This includes maintenance and upgrading of lighthouses, buoys, and sea lanes along the coast. The Coastal Administration is also responsible for the pilotage service, vessel traffic services, AIS, emergency response and the issuing of navigational warnings.
The head quarter of the Coastal Administration is located in Ålesund, with five regional offices. Approximately 1000 people are employed in the Coastal Administration.
Maritime transport
The objective is to promote safe, secure, efficient and sustainable sea transport. The need for transport of ever increasing volumes of goods, together with the necessity to find cost-effective alternatives to congested motorways, places greater focus on maritime transport.
Maritime transport is, compared to road transport more environmentally friendly; it demands lower fuel consumption and a lower release of toxic substances.
Sea Ports and Transport Corridors
Safe, secure and efficient transport corridors are important to bring goods to vital markets. Ports are an essential part of the total infrastructure and an important hub in the logistics chain.
Security
Since 9/11 there has been a high global awareness on the risk to ports from threats posed by illegal actions, such as terrorism. The International Maritime Organization has developed amendments in SOLAS as well as a new ship and port facility code (ISPS Code), implemted in the EU legislation in Regulation 725/2004. Norway has implemented these regulations in national law. Significant efforts have been made by the industry, the ports and other relevant authorities in order to meet the new requirements.
Maritime safety
Last year the Government tabled a White Paper to Parliament on maritime safety and oil spill preparedness. The Paper focuses on measures directed to prevent intentional or accidental oil spill as well as measures directed to limit the impact on the marine ecosystem and the coastal areas caused by such incidents.
The prevention of incidents and accidents is closely related to increase safety at sea. Aircraft monitoring and port state controls are common measures, but not necessarily cost-efficient with regard to identification of intentional illegal discharges of oil spills.
International cooperation
In order to reach global solutions to international problems, Norway takes active part and highly values the work done in international organizations such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Equally important is the close relationship to the EU, inter alia though participation in the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). Norway has also developed an excellent bilateral cooperation with Russia with respect to coastal preparedness.
The implementation of the traffic monitoring system under the Safe Sea Net programme and the installation of AIS, strengthens the navigation aid systems. In order to secure a safe system for navigation, satellite based systems like GPS and the future Galileo system are of the utmost importance. It is important for both security and environmental aspects to have a good coverage in all of Europe and in maritime zones of interest to Europe.
Oil Pollution Preparedness and Emergency response
This activity involves preventive measures as well as damage-limiting measures in the event of an incident. Coordinated oil spill preparedness contributes to prevent and limit the damage due to acute pollution. The dimensioning of necessary equipment and measures are based on risk assessment and sophisticated risk management tools.
The responsibilities and tasks are shared between actors in private sector (oil companies) and actors on municipality and government levels respectively, according to specified, agreed routines.
Other challenges that Norway cooperates internationally to reduce are the number of intentional oil-spills from ships.
Proposal for a mandatory ships’ routing system in Northern Norway
The Government of Norway has recently sent a proposal to the IMO in order to establish a traffic separation scheme off the coast of Norway from Vardø to Røst. The routing measure is proposed as a mandatory traffic separation scheme for tankers of all sizes, including gas and chemical tankers, and all other cargo ships of 5000 gross tonnage and upwards, in transit or on international voyages to or from Norwegian ports. This will in general include ships with a bunker capacity of more than 300 m3.
Risk reducing measures
The proposed measure implies moving the tankers and other cargo ships routes out from the coast to minimize risk of grounding and to separate north and southbound traffic to avoid collisions. The traffic will be monitored from Vardø VTS (operational in 2007), and moving the ships further out from the coast than todays average route for passage will give sufficient time to handle a situation by i.a. the towing contingency which is already established.
Several risk reducing measures are already operational and others will be operational in the near future: They include i.a. a land based AIS monitoring network, Ship Reporting system according to European Union Directive (2002/59/EC), Vardø VTS (operational 2007) and an emergency towing preparedness.
In 2005 a proposal for mandatory ship routing and traffic separation scheme along the northern coast of Norway was submitted to the shipping community, the fishing community and others for comments. On this background the Government presented a White Paper in January last year to the Parliament on an Integrated Management Plan for the Barents Sea and the sea areas off Lofoten.
Exeeding number of tankers passing between Northwest Russia and Northern Norway
Ships sailing to and from Northwest Russia and Northern Norway pass through the waters off the coast of Norway from Vardø to Røst. The number of tankers passing has increased in recent years, and is expected to increase considerably in the near future. In 2004 and 2005 a number of incidents on the Norwegian coast with ships loosing propulsion were reported, of which nine ships were above 5000 dwt.
The westbound (outer) traffic lane of the proposed scheme is at a distance from land where the fishing activity is limited, and it is in general clear of offshore oil and gas exploration and production activity. The eastbound (inner) traffic lane is closer to land, and located such that most fisheries are not affected, and it is in general clear of offshore oil and gas exploration and production activity.
Offshore petroleum exploration and production is expected to take place outside of the traffic separation scheme or within the traffic separation zone.
An assessment of risks and mitigation measures has been conducted by Det norske Veritas (DnV) according to the Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) methodology approved by IMO. The assessment clearly shows that the proposed measure in combination with the other risk reducing measures that Norway has established will reduce the risk of pollution or other damage to the marine environment.
The traffic separation scheme is not likely to cause a disproportionate burden to the shipping industry.