Feature story - July 29, 2004
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — The United Nations´ International Maritime Organisation (IMO) decided today to designate the Baltic sea as a "Particularly Sensitive Sea Area," a decision which Greenpeace has been pushing for years. The IMO regulates shipping worldwide, and has drawn strong criticism in the past for siding with industry at the expense of the environment.
The decision opens the way for a stringent environmental control
of international shipping in the Baltic.
The Baltic Sea protection status was adopted despite stiff
opposition by the Russian Federation, which formed an alliance with
Liberia and Panama, the two largest flags of convenience states.
Flags of convenience states profit from allowing dirty industries
and unsafe oil tankers to travel the oceans practically
unregulated.
Greenpeace activist Dima Litvinov was rejoicing in the decision:
"This represents two and a half years worth of work by LOTS of
people, including two of the Rainbow Warrior crew who were locked
up in a Swedish cell for two weeks; groups of volunteers who spent
ages in 3-hour-on 3-hour-off watches around the clock tracking
dirty ships on their way into the Baltic; activists driving
flat-bottom rigid inflatable boats through the icy waters of
Estonian and Latvian oil ports in winter to stop a single hulled
tanker from docking. And in the end, we won."
"As a citizen of a country bordering the Baltic, I find it
encouraging to see the vast majority of Baltic States working
together to protect our sea, but I am deeply concerned to see
Russia opposing environmental protection," said Sari Tolvanen of
Greenpeace. "Unless everyone around the Baltic pays attention, the
Russian oil industry is going to jeopardize our future," she
warned.
Tolvanen said that the United Nations agency decision was
motivated by the anticipated massive increase in shipping due to
Russia´s plans to further expand the export of oil through the
Baltic Sea passage. Whilst she welcomed the precautionary approach
of the rest of the Baltic states, Tolvanen said that much work
remains before the Baltic is truly protected. "Countries now have a
big job to do, making sure that the framework is filled by a full
set of appropriate specific measures."