Safer ports in cleaner waters towards international standards of maritime safety
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Safer ports in cleaner waters towards international standards of maritime safety TRANSPORT > AZERBAIJAN This publication does not represent the official view of the EC or the EU institutions. The EC accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to its content. A country with a rich history of maritime cargoes and transportation is taking serious steps to foster higher standards of environmental safety at sea and in its ports. This is how Azerbaijani officials, supported by European experts through the TRACECA-SASEPOL project, are modernising their country’s maritime transport of passengers and goods, keeping an eye on environmental protection. Text and photos by Shahin Abbasov BAKU - “Safety is a basic element for the development of maritime transport: we are not only talking about human safety, which is very important, but also about environmental protection, protection from sea pollution, and also protection of port facilities. Today more than ever it is important to respect high maritime safety standards” says Bakhtiyar Muradov, the coordinator of the EU-funded TRACECA- SASEPOL (maritime SAfety, SEcurity and POLlution) project. The initiative – funded to the tune of €3.5 million – aims at facilitating internation- al maritime transport of passengers and goods, and to support maritime safety, security and environmental protection in the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea re- gions. For example, oil spills and similar catastrophes nowadays heavily affect the marine environment. “But there is another major issue, less known by the public at large, the so called under-shale waters, the gathering of oil and waste thrown into the water by the ships during navigation,” says Bakhtiyar Muradov, add- ing: “Today this practice is not allowed any more, and strict control must be applied by port authorities over how much oil ships take on board, and how much oil-waste is handed over once docking in.” www.enpi-info.eu ENPI Info Centre – Feature no. 31 This is a series of features on projects funded by the EU’s Regional Programme, prepared by journalists and photographers on the ground or the ENPI Info Centre. © 2010 ENPI Info Centre / EU
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Transcript of Safer ports in cleaner waters towards international standards of maritime safety
Safer ports in cleaner waters
towards international standards of maritime safety
TRANSPORT > AZERBAIJAN
This publication does not represent the offi cial view of the EC or the EU institutions. The EC accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to its content.
A country with a rich history of maritime cargoes and transportation is taking serious steps to foster higher standards of environmental safety at sea and in its ports. This is how Azerbaijani offi cials, supported by European experts through the TRACECA-SASEPOL project, are modernising their country’s maritime transport of passengers and goods, keeping an eye on environmental protection.
Text and photos by Shahin Abbasov
BAKU - “Safety is a basic element for the development of maritime transport: we are not only talking about human safety, which is very important, but also about environmental protection, protection from sea pollution, and also protection of port facilities. Today more than ever it is important to respect high maritime safety standards” says Bakhtiyar Muradov, the coordinator of the EU-funded TRACECA-SASEPOL (maritime SAfety, SEcurity and POLlution) project. The initiative – funded to the tune of €3.5 million – aims at facilitating internation-al maritime transport of passengers and goods, and to support maritime safety, security and environmental protection in the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea re-gions. For example, oil spills and similar catastrophes nowadays heavily aff ect the marine environment. “But there is another major issue, less known by the public at large, the so called under-shale waters, the gathering of oil and waste thrown into the water by the ships during navigation,” says Bakhtiyar Muradov, add-ing: “Today this practice is not allowed any more, and strict control must be applied by port authorities over how much oil ships take on board, and how much oil-waste is handed over once docking in.”board, and how much oil-waste is handed over once docking in.”
www.enpi-info.eu
ENPI Info Centre – Feature no. 31This is a series of features on projects funded by the EU’s Regional Programme, prepared by journalists and photographers on the ground or the ENPI Info Centre. © 2010 ENPI Info Centre / EU
The issue of waste management Thus sea ports should be equipped with relevant infrastructure for waste process-ing and utilisation. According to Muradov, Azerbaijan does have waste manage-ment practice, but the country could defi nitely improve it through the application of diff erent methodologies and best practices.One example: “Today in Baku sea port we have several operators responsible for vessels waste management,” continues Mr Muradov, “but EU experts have ex-plained that a single operator fully responsible for the job, even working through subcontractors, could allow a more transparent tariff policy and would ensure more effi ciency in the anti-pollution protection. This practice seems to be working well in other countries of the region, and it could be good for us too.”The TRACECA-SASEPOL project represents an opportunity for the benefi ciary countries to capitalise on international experience available from experts provid-ed by the EU and, with their national experience, develop and implement ‘joined up’ policy packages at regional and national levels. The project seeks to raise technical standards so that the partner countries can ad-vance in meeting the requirements of the IMO (International Maritime Organiza-tion) Conventions on safety of navigation, security of transport and environmental protection. The creation of a State Port Control Service is one such requirement. Its offi cers should have the right to inspect that weather safety norms are applied, and should not allow ships to enter ports if they do not meet necessary standards. “As far as ports are concerned,” says Muradov, “the project aims at providing tech-nical assistance for the creation of one role-model port, which would meet inter-national safety standards, in each of the fi ve participating countries, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine. This has already begun in Odessa, and recommendations were passed on to the other countries. As far as we are con-cerned, due to the upcoming transfer of port facilities from Baku to Alat suburb, all requirements will be applied to the new port construction, which will be erected according to the highest maritime standards.”
