interact newsflash mediterranean lab group spring 2012 issue
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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)
interactmediterraneannewsflash
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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
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.
INTERACT MEDITERRANEAN NEWSFLASH 05
mediterranean lab group thematic pole on maritime risks
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.
mediterranean lab group thematic pole on maritime risks
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
Transnational programme MEDOCC
Transnational programme MEDOCC
Cross-border programme Italy-Malta
Transnational programme MED
Transnational programme MED
Transnational programme MED
Transnational programme MED
Cross-border programme ALCOTRA
Transnational programme MED
Transnational programme MED
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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INTERACT MEDITERRANEAN NEWSFLASH 11
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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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BRISKpro
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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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TOSCApro
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INTERACT MEDITERRANEAN NEWSFLASH14
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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INTERACTPo
intVa
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ia
main results of the INTERACT survey on maritime safety projects
Management of information is crucial to quickly react to accidents and oil spills.
Cre
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Sa
lvamen
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Cre
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Sa
lvame
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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.
INTERACT MEDITERRANEAN NEWSFLASH 15
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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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