Foreword
Shipping as means of transportation has been among the first and most direct ways
for humans to benefit from the marine ecosystem services. With the increasing variability of industrialized production on land and intensifying globalization of the
markets, the direct environmental pressure arising from shipping is ever increasing.
Through history, the ways of utilizing the offshore maritime resources have diversified. Therefore, prevention of harmful impacts from shipping and other offshore
activities has a key position in today’s policies concerning the marine environment
and sustainability.
In spite of navigation made complicated by narrow straits, shallow waters,
labyrinths of skerries and islands and winter ice, the Baltic Sea is one of the busiest
shipping regions of the world. It is projected that the transportation of goods through
the Baltic Sea will double by 2017. Of the average of 2,000 ships at sea each day,
200 are tankers carrying oil or other substances harmful for the environment. During the first decade of the 21st century there were more than 50 shipping accidents
causing pollution in the Baltic. In addition around 200 illegal spills are registered
each year (HELCOM 2010).
This book summarizes results of BalticWay, one of sixteen projects funded by
BONUS (www.bonusportal.org), the joint Baltic Sea research and development programme, in 2009–2011. Its aim was to examine how to make shipping as well as
offshore and coastal engineering safer by using new knowledge on semi-persistent
surface currents and to avoid transport of environmentally harmful spills to vulnerable coastal areas. The aim was to produce science based advice to decision making
in order to reduce the environmental risk.
The BalticWay research is exemplary in linking science and policy. It is founded
on basic oceanographic research, using the modelling approach to make forecasts
of material flows in a highly dynamic hydrographic environment that spatially and
temporally varies across a multiple of scales. At the same time, the project responds
to many objectives and goals of today’s policies in consideration of environment
and sustainability issues as well as to related demands on research, development
and innovation.
vii
Shipping as means of transportation has been among the first and most direct ways
for humans to benefit from the marine ecosystem services. With the increasing variability of industrialized production on land and intensifying globalization of the
markets, the direct environmental pressure arising from shipping is ever increasing.
Through history, the ways of utilizing the offshore maritime resources have diversified. Therefore, prevention of harmful impacts from shipping and other offshore
activities has a key position in today’s policies concerning the marine environment
and sustainability.
In spite of navigation made complicated by narrow straits, shallow waters,
labyrinths of skerries and islands and winter ice, the Baltic Sea is one of the busiest
shipping regions of the world. It is projected that the transportation of goods through
the Baltic Sea will double by 2017. Of the average of 2,000 ships at sea each day,
200 are tankers carrying oil or other substances harmful for the environment. During the first decade of the 21st century there were more than 50 shipping accidents
causing pollution in the Baltic. In addition around 200 illegal spills are registered
each year (HELCOM 2010).
This book summarizes results of BalticWay, one of sixteen projects funded by
BONUS (www.bonusportal.org), the joint Baltic Sea research and development programme, in 2009–2011. Its aim was to examine how to make shipping as well as
offshore and coastal engineering safer by using new knowledge on semi-persistent
surface currents and to avoid transport of environmentally harmful spills to vulnerable coastal areas. The aim was to produce science based advice to decision making
in order to reduce the environmental risk.
The BalticWay research is exemplary in linking science and policy. It is founded
on basic oceanographic research, using the modelling approach to make forecasts
of material flows in a highly dynamic hydrographic environment that spatially and
temporally varies across a multiple of scales. At the same time, the project responds
to many objectives and goals of today’s policies in consideration of environment
and sustainability issues as well as to related demands on research, development
and innovation.
vii