Maritime logistics

Most of the regulation of maritime transport arises from international regulations and agreements.

International regulations and agreements

Regulations issued by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), EU directives and recommendations of the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) regulate marine transport at the international level.

The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) of the International Maritime Organization, including annexes, serves as the key agreement in terms of environmental protection in marine transport. The convention includes provisions to prevent pollution of the marine environment caused by maritime transport.

As part of its strategy in 2018, the IMO set a goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from international maritime transport by at least 40% by 2030 and 70% by 2050, compared with 2008.

The IMO has designated the Baltic Sea as a NOx Emission Control Area (NECA). From 2021, new ships will have to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions in NECA areas by 80% compared with the current level. When the stipulation comes into effect, new ships must be equipped with a catalytic converter or use liquefied natural gas as fuel.

The IMO also has other agreements and guidelines significant for maritime transport, such as the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM), the International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships, and the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.

The European Union has issued maritime transport directives, and some of the IMO’s decisions have also been implemented through directives. These include the Sulphur Directive, for example, which will reduce the maximum sulphur content of marine fuels to 0.1% in the Baltic Sea by 2020.

Finland has signed the Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, or the Helsinki Convention, with the other Baltic Sea countries and the EU. The convention obligates the signatories to protect the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution by reducing emissions from maritime transport and to protect marine life, for example. The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) monitors the implementation of the convention and makes recommendations to the governments of the participating countries. Recommendations concerning maritime transport are related to emissions and waste from ships, for example.

International regulations and agreements are implemented in Finland through legislation or national provisions.

Maritime transport in Finland

Shipping is part of the maritime transport system. In addition to the fairway infrastructure, the system includes piloting operations, sea route maintenance, traffic management and control, icebreaking and port services. Ports are the nodes of the marine transport system, connecting land and sea transport.

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency and the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) are the competent maritime transport authorities in Finland. The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency is responsible for most of the maintenance of Finnish waterways. The needs of commercial shipping and other forms of maritime transport are taken into account in their maintenance and development. Traficom is responsible for official duties related to waterway maintenance, such as the monitoring of fairway managers and prohibitions and restrictions concerning waterway transport.

According to Traficom’s definition, a waterway is a continuous access route in a water area, marked between its end points on the terrain and on the map. A fairway area is an area intended for waterway transport inside the edge lines of a fairway. A fairway area also includes special areas designed for waterway transport in connection with the fairway, such as waiting, meeting and turning areas. The fairways in the Gulf of Bothnia are 7 to 13 metres deep, with a minimum width of 80 to 340 metres. The fairways in the Gulf of Finland are 8.9 to 15.3 metres deep, with a minimum width of 80 to 270 metres. The fairways in the Archipelago Sea are 7.5 to 15.3 metres deep, with a minimum width of 90 to 221 metres.

The Water Act divides waterways into public and private fairways. Public fairways are further divided into public fairways maintained by the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency and public local fairways maintained by other parties.

In its basic waterway classification, Traficom divides all public fairways into six categories according to their purpose of use. The fairway category is primarily determined based on the type of transport for which the fairway has been built – in other words, the type of waterway transport that the fairway is primarily intended to serve. The classification has two groups: commercial shipping fairways and shallow fairways. Commercial shipping fairways are divided into two categories, and shallow fairways are divided into four categories. In addition, the service level classification of fairways describes their technical level, and the maintenance classification is based on the level of security devices that the fairways have been equipped with.

National strategies and regulations

The Finland’s Maritime Transport Strategy provides an outlook for 2014–2022 that serves the economy, business, industry and employment and takes environmental standards into account. As part of the strategy, a vision has been prepared for 2030 (‘A prosperous Finland – smart sea routes’), and the measures necessary for implementing the vision have been identified. The vision has the following goals:

• To ensure the uninterrupted and cost-effective operation and international competitiveness of Finland’s foreign trade and domestic waterway transport, even in the winter

• To ensure Finland’s development into a leader in winter and environmental technology, as well as into an export country of high expertise to ensure the vitality and competitiveness of Finnish shipping operations

• To ensure the availability of future experts for the needs of shipping and the maritime cluster, and to improve the visibility and appeal of the maritime transport sector

• To achieve a clean and safe Baltic Sea that will attract recreational and tourism operations to the area, as well as providing high-quality maritime transport services for the market area

• To ensure the development of the Finnish maritime transport sector into the leading service provider in the Baltic Sea, based on sustainable logistics concepts.