The transfer of knowledge from expert to expertAn essential component of the EU-funded project concerns the training of per-sonnel involved in maritime safety, security and prevention of pollution. Namik Askerov, environmental protection engineer of the state-owned Caspian Shipping Company (CASPAR), attended one of the seminars dealing with reactions to oil-spills. “These seminars are really useful, I learned a lot from international experts about experience concerning reaction to oil-spills and prevention of pollution spread,” he says. The issue of professional development of those involved in maritime safety is a key aspect of the EU-funded project: specialists from six government institutions of
Azerbaijan are attending the training sessions. “This country has a rich his-tory of maritime cargoes and trans-portation,” says John Ostergaard, key expert in maritime policy and train-ing; “however not everything here meets international safety standards. But the existence of well-educated young specialists give reasons for optimism that the country will keep on pursuing the introduction of high maritime standards.”
ENPI Info Centre – Feature no. 31p. 2
N Bakhtiyar Muradov
Safer ports in cleaner waters
“Today strict control must be applied by port authorities over how much oil ships take on board, and how much oil-waste is handed over once docking in”
“I learned a lot from international experts about reactions to oil-spills and prevention of pollution spread”
N The “Koroglu” Oil tanker
Harmonization of national legislationLast but not least, the TRACECA-SASEPOL project supports the harmonization of national legislation in order to meet International Conventions. Although Azerbai-jan joined most of the IMO and International Labour Organisation conventions, their recommendations have not been fully implemented in law. According to Ah-mad Ismayilov, head of legal issues and international relations department of the State Maritime Administration, “TRACECA SASEPOL plays an important role in the process of effi cient and comprehensive integration of these conventions’ results into national legislation.” In addition, the project also supports Azerbaijan rein-forcing cooperation with the other Caspian Sea countries in order to strengthen the Tehran Convention which foresees an overall improvement of the Caspian Sea environment.Azerbaijan is taking serious steps towards the modernisation of the country’s maritime transport: the road ahead might be long, but no eff orts are being spared and results are at hand for safer ports in cleaner seas.
N An oil tanker at the Caspian Sea
ENPI Info Centre – Feature no. 31 p. 3
www.enpi-info.euwww.enpi-info.euwww.enpi-info.euENPIENPIENPI info centreinfo centreinfo centreinfo centreinfo centre
The ENPI Info Centre is an EU-funded Regional The ENPI Info Centre is an EU-funded Regional Information and Communication project Information and Communication project highlighting the partnership between the EU highlighting the partnership between the EU and Neighbouring countries. The project is and Neighbouring countries. The project is and Neighbouring countries. The project is managed by Action Global Communications.managed by Action Global Communications.
info centremanaged by Action Global Communications.
info centreinfo centremanaged by Action Global Communications.
info centre
Participating countriesAzerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, as well as Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan
Timeframe2009-2011
Budget€ 3.5 million
ObjectiveThe project aims to assure safe and secure maritime links for passengers, crews, ships and cargoes; it fosters higher standards of environmental safety at sea and in the relevant ports; it contributes to creating a fully integrated multimodal transport corridor, and strives to provide transport customers with highly developed supply chains.
Find out moreTRACECA Maritime safety project fi che www.enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id=309&id_type=10ENPI Info Centre – Transport webpage www.enpi-info.eu/themeeast.php?subject=8European Commission – transport relations Caucasus/Central Asiahttp://ec.europa.eu/transport/international/regional_cooperation/caucasus_central-asia_en.htm
Supports the development of common security management, maritime safety and ship pollution prevention for the Black Sea and Caspian Sea
Maritime safety, security and pollution (SASEPOL)
www.sasepol.eu
Safer ports in cleaner waters
“The existence of well-educated young specialists give reasons for optimism that the country will keep on pursuing the introduction of high maritime standards.”
