Private and public sector to cooperate widely to prevent oil disasters in the Gulf of Finland
03.06.2010
The Finnish Transport Agency, the Finnish Transport Safety Agency, Neste Oil and John Nurminen Foundation have today signed a commitment on Tanker Safety cooperation which aims to significantly lessen the risk of a disaster in the Gulf of Finland. The aim is to introduce a proactive control service some time in 2013 for vessel traffic for tankers sailing in the Gulf of Finland.
Within the bounds of the Tanker Safety project, the Finnish Transport Agency, the Finnish Transport Safety Agency, Neste Oil and John Nurminen Foundation commit to developing the ENSI (Enhanced Navigation Support Information) service. The partners also commit to using the service and the promotion of its rollout within the agreed upon timetable.
Juhani Tervala, the Director General of the Finnish Transport Agency, says: “Cooperation between key parties is absolutely crucial to the Baltic Sea. The Finnish Transport Agency participates in the development of the service to create a seamless overall service for tankers sailing on the Gulf of Finland. The ENSI service is a good example of the implementation of the Finnish Transport Agency’s intelligent traffic strategy.”
Web-based service enables real-time contact
The ENSI service enables the sending of the ship’s route plan from the ship to land, making it easier for the maritime traffic centre to anticipate possible risk situations and recommend an alternate route.
Tuomas Routa, Maritime Safety Director of the Finnish Transport Safety Agency, says: “Cooperation between vessels and maritime traffic centres based on ENSI service significantly reduces the risk of misunderstanding and human errors. If the vessel traffic controller while receiving the route plan notices a deviation from the safe route, he can in his response to the vessel master recommend that he check the route or suggest an alternate route.”
Pilot project on Neste Oil vessels
The ENSI service has been tested since the autumn 2009 and during this year the functionality of the software is being improved while continuing tests. In the pilot stage of sending route plans, Neste Oil vessels sent their route plans to VTS (Vessel Traffic Service) centre simulator for visualization of the route. Moreover, icebreakers sent their route information to Neste Oil tankers. The pilot stage tests were successfully completed during March and the project moved to its second stage, which will be implemented in 2010.
Osmo Kammonen, Senior Vice President, Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs of Neste Oil, says: “We at Neste Oil are continuously looking for ways to improve the safety of oil transport and minimise the risks of oil disasters. Participation in the Tanker Safety project supports our business and is simultaneously a natural way for us carry our responsibility for the environment.”
“For the traffic safety in the Gulf of Finland, it is important to concentrate on preventing large-scale disasters. Disaster after-care is infinitely more difficult and expensive. The Tanker Safety project provides the preconditions for a novel approach to vessel traffic control. The main idea was to introduce safety measures familiar from aviation to the seas,” says Admiral Juhani Kaskeala, the Chairman of the Tanker Safety project steering group and member of the Board of Directors of the John Nurminen Foundation.
Further information and interview requests
Pekka Laaksonen, Director, Clean Baltic Sea/Tanker Safety project, John Nurminen Foundation
pekka.laaksonen@jnfoundation.fi
+358-400-530 422
Anna Jokela, Communications Director
anna.jokela@liikennevirasto.fi
+358 20 637 3020
Finnish Transport Agency
Tuula Putkinen, Communications Manager, John Nurminen Foundation
tuula.putkinen@jnfoundation.fi
+358 400 907 809