The purpose of the Water Act is to promote, organise and coordinate the use of water resources and the aquatic environment in such a way that it is socially, economically and ecologically sustainable; to prevent adverse impacts arising from water and the use of the aquatic environment; and to improve the status of water resources and the aquatic environment.

The Decree on the Prevention of Collisions in Inland Waterways concerns the marking of fairways at sea or in other natural waterways, as well as similar control and safeguarding of waterway transport.

The Water Traffic Act brings together traffic rules and traffic signs for waterway transport. The purpose of the reform is to increase the safety of waterway transport, as well as to increase responsible boating, and to enable the automation of waterway transport. As a rule, the Act applies to both commercial shipping and recreational boating. The Water Traffic Act is supplemented by the Water Traffic Decree.

The Maritime Act regulates the transport of general cargo. The Act applies to transport between Finland and the other Nordic countries, as well as international transport.

The purpose of the Act on Environmental Protection in Maritime Transport is to prevent environmental pollution caused by ships by prohibiting the discharge of harmful substances into water and air or by restricting emissions in such areas. The purpose of the Act is also to organise the reception of the waste from ships at ports. The Act is supplemented by the Government Decree on Environmental Protection in Maritime Transport.

The purpose of the Vessel Traffic Service Act is to improve the safety and efficiency of vessel traffic and to prevent the detrimental impact of vessel traffic on the environment.

The Decree on the Transport of Dangerous Goods in Packaged Form by Sea regulates the transport of dangerous substances in packaged form. In addition, a government decree has been issued concerning the transport and temporary storage of dangerous goods in a port area.

According to guidelines issued by Traficom, fairway safety distances must be taken into account when building wind power plants in water areas and on the shore near fairways. Wind power plants and fish farming areas must not be located in fairway areas or anchoring areas. Finland has not determined specific distance requirements for shipping lanes. However, a safety distance of 1.5 kilometres between wind power plants and fairway areas has often been required in offshore wind power plant projects. In addition to assessing the environmental impacts, the impacts of a project on the functioning of maritime transport must also be studied.

Sea rescue will be discussed under ‘National defence’ as part of overall security.

Sources

Vessel Traffic Service Act 623/2005

Decree on the Transport of Dangerous Goods in Packaged Form by Sea 666/1998

Decree on the Prevention of Collisions in Inland Waterways 252/1978

EU Sulphur Directive 2016/802

HELCOM Maritime Recommendations

IMO NOx Emission Control Areas (NECA) in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea

IMO strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships 2018

IMO International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73/78), including annexes

International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS Convention)

Ministry of Transport and Communications (2012). Tuulivoimaloiden vaikutukset liikenneturvallisuuteen. Selvitys etäisyysvaatimuksista tie-, rautatie, meri- ja lentoliikenteen osalta [Impacts of wind farms on traffic safety. Study of distance requirements for road traffic, railway traffic, sea traffic and air travel], 20/2012.

Guidelines on waterway classification issued by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency 2020

Action by the authorities of the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency in matters concerning waterways

Maritime Act 674/1994

Act on Environmental Protection in Maritime Transport 1672/2009

Finland’s Maritime Strategy 2014-2022 http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-243-388-6

Tuulivoimaloiden vaikutukset liikenneturvallisuuteen [Impact of wind farms on traffic safety] http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-243-321-3

Government Decree on Environmental Protection in Maritime Transport 76/2010

Government Decree on the Transport and Temporary Storage of Dangerous Goods in a Port Area 251/2005

Water Act 587/2011

Water Traffic Act 782/2019

Water Traffic Decree 124/1997

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