gather the opinion of projects partners regarding

territorial cooperation programmes and also to identify and compare

projects results and highlight their priorities for the future.

survey

The analysis includes contributions from four EU maritime

basins (Baltic Sea, North Sea, Atlantic and Mediterranean)

and two cross-border areas (France/England channel and

Alcotra). An overview of projects results is provided earli-

er in the brochure (example of projects good practices).

For the future, project partners insist on the necessity to

improve horizontal and vertical cooperation in order to

better involve key players and to improve information and

knowledge management. They stress as well that partnerscommitment and projects efficiency require efficient pro-

gramming tools with a focus on the need to simplify pro-

cedures and lighten administrative constraints of ERDF

projects.

Mobilisation of key players and promotionof multilevel governance

Project partners highlight the lack of involvement of

national and international bodies, oil companies and busi-nesses in cooperation projects. Maritime safety remains

Regarding the priorities for the future, three main

categories could be identified:

1. The need to improve vertical and horizontal alarm

chains and make further progress on institutional and

inter-sectoral cooperation (transport, environment,

safety, sea/land coordination, etc.).

The management of information is a second key issue:

it concerns the difficulty in having access to crucial

data (due to financial, institutional, political or legal

constraints), and the lack of homogeneity or articula-

tion between data used across Europe. This is essential

in order to better assess the level and nature of risks

(what kind of risk, where, when?) and their potential

impact on the environment and on human activities.

At a territorial level, data management relates to the

need to strengthen planning tools and contingency

planning with the support of geographic information

systems, which are widely used today.

2. The need to raise the awareness of risks (for local

and regional authorities, professionals, civil society)

and the overall competences of people who might be

concerned by maritime risks and pollution. This task

should be coherent with the strengthening of opera-

tional intervention capacities at local and regional

level, which require political awareness, multilevel

and cross-border governance.

3. The need to extend international cooperation agree-

ments to other Mediterranean areas (e.g. Lion Plan or

Ramoge) or improve the environmental management

(analysis and exchange of data regarding vulnerable

areas and biodiversity, etc.). In this regard, even if the

extension of marine protected areas is not considered

as the most important issue among project partners,

environmental issues are taken into account when con-

sidering planning and risk assessment and their poten-

tial consequences on sea and land resources.

Priorities for the future


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under the responsibility of central administration in most

of the Member States and the maritime transport industry

is not keen on participating with projects which do not

present a direct interest or necessity for them.

It would be useful to, at the very least, better mobilise

professionals from outside of the public administration and

specifically focus some calls for proposals on partnership

building (using pro-active initiatives towards the creation

of networks).

As previously mentioned, operational exercises are essen-

tial in testing cooperation and coordination capacities, but

they require a partnership culture and good governance

capacities among the stakeholders.

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main results of the INTERACT survey on maritime safety projects

Management of information is crucial to quickly react to accidents and oil spills.

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In a general way, project partners consider that the

administrative requirements needed to implement EU

projects remain too heavy and too complex.

Programmes should have the capacity to better

spread projects results among different local and

regional areas. Actually, projects are mainly imple-

mented by and for project partners with limited

impact for larger areas.

With respect to different projects, one key issue is

the difficulty in articulating global and local needs in

a relevant way, which would require greater institu-

tional and political cooperation. In this sense, stronger

support from programmes, from the Commission and

from the Member States could help mobilise key players

and generate synergies beyond sectoral and institution-

al frontiers (regulations, international standards, plan-

ning tools, competencies, etc.).

Capacity of ETC programmes to tackle realchallenges related to maritime risks

Lively discussions and benchmarking of projects good practices.



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12-17 March 6th World Water Forum

Marseille, France http://www.worldwaterforum6.org/en/the-forum/about/

13-15 March Interspill International conferenceLondon, UK http://www.interspill2012.com/

15 March From Training To Employment On Both Sides Of The Channel

INTERREG IV France (Channel) - England Programme Road ShowRennes, France http://camis.arcmanche.eu/home/roadshow.html

26 March International conference on Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP)Brussels, Belgium http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/events

18 April 3rd Marine Board Forum: New Technologies for a blue futureBrussels, Belgium http://www.esf.org/index.php?id=9292

21 May European Maritime Day

Sustainable growth from oceans, seas and coasts: blue growthGothenburg, Sweden http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/maritimeday/index_en.htm

21-22 May Conference Key Developments in the Port and Maritime SectorAntwerp, Belgium http://www.wctrs-maritime-ports.org/

24-27 May Green Week 2012: WaterBrussels, Belgium http://ec.europa.eu/environment/greenweek/

31 May-1 June SEAGITAL The European event on IT for the seaLe Havre, France http://seagital.com/seagital/

18-21 June 13th World Conference on Cities and PortsNantes & Saint Nazaire, France http://www.citiesandports2012.com/en/

17-18 September BLAST project Final Conference. Our Dynamic EarthEdinburgh, Scotland http://www.blast-project.eu/index.php

The conference will include formal proceedings, a site visit in the local landscape and plenty of

opportunities to network on the many deliverables completed by BLAST's 17 North Sea partners.

upcoming events

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interact newsflash mediterranean lab group spring 2012 issue

Documents