The Baltic Sea, bar Russian waters, has been designated as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA).

Eight Baltic Sea nations – Denmark, Estonia Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden – agreed to establish stricter environmental laws in their waters at the recent 51st session of the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee, which met from 29 March to 2 April in London. According to news reports, Russia opposed the move as it could limit the access of oil tankers to and from the sea and raise costs for oil shippers, who would have to adopt measures to ensure safe oil transport.
The meeting also saw the designation of the Galapagos archipelago (Ecuador) and the waters surrounding the Canary Islands (Spain) as PSSAs. These waters now enjoy IMO protection with six other existing PSSAs around the world, including Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Cuba’s Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago, Colombia’s Malpelo Island, the United States’ Florida Keys, Peru’s Paracas National Reserve and the Wadden Sea of Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.
The committee also adopted revised regulations on sewage and approved a resolution on guidelines for transporting vegetable oil. Aiming to prevent coastal pollution, the new sewage regulations state that no sewage can be discharged within three miles of land for ships that carry over 15 people. Those ships with authorized onboard sewage treatment plants must discharge at least three miles away from the shore. These regulations are expected to enter into force in August 2005. In addition, the committee approved a plan of action for the development of guidelines for the implementation of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ship’s Ballast Water and Sediments that was adopted this February, and considered further work on ship recycling. More information is available at: http://www.imo.org/Newsroom/mainframe.asp?topic_id=848&doc_id=3551