Safe and Reliable Transport Chains of Dangerous Goods in the Baltic Sea Region (DaGoB)

Programme 2000 - 2006 Baltic Sea Region

Date of latest update: 2021-04-06

Description

Description (EN):

Initially it was thought that over 200,000,000 tons of Dangerous Goods (DG) per year moves in BSR (plus over 100M tons in NW Russia) mostly through densely populated areas, imposing real health and safety risks to people and environment. After the data gathering and reporting in DaGoB, the actual figure is close to 1,000,000,000 tons in the entire BSR region, which was substantially more than anticipated. With this finding, governments and authorities were made more aware of the importance of DG transports. DG Transport is regulated in international conventions by modes: RID (rail); ADR (road); MarPol (bulk by sea) and IMDG (unitised by sea), supplemented by EU and/or national regulation. A unique MoU on designated Ro-Ro ships is applied in the BSR. Despite formal implementation, DG authorities’ operational practices vary markedly between and even within countries, causing safety and other problems. No BSR-wide analysis on DG cargo flows nor on DG-related accidents exists, nor is there publicly available comparative studies on border-crossing transport chains of DG. Units dealing with DG in BSR Ministries responsible for Transport usually have 2-3 staff preparing national DG legislation. Maritime, Rail and Road Administrations have a similar number of DG specialists in central administration, and a handful of field inspectors in main ports, rail and road districts. Other DG-related authorities comprise e.g. port authorities, coast guard, customs, traffic police and rescue services. Their exposure to international cooperation is limited, and best practice is seldom shared across borders. There is imminent need for better information exchange between DG authorities, and between authorities and the private sector. DaGoB comprises 26 Partners from several DG authorities, ports, universities and industry associations. Participating countries consist of Finland, Sweden, Germany, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, plus two regional organisations as advisory partners. WP1 analyses DG flows and DG-related incidents/accidents and studies bottlenecks in border-crossing DG supply chains involving shippers and logistics operators. WP2 maps the roles of DG authorities in the BSR, the extent of cooperation between them and organises several joint exercises. WP3 prepares a BSR-wide ToolKit for national and local authorities based on WP1&2. The Toolkit provides peer-reviewed procedures to improve safety and security of DG transport without compromising the competitiveness of industries relying on DG, and disseminates experiences of relevant IT applications. It also assesses the anticipated impact of EU's changing chemical legislation (e.g. REACH package) on DG Transport in the BSR. WP4 disseminates the results through authorities and industry associations. DaGoB sets up a bi-annual DG Seminar in the BSR as no such thing exists today. DaGoB experience is also likely to have an impact on EU level.

Achievements (EN):

