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EBRD funds maritime safety in Russian sector of Baltic Sea
Aim is to lessen danger of tanker collisions in approaches to Russian oil ports
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is lending $5.4 million
to fund the construction of a maritime navigation safety system devised to
lessen the risk of ship collisions in the main Russian sector of the Baltic
Sea, where a massive surge in tanker traffic is being projected.
This project marks the EBRD's first involvement in the Russian port sector. It
will bring international safety standards to the Russian sector of the Baltic
Sea and is a major plus for the environment as well as demonstrating the
benefits of regional cooperation, said Riccardo Puliti, Director of the EBRD's
Transport Team.
The five-year loan will allow Russia to complete the second phase of a
regional navigation safety system in the Gulf of Finland. This will monitor
ships on their way to and from the port of St Petersburg, the new Baltic oil
terminal at Primorsk, and other ports in the area.
Navigation in the Gulf of Finland is made difficult by numerous islands and
patches of shallow water, as well as frequent fog and ice. In 2001, in an
effort to protect the Gulf's fragile eco-system from oil spillages, Russia,
Finland and Estonia agreed to provide sophisticated communications and
ship-tracking and identification systems, mainly with the aim of lessening the
risk of tanker accidents. The EBRD loan will be used to erect steel towers on
three Russian islands in the Gulf - Gogland, Sommers and Seskar - to support
radar and communications equipment.
The borrower is the Maritime Port Authority of St Petersburg, and the loan has
been guaranteed by the state-owned Russian Bank for Development. The total
cost of the second phase of the Russian part of the Regional Navigation Safety
System is estimated at $9.3 million.
The project has the support of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO)
and is one of several promoted by the EU Commission as part of its "Safer
Seas" policy.
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