Editorial:

A possible scenario

In twenty years from now the North Sea and the Baltic Sea are classed as a PSSA, a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area, with many rules and regulations concerning shipping. Increased restrictions for industry and agriculture prevent even more pollution in the sea. Dangerous detergents have been taken away from the market.
Fishermen around the coast are following the same rules. Cars, ships and aeroplanes have been improved so much that the emissions have been heavily reduced. Seamen are safe on the ships sailing on our seas, since high education is demanded for the crews and money is spent on the best possible safety equipment and training. Ferries have the same high standard, regardless of the flag they sail under.
All oil transportation and other dangerous forms of transportation are adopting more serious safety measures. The sea is recovering slightly and the flora and fauna are coming back to what they were before industrialisation. The inhabitants of northern Europe are proud of the truly clean Baltic Sea.
Or what if the traffic increases at such a high speed that we cannot control it?
What if the “green power” is really powerless and money rules for another twenty years to come?
What if the bureaucracy of IMO is devastating and the will of industry, forestry, agriculture and shipping is so weak that environmental progress is not really feasible?
What if people start to develop allergies and diseases from the water, millions of birds and fishes die, and the flora of the sea vanishes?
What if some countries have to instruct their inhabitants not to swim at the coast or swim at their own risk?
What if the increasing oil transportation is not regulated sufficiently, so that a major oil pollution disaster actually happens? Are we willing to pay the price? Will we be able to sit down and comfort ourselves that we did all we could?
The reality is that traffic is growing enormously in the Baltic Sea. The demand for travel is increasing and more goods and oil are being transported every year. Development in Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Russia is growing fast.
We already have problems in handling the situation. IMO is working at full steam to make things happen. Greenpeace sees red when it comes to the state of the Baltic Sea. HELCOM is positive, but still worried. Many designers are involved in designing more environmentally adapted engines for planes, ships, trucks and cars.
A lot of companies are setting themselves high goals to make their activities less harmful to nature. The reality is that much is being done, and that much is going to happen in the years to come, but there are plenty of things still to be done in order to make a beautiful scenario come true.
This is all about you and me, and what we are willing to do. The Scandinavian Shipping Gazette has an important mission: to let all its readers know about the true situation. We must not hesitate to write about the dirty businesses and the ones who let the environment and safety down. We owe it to travellers, to the crews, to the flora and fauna and to those extremely magnificent waters in front of our own eyes; the Baltic Sea and the North Sea.
In this special edition you can learn more about the increasing oil transportation, pollution in water, post- Limburg-accident, technical news, news from organisations such as IMO and Greenpeace, happenings regarding safety in our area, and more besides.
We hope you will be with us from the first page to the last, because this is all about our own neighbourhood.

// Louise Grenestedt, Editor, Sweden

Back to SSG 10, November 15

Latest update 18-10-2006 8:49

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