DaGoB produced a wide range of publications on the DG transport in the BSR. Field demonstrations and national and international seminars were also essential part of DaGoB. To the DaGoB summary report we have collected all the important topics of that were covered, including regulatory framework, safety and security, human factor and many others. Harmonization of Dangerous Goods Regulation: The different directives and regulations have been created to serve a certain purpose, but combined they have created duplication. Since 2004, one of the main objectives of the regulatory work related to dangerous goods has been to harmonize these numerous and often mixed directives. Authorities and agencies related to Dangerous Goods: There is only a small number of dangerous goods specialists working in the BSR countries and the administrative capacity is very limited. This fact is clearly presented in the comprehensive and detailed report: “Dangerous Goods Transport in the Baltic Sea Region: Authorities, Agencies and Regulations”, produced as a part of DaGoB project. This report is first of its kind in the BSR. Dangerous goods transport flows in the baltic sea region: The amount of dangerous goods transported in the BSR countries varies quite much. This is clearly shown in the report, which has collected the DG flows of DaGoB partner countries. However the data collection in the Baltic Sea Region has not so far been comprehensive and extensive implications from existing data have been impossible to make. The DaGoB –project has provided the firs comprehensive estimate of Dangerous Goods flows transported in the Baltic Sea Region. With estimates of flows of Northwestern Russia, Denmark and Poland, up to 1000 million tons of dangerous goods are transported in the BSR region. Cost Savings through Supply Chain Efficiency: The chemical industry, which includes also most part of the DG industry, and the related supply chain industry, plays an extremely important role in today’s European economy representing the largest chemical block in the world. The supply chain is likely to become the main source of future cost savings. These savings will nevertheless be difficult to secure because, at the same time, there are several inflationary pressures that are affecting supply chain costs. Transport infrastructure is becoming increasingly congested, fuel and labour costs are rising, downstream supply lines are lengthening, customers are demanding shorter order lead times and environmental and safety controls on the distribution of chemicals are steadily tightening. One of the problems related to the growth of the chemical industry, and especially the transport companies close to it, is that the difficulties in finding competent personnel for different purposes are becoming increasingly common. Especially this problem seems to touch the road transportation of goods. The DaGoB –project has together with ECTA (European Chemical Transporters Association) taken a step to address this question by launching a survey targeted to companies transporting chemicals and other dangerous goods by road. Dangerous goods transport from the shippers perspective: DaGoB project provided dangerous goods supply chain information on shippers perspective by producing a multiple case study of multimodal transport chains. It provides an insight on how international supply chains of dangerous goods work with an overview of problems which the actors are faced. The data covers border-crossing transport chains in the Baltic Sea Region, which means that all movements involve a maritime transport leg in one form or another. The objective of the study was to describe DG transport chains as processes in order to identify bottlenecks or problems in operations, by applying a uniform process framework for all cases. Safety and security: There are numerous risks related to transportation of dangerous goods. Different kind of risks include risks to human health and safety, such as deaths, injuries, acute or chronic illness and other health effects, risks to environment, such as contamination of water or land, risks to property, and other type of risks. Risks related to dangerous goods may result from various sources. These sources may be divided into two main categories, namely safety related and security related sources. Safety related issues may be defined so that the regulations and operating procedures are well defined and followed, but despite the right procedures something happens. Security related issues may be defined in a way that regulations and operating procedures are deliberately not followed or ignored, thus causing an accident or incident to happen. These themes have been addressed in the DaGoB –project both on the academic level through various reports and co-operation with the Doctoral thesis project in Lund University, and on the practical level through various field exercises and events organized amongst the project partners and other stakeholders. Incidents & Accidents: All transport modes bear the risk of accidents and significant consequences. When serious accidents occur, it is vital that investigations are carried out and that data concerning the causes, consequences and contributory factors are collated for analysis with the aim of minimising the number and seriousness of accidents in the future. On that basis, trends and risks can be identified, recommendations made and appropriate measures implemented. During the project duration DaGoB has collected the data on incidents and accidents of dangerous goods, which have happened in the Baltic Sea Region. This kind of data on dangerous goods accidents in the BSR, including road, rail and sea modes has not been summarised before. Human factor: Up to 1,000 million tonnes of dangerous goods are transported in the Baltic Sea and on the roads of the Baltic Sea countries. In case of an accident, these substances may be a threat to people and the environment. In order to avoid dangerous situations and major accidents, the official supervision of the area is now being standardised and improved. Networking and new equipment makes these control activities more effective. The question is, above all, about the safety of the people and the environment. Common working methods and smooth cooperation beyond borders facilitate the supervision work of the authorities, whose goal is to avoid serious accidents. Transport is always associated with human risk factors that cannot be completely excluded. Further development of IT systems: Seaports are important links of DG logistics in the Baltic Sea Regionsince the majority of export and import is transported by sea. The increase in cargo flows during the past years has also set new demands for capable information management. Efficient IT Systems and proactive IT development are crucial elements to meet the requirements of safe and reliable transport flows. A DaGoB survey was made to examine and evaluate the current status of used port IT Systems in six Baltic Sea countries. Con Continuation and expansion of cooperation: Based on the results from the DaGoB project, it is strongly recommended that the structured cooperation between the authorities currently participating could be continued. The group should involve the whole Baltic Sea Region area with respective authorities from each country and organization. The main goal should be to institutionalized cooperation in regular workshops so that the authorities integrate this work in their normal working routines. Future workshops could develop joint laboratory procedures and best practice. Experience, information and suggestions from the different parties should be pooled to establish one training system, which could be implemented throughout the region.

