GOFREP to reduce danger of ships colliding in Gulf of Finland

Finnish, Estonian, Russian traffic control system installed

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By Heli Saavalainen
     
      The joint maritime traffic control system for ships, which was taken into use by Estonia, Finland, and Russia in July, has worked well so far.
      A total of about 35,000 sailings have been reported by ships in the Gulf of Finland, and at least three potential collisions have been averted.
      The Gulf of Finland Reporting (GOFREP) system, which requires that vessels sailing in the Gulf of Finland submit reports on their progress, allows officials to follow the movements of ships in the Gulf in real time.
      Ships carrying hazardous cargoes are also reported.
      Hanna Linjos-Maunula, head of the transport section of the Maritime district of the Gulf of Finland sees GOFREP as a significant boost to maritime transport safety.
      "According to the risk analysis, the system reduces the likelihood of an accident by 80 percent", she says.
      "In the first three months we have had at least three clear close calls. We have managed to avert possible collisions", Linjos-Maunula says.
     
GOFREP was officially taken into use on Tuesday.
      Taking part in the ceremonies were Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen and Russia’s Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, as well as the Finnish and Russian transport ministers Leena Luhtanen and Igor Levitin, and the Estonian Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications, Andrus Ansip.
     
Transport in the Gulf of Finland has increased sharply in recent years. Oil transport is especially on the increase, as Russia exports more oil and sets up new terminals on the coast of the eastern Gulf of Finland.
      Transport is expected to increase from under 80 million tonnes a year to as much as 150 million tonnes by 2010.
     
The system, in which vessels are required to report their positions is similar to air traffic control, but it is for ships. The ships are required to report to specified locations, where their positions and cargoes are recorded by the GOFREP tracking systems.
      If the route is crowded, if there is thick ice, or if there are other obstacles, officials can pass information on the problems to the ship.
      The system also makes it possible to closely follow the routes taken by suspicious vessels, and violations of routing rules can also be monitored.
     
In Russia, the development of the notification system is still incomplete, which means that GOFREP does not yet cover all routes and harbours in the Gulf of Finland.
      However, Minister of Transport Igor Levitin promised that GOFREP will be in full operation in Russia by mid-2005.
      He emphasised in the Baltic Sea seminar which followed the inauguration that all of Russia’s harbours would implement the rules of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
      Estonia’s Andrus Ansip stressed the importance of improving wintertime transport, and hoped for common icebreaker caravans that would extend to the mouth of the Gulf of Finland.
      "As icebreaking is a common problem for Finland, Russia, and Estonia, it would be both sensible and cheaper to work together in this matter", Ansip said.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 27.10.2004


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Estonian PM disappointed with programme in Helsinki - stays home (27.10.2004)

Links:
  GOFREP - Gulf of Finland Reporting System

HELI SAAVALAINEN / Helsingin Sanomat
heli.saavalainen@hs.fi