Helsinki urges cruise shipping companies to protect the Baltic Sea

Port of Helsinki, Helsinki Water and the City of Helsinki Environment Centre challenge cruise shipping companies to protect the Baltic Sea. During the ongoing cruise season ships can discharge their waste water in harbours without a separate charge for waste water.

The Port of Helsinki has built waste water receiving facilities at each berth for waste water from ships to be discharged into the city sewer system. The aim is to considerably increase the amount of waste water from cruise ships into city sewer systems.

International shipping companies have been sent a letter to urge cruise ships to discharge their waste water into the city sewer system without a separate charge. Furthermore, the ship captains and crew are reminded of the matter, when the cruise ships visit Helsinki. According to the law cruise ships can discharge waste water into the sea when 12 nautical miles from the shore. Regular passenger traffic vessels have long pumped their waste waters to the city sewer system.

The mayors of Helsinki and Turku have made a commitment for improving the state of the Baltic Sea and have challenged hundreds of other organisations to take part in the challenge.

The measures presented in the Baltic Sea Challenge commitment aim to decrease the burden on coastal waters and the entire Baltic Sea caused by the functions of the cities Helsinki and Turku themselves. One of the aims is to decrease the environmental effects of vessel traffic.

The web pages for the challenge of saving the Baltic Sea can be found in three languages in www.itamerihaaste.net, www.ostersjoutmaningen.net and www.balticseachallenge.net.

Contact persons:
Port of Helsinki: Ms Kaarina Vuorivirta, tel. +358 9 310 33521
Helsinki Water: Mr Ari Nevalainen, tel. +358 9 310 33008
City of Helsinki Environment Centre: Ms Lotta Ruokanen, tel. +358 9 310 33195