Thematic information

Managing natural and man-made threats, risk management Logistics and freight transport

Partners (28)

Lead Partner: Turku School of Economics and Business Administration

Address: Rehtorinpellonkatu 3, 20500 Turku, Finland

Legal status: n/a

Freeport of Riga Authority

Name: Freeport of Riga Authority

Address: 1050 Riga, Latvia

Legal status: n/a

Finnish Port Association

Name: Finnish Port Association

Address: 00530 Helsinki, Finland

Legal status: n/a

Estonian Railway Inspectorate

Name: Estonian Railway Inspectorate

Address: 10113 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: n/a

Klaipeda State Seaport Authority

Name: Klaipeda State Seaport Authority

Address: 92251 Klaipeda, Lithuania

Legal status: n/a

Estonian Maritime Administration

Name: Estonian Maritime Administration

Address: 11413 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: n/a

Finnish Port Operators' Association

Name: Finnish Port Operators' Association

Address: 00181 Helsinki, Finland

Legal status: n/a

TEDIM Telematics, Education, Development and Infomation Management

Name: TEDIM Telematics, Education, Development and Infomation Management

Address: 00023 Valtioneuvosto/Helsinki, Finland

Legal status: n/a

Swedish Rail Agency

Name: Swedish Rail Agency

Address: SE-78121 Borlänge, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

University College of Borås

Name: University College of Borås

Address: 501 90 Borås, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

Kustbevakningen

Name: Kustbevakningen

Address: 371 23 Karlskrona, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

Saint-Petersburg Government Committee of Transport-Transit Policy

Name: Saint-Petersburg Government Committee of Transport-Transit Policy

Address: 190031 St. Petersburg, Russia

Legal status: n/a

Non profit training and research center of adult education 'Protey'

Name: Non profit training and research center of adult education 'Protey'

Address: 190008 Saint-Petersburg, Russia

Legal status: n/a

Lund Institute of Technology, University of Lund

Name: Lund Institute of Technology, University of Lund

Address: 221 00 Lund, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

Swedish Rescue Services Agency

Name: Swedish Rescue Services Agency

Address: 651 80 Karlstad, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

North-western Russia Logistics Development and Information Center - ILOT

Name: North-western Russia Logistics Development and Information Center - ILOT

Address: 193167 St. Petersburg, Russia

Legal status: n/a

Baltic Ports Organization

Name: Baltic Ports Organization

Address: 102 54 Stockholm, Sweden

Legal status: n/a

TuTech Innovation

Name: TuTech Innovation

Address: 21079 Hamburg, Germany

Legal status: n/a

Port of Tallinn

Name: Port of Tallinn

Address: 15051 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: n/a

Finnish Maritime Administration

Name: Finnish Maritime Administration

Address: 00181 Helsinki, Finland

Legal status: n/a

West Finland Coast Guard District

Name: West Finland Coast Guard District

Address: 20101 Turku, Finland

Legal status: n/a

Port of Turku

Name: Port of Turku

Address: 20100 Turku, Finland

Legal status: n/a

Finland Environmental Institute

Name: Finland Environmental Institute

Address: 00251 Helsinki, Finland

Legal status: n/a

The Association of Finnish Technical Traders

Name: The Association of Finnish Technical Traders

Address: 00210 Helsinki, Finland

Legal status: n/a

Finnish Customs

Name: Finnish Customs

Address: 20101 Turku, Finland

Legal status: n/a

Finnish Transport and Logistics SKAL

Name: Finnish Transport and Logistics SKAL

Address: 00400 Helsinki, Finland

Legal status: n/a

Finnish Traffic Police

Name: Finnish Traffic Police

Address: 20101 Turku, Finland

Legal status: n/a

Chemical Industry Federation of Finland

Name: Chemical Industry Federation of Finland

Address: 00131 Helsinki, Finland

Legal status: n/a

Partners map

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Safe and Reliable Transport Chains of Dangerous Goods in the Baltic Sea Region (DaGoB)

Project acronym: DaGoB

Project start date: 2005-12-10

Project end date: 2007-12-31

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 2 048 660.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 785 495.00

Co-financing sources:

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2000 - 2006 Baltic Sea Region

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2019-07-08

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

136 / 136 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

3 143 / 3 143 (100%)

Notes on the data

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Safe and Reliable Transport Chains of Dangerous Goods in the Baltic Sea Region (DaGoB)

Description

Thematic information

Partners (28)

Partners map

Summary

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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