Innovative societies Water-smart societies Climate-neutral societies 

Interreg makes
a difference!

Explore how people in the Baltic Sea region have been benefitting
from our projects.

#MadeWithInterreg solutions for

Safety at sea 

From jointly developed and trained operation procedures, through risk assessment tools to more reliable navigation systems: this is what matters when people’s safety is at stake! 

What are we doing?

In shared waters of the Baltic Sea, one can only increase the overall maritime safety if all hands are onboard. Indeed, with roughly 2,000 commercial vessels operating in the Baltic Sea at any given minute, the risk for accidents remains high. Interreg projects have pioneered cooperation in joint response to accidents as well as search and rescue operations at sea. They set up a system for joint planning and training proving that Baltic Sea waters know no borders. Safe and reliable navigation tackled by Interreg projects is another factor, which reduces the potential risks of collisions.

Examples of #MadeWithInterreg solutions:
  • formalised cooperation in emergency preparedness and rescue diving in the region
  • community of divers in Baltic Sea region trained in joint procedures
  • standard operational procedures for search and rescue operations applicable to hazardous and noxious substances incidents
  •  inventory of human diving resources and competences for search and rescue operations
  • action plans for search and rescue missions in an underwater environment
  • R-Mode navigation systems tested for the first time in the world
  • improved speed and accuracy of ship-shore information and navigation
  • risk assessment and risk management tools for maritime authorities

 

What we’ve achieved so far

To manage high-intensity maritime traffic, reliable navigation, and emergency preparedness are crucial. From 2005-2008, Interreg projects helped develop local and regional contingency plans for shipping accidents and oil spills. In 2009-2012, projects strengthened bilateral and multilateral prevention and response agreements between Baltic Sea region countries. Based on the first overall risk assessment, ministries of environment and maritime administrations evaluated oil spill response capacity and prepared investments to fill the gaps. Seaports conducted oil spill exercises together with contingencies agencies and produced their own oil contingency plans. Maritime administrations started developing e-navigation services, contributing to the global standard within the International Maritime Organisation. The Baltic Sea served as a test bed for e-navigation.

Between 2016 and 2021, projects helped maritime rescue authorities, coast guards, fire and police departments, and NGOs validate available resources, coordinate and standardise response measures across institutions within and between Baltic Sea region countries. Measures covered search and rescue operations in case of incidents by hazardous and noxious substances, responding to oil spills in shallow and coastal waters, diving missions as well as crisis management in seaports. All procedures were tested in multiple joint live exercises. Projects helped develop new digital services onboard and onshore, including the world’s first Ranging-Mode test area for maritime terrestrial navigation. These e-navigation services improve the speed and accuracy of ship-shore information exchange and allow a safe and more accurate positioning.

Ongoing projects

The ongoing projects continue enhancing safety, efficiency, and sustainability of maritime navigation across the Baltic Sea region. In practice, they help harmonise existing navigational data and invest into developing alternative navigation systems. Increased reliability and precision of navigational data ultimately contributes to safer and more efficient sea traffic management. Moreover, the projects help maritime authorities mitigate potential risks at sea and prepare suitable response strategies by providing them with advanced risk assessment tools and advanced digitalised services.

Supporting the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region

Our projects play a vital role in achieving the ambitious goals of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) to save the Baltic Sea and connect the region. In collaboration with the coordinators of the EUSBSR policy areas Safe and Ship, our projects advance the Baltic Sea region toward becoming a model for sustainable shipping. Our projects develop cutting-edge services and products for safe and accurate navigation and equip maritime administrations and rescue professionals with new tools to coordinate response measures more efficiently.

