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MEDIA ADVISORY: Largest oil response exercise in the Baltic Sea region

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What                   
HELCOM Balex Delta 2015. A designated boat will be ready for registered media to observe the international drill from close distance, followed by a press conference.

When                  
Wednesday, 9 September 2015: Exercise briefing at 18:00–18:30.
Thursday, 10 September 2015: Exercise time: 09:00–14:00 & Press conference at 16:00

Who                    
Around 20 specially equipped response vessels from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden;
Around 100 participants of the national shoreline response exercise;
Coordination: Polish Maritime Search and Rescue Service,Gdynia (Maritime Part), West Pomeranian Regional Headquarters of the State Fire Service (Shoreline Part). .

Where                 
Pomeranian Bay (Swinoujscie), Poland. Press conference and exercise briefing: Polish Maritime Search and Rescue Service naval base, Wybrzeże Władysława IV 1 Str, Swinoujscie.

Why

The exercise simulates a large real life oil catastrophe in one of the most vulnerable – and busiest – sea areas in the world.

The goal is to recover as much oil as possible in the open sea before it would reach the shores of the islands or mainland, since this is roughly ten times more cost-efficient than shoreline clean-up.

The annual HELCOM Balex Delta is hosted this year by the Polish Maritime Search and Rescue Service. For the list of vessels and equipment participating in the exercise please see the Annex “Vessels and Equipment”.

The national shoreline response part of Balex Delta 2015 will be organized and conducted by the Polish State Fire Service, with the help of Search and Rescue (SAR) Service and Maritime Office inSzczecin. The shoreline exercise will be conducted parallel to the maritime part on 10 September. The exercise area is planned on the beach east to the LNG Terminal in Swinoujście (at theWolinIsland). The State Fire Service plans to use c.a. 40 fire engines together with the equipment. The SAR Service will send the crew of the Costal Rescue Station in Dziwnow (one heavy rescue truck, one rescue boat (RIB type), 150m of oil boom and a portable Ro-mop oil skimmer.

Programme (local time CEST = UTC +2hrs)

  • 8.00 Media cruise departure. Name of the ship: Pasat or Magda (tbc). Point of departure: Polish Maritime Search and Rescue Service naval base, WybrzeżeWładysława IV 1 Str, Swinoujscie
  • The exercise scenario and roles of responsible parties explained briefly by the representatives of national partners
  • Balex Delta exercise: all oil response equipment such as booms and skimmers in use, by all the oil response and other ships and assisted by a Maritime Office aircraft
  • 9:00 – 14:00: Shoreline clean-up demonstration, location: shore on the Wolin Island Part of Swinoujscie East of the LNG Terminal 53.916615 N 14.307325 E
  • 14:00Approximate time of return to the SAR naval base
  • 15:00Press conference at Polish Maritime Search and Rescue Service base, Swinoujscie

Media representatives are asked to apply for accreditation
by 3 September 2015, by providing contact information (name, media, e-mail, phone number) to:
bd2015@sar.gov.pl

* * *

Background information:

The annual BALEX DELTA exercises

  • test the alarm procedures and response capability of the HELCOM Contracting States (all nineBaltic Seacoastal states) in case of a major accident and an international response operation.
  • have the general objective to ensure that everyContractingStateis able to lead a major response operation.
  • are hosted by the Contracting States according to an agreed schedule.
  • are most famous of the regular, operational HELCOM pollution response exercises
  • are the largest pollution response exercise in theBaltic Seaand one of the largest worldwide

* * *

The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as HELCOM, is an intergovernmental organisation of the nine Baltic Sea coastal countries and the European Union working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution and to ensure safety of navigation in the region.HELCOM is the governing body of the "Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area," more usually known as the Helsinki Convention, from 1974.

* * *

For further information, please contact:

Johanna Laurila
Information Secretary
HELCOM
Tel: +358 40 523 8988
E-mail: johanna.laurila(at)helcom.fi

Marek Reszko
Chief coordinator of the BD2015 Exercise
Polish Maritime Search and Rescue Service
Tel: +48 50 505 0961
E-mail: marek.reszko(at)sar.gov.pl

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