Improving security in Black and Caspian Seas

The project is part of the European Commission’s Transport Corridor Europe programme, designed to support political and economic development in the region

A Mott MacDonald-led initiative is pushing shipping companies and ports towards compliance with international conventions.

(Article taken from our customer magazine, Momentum)

Lying between Europe and Asia, the Black and Caspian Seas are used for transportation and trade. They provide important fisheries and they are ecologically rich. As use of the seas intensifies there is growing concern about the safety and security of shipping, and the shipping industry’s impact on the seas’ long-term health.

Mott MacDonald is leading a €3.4 million, two year programme for the European Commission (EC), aimed at harmonising maritime standards among the countries bounding them.

The Black and Caspian Seas are heavily used for the movement of cargo. Shipping will grow as trade routes are developed between states including Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran on the east of the Caspian Sea and countries in the Mediterranean and beyond. Among the forces driving shipping growth, Europe wants to reduce dependency on Russian pipelines for the import of oil and gas.

“The safety and security of shipping is a growing concern,” says our project manager Philip Le Gouais. “Much of the existing Caspian and Black Sea fleet doesn’t meet international standards.” Because ship design and construction pre-dates modern requirements or because the ships are registered in countries where compliance with international maritime conventions is poor, a proportion of ships pose environmental and safety threats. Port safety and security is also an issue.

“Several ports are problematic in terms of smuggling and illegal immigration. There are issues with poor maintenance of dredged channels and navigation markers. As shipping intensifies the risk of collisions as ships enter or leave ports will grow,” Philip reports.

With consultants Ramboll, Oil Spill Training, Tethys and Milieu, Mott MacDonald has created a team of experts in shipping, the environment, hydrology and marine engineering. The project, focused on Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine, is part of the EC’s wider Transport Corridor Europe (Caucus-Asia) programme, designed to support political and economic development in the region.

Project objectives include integrating international shipping rules into national legislation and developing the staff competence needed to achieve navigation safety, and port and ship security. National and regional organisations responsible for safety, security and environmental supervision are being advised on implementation. Help is being given to attract private finance for port and shipping improvements.

Key challenges involve dealing with the geographical scope of the project. “Each country has its own cultural, historic, economic, institutional and legislative characteristics,” Philip comments.

The initial project phase involves properly understanding local issues and building rapport with, and support from, local institutions and stakeholders. “In each country we need to identify the key players in port authorities and government departments. Our approach builds on extensive experience of cross-boundary environment and social projects in the region,” he says.

Key Black Sea and Caspian Sea challenge

• By international law, new tankers must be designed with double skin hulls so that, if the outer hull is ruptured in a collision or by running aground, there is no spillage of the cargo. Many ships locally still have single skin hulls.
• Ship inspection regimes and standards are poor in some countries, meaning that unseaworthy ships are in use.
• Some vessels have inadequate navigation equipment. As shipping intensifies, risk of collision will grow.
• Offloading of ballast water is introducing alien animal and plant species, many of which are thriving and upsetting the ecological balance. Ballast water is taken aboard by ships for stability when they are sailing without a cargo, then discharged when a new cargo is loaded.
• Though it is prohibited, tankers are still discharging oil into the sea. Oil tanks are washed out with water between cargoes; ballast water is sometimes contaminated with oil.
• Port security is poor, contributing to high levels of smuggling and trafficking.
• Inadequate port navigation aids contribute to ship collision risk.

How we are making a difference

Holistic approach developed by combining shipping, maritime, environment and management expertise in a single team

Strength in building relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders thanks to extensive experience of working in states bordering the Black and Caspian Seas

Client: The European Commission