Explore project solutions in more detail:

MaDaMe

Maritime Data Methods for Safe Shipping
The MaDaMe project develops digital fairway services and cyber secure communication for maritime authorities to efficiently share navigational information and increase safety at sea.
Read more about the project

BalMarGrav

Homogenized marine gravity maps of southern and eastern Baltic Sea for modern 3D applications in marine geodesy, geology and navigation
The project BalMarGrav harmonises data on the Earth’s gravity across the region to feed it into a new height reference system for safer navigation, offshore infrastructure and sea traffic management.
Read more about the project

Baltic Sea e-Nav

Shared waters – Same standards. Baltic Sea Partnership for Future Navigation
The project Baltic Sea e-Nav creates the next generation of navigational products and services compliant with new international standards, enabling national authorities and other maritime organisations to ensure safer, more harmonised and eco-efficient navigation at the Baltic Sea.
Read more about the project

OpenRisk II

Tools for shared & dynamic maritime traffic risk picture of the Baltic Sea region
The project OpenRisk II equips maritime authorities and intergovernmental organisations with the risk assessment and risk management tools and thus helps to minimise maritime accidents and their footprint on the marine environment.
Read more about the project

ORMOBASS

Operational R-Mode Baltic Sea System to support resilient navigation
To ensure safer navigation at the Baltic Sea, the project ORMOBASS introduces a terrestrial R-Mode system that replaces global navigation satellite systems in case of disruptions, and warns ships about increased navigational risks.
Read more about the project

ChemSAR

Operational plans and procedures for maritime search and rescue in HNS incidents
The Interreg project ChemSAR provided national rescue authorities and services around the Baltic Sea with operational plans and common procedures to harmonise maritime search and rescue (SAR) operations in incidents involving hazardous and noxious substances (HNS), and by this to save more lives.
Read more about the project

DiveSMART-Baltic

Diving with State Maritime Resources in The Baltic
The Interreg project DiveSMART-Baltic mapped competences of divers in nine countries around the Baltic Sea, and equipped rescue centres, rescue services and other involved services with operational procedures that harmonise and accelerate joint search and rescue missions in an underwater environment in order to save more human lives.
Read more about the project

HAZARD

Mitigating the effects of emergencies in Baltic Sea Region ports
The Interreg project HAZARD made firefighters, coastguards, policemen and others involved in rescue operations in ports around the Baltic Sea more fit to save people and goods when accidents happen: Large scale exercises helped sea port authorities and rescue services to improve their structures and procedures to be better prepared for the next accident to come.
Read more about the project

OIL SPILL

Enhancing Oil Spill Response Capability in the Baltic Sea Region
The project OIL SPILL helped public authorities, NGOs and voluntary organisations improve oil spill response and make it faster, better coordinated, and more efficient.
Read more about the project

ResQU2

ResQU2
The Interreg platform ResQU2 improved the preparedness of rescue authorities, services, seaports and other authorities for large-scale incidents in the Baltic Sea.
Read more about the project

R-Mode Baltic

Ranging Mode for the Baltic Sea
The Interreg project R-Mode Baltic launched a technical system for a safer ship navigation, and placed the Baltic Sea as a first operational navigation test area for maritime terrestrial navigation on the global map.
Read more about the project

STM BALT SAFE

Safety of Navigation in the Baltic Sea by Sea Traffic Management
The STM BALT SAFE project introduced new digital services onboard and onshore that improve the speed and accuracy of ship-shore information exchange.
Read more about the project

Results stay with the people: listen to our #InterregVoices:


©Sven Tupits

The project ChemSAR proves how the Programme can influence national procedures. The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board confirmed that several national internal procedures and regulations have been changed thanks to the agreements made during the project. In my view, it was one of the best result-oriented projects we have had.

Margarita Golovko

Monitoring Committee member, Estonia 


©City of Tartu

With the EmpInno project, we have developed a statistics tool in collaboration with Estonian citizens and entrepreneurs. Now local policymakers have a better overview of the local business ecosystem, and also its development trends.

Finally, the Baltic Game Industry project helped us to create a gaming and film industry incubation programme in Tartu. The programme is still running even though the project is over.

Raimond Tamm

Deputy Mayor of Tartu, Estonia


©Michael Biel

The Baltic Sea region is a games hotspot in Europe. BSG GO! supports players in Berlin's game industry in entering into international cooperations and thus strengthening entrepreneurial resilience.

Michael Biel

Senate Department of Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises of Berlin

#MadeWithInterreg solutions by topic

Agriculture

Attractive cities for people

Cleaner waters

Digitalisation

Energy efficiency

Fewer hazards

Health &
well-being

Healthy & sustainable
food

Inclusive 
communities

Renewable energy

Safety at sea

Strong & competitive
companies