Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission
Task Group on revising the HELCOM Response
Manual Volume II
TG HNS MANUAL 2-2014
Second Meeting, 2.-3. October 2014
Outcome
HELCOM TG HNS MANUAL 2 -2014
The Second Meeting of HELCOM TG HNS MANUAL took place 2. (14:00)- 3. October (12:00) 2014, at EMSA
premises, Lisbon. The Meeting was organized back to back with the EMSA HNS workshop 1.-2. October 2014 at
the same premises.
The Meeting was attended by participants from EMSA, Finland, Germany, Poland, and the HELCOM Secretariat.
The List of Participants is included as Annex 1.
1. Adoption of the Agenda
The Meeting adopted the Provisional Agenda of the Meeting (Document 1-1).
2. Working procedures
The Meeting took note of the outcome of the last Meeting, TG HNS Manual 1-2014, and recalled that the TG
was established to produce, as a HELCOM RESPONSE intersessional activity, a revised and updated version of
Volume II of the HELCOM Response Manual and aims to submit its final product to HELCOM RESPONSE in 2016
for adoption (Document).
The Meeting took note of the timetable of the process and revised it as included in Annex 2.
The Meeting noted that none of the Contracting Parties present were able to take over the task to act as a Lead
Country/Chair and agreed to come back to the issue at the next meeting.
The Meeting requested the Professional Secretary to act as interim chair of the TG Meeting.
The Meeting agreed to organize next Meeting (TG HNS MANUAL 3-2014) on 17 March 2015 as a full day meeting
and welcomed the offer of Germany to host the Meeting in Hamburg.
3. New HELCOM Response Manual Volume II
The Meeting welcomed the draft provided by Finland (Document 3-1), based on previous meetings,
intersessional discussions and the initial draft by the Secretariat (§8 TG HNS MANUAL Outcome), and agreed to
use the draft material in further elaboration.
The Meeting agreed to the revised draft outline of the manual as included in Annex 3
The Meeting welcomed the following commitments to further input by the participants to be circulated to the
group and the secretariat by end of October 2014 and to be submitted to the HELCOM RESPONSE 19-2014 (2527.11.2014, Riga, Latvia):
― EMSA to provide a further worked chapter on information sources
― Germany to provide a chapter on initial measures and risk assessment
 Germany and Finland to provide a first draft of the Scenario A1 incorporating the decision-tree
approach of Chemical Spill Response Manual (Risks, Response, Detection, Organisation, Rules &
Regulations) from Weird Koops and Marieke Zeinstra (NHL University of Applied Sciences, the
Netherlands), published October 2011 (http://www.spillresponse.nl/index.php/Main_Page)..
― Germany and Finland to provide a revised list of scenarios to be used in the manual
― Secretariat to provide input on the introductory chapter
The Meeting invited Sweden to comment the draft based on their national work by HELCOM RESPONSE 19 2014.
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TG HNS MANUAL 2-2014
The Meeting agreed to organize, if needed to get an agreement on the submission to RESPONSE 19 , a one-hour
online planning meeting on 3 November 2014 at 12:00 CET to be convened by the HELCOM Secretariat.
The Meeting recalled the general reflections on the desired end product of the TG HNS MANUAL process by the
previous meeting:
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Manual should be more operational than the current and enable use without in-depth studies
Structuring could use chemical groupings (behavioural classes, toxicity) in order to minimize the
situation where the user has to read material not related to the incident at hand.
Structuring could use the general titles Risk-Response-Detection/Monitoring
Structuring could make extensive use of Annexes to provide more in-depth understanding.
The Meeting recalled references identified during the previous meetings:
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
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Chemical Spill Response Manual (Risks, Response, Detection, Organisation, Rules & Regulations) from
Weird Koops and Marieke Zeinstra (NHL University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands), published
October 2011 (http://www.spillresponse.nl/index.php/Main_Page).
EMSA’s” Safe Platform Study” – “Technical Report on the development of vessel design requirements
to enter and operate in dangerous atmospheres” (2012). The report addresses Identification and
Analysis of the Risks associated with HNS Incidents, Identification and Analysis of Sources of
Information, Response operations to be considered and Development of Vessel Design
Requirements.The report also includes incident scenarios involving HNS , summarised into 5 key
response scenarios: Flammable / Explosive Leak; Fire; Health Hazard / Toxic; Cryogenic / Gases under
pressure (including LNG/LPG); Corrosive.
EMSA Inventory of EU Member States’ Policies and Operational Response Capacities for HNS Marine
Pollution (latest edition from 2013, http://emsa.europa.eu/publications/guidelines-manuals-andinventories.html (2nd document from the top).
US Department of Commerce: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA ,
http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/chemical-spills .,
http://cameochemicals.noaa.gov/ , http://www.habitat.noaa.gov/restoration/
Centre of Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution, CEDRE,
http://www.cedre.fr/en/cedre/index.php including response guides for 15 chemicals.
The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Ltd, ITOPF , http://www.itopf.com/marinespills/about-hns/
European Maritime Safety Agency, MAR-ICE Network http://emsa.europa.eu/hns-pollution/mar-icenetwork.html
Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) National Marine Chemical Spill Contingency Plan
(ChemPian) , https://www.amsa.gov.au/environment/maritime-environmental-emergencies/nationalplan/Contingency/Chemplan/index.asp
The Meeting agreed that the material provided by ARCOPOL and IMO could be added to the list.
The Meeting agreed to keep this list of relevant links updated and invited HELCOM contracting parties to
inform the TG of best practices on HNS response.
4. Subtask I: Identification and grouping of chemicals
The Meeting agreed that identification and grouping of chemicals are to be completed by the next meeting of
the TG scheduled 17 March 2015 in Hamburg.
5. Subtask II: Drift, Spread & Monitoring
The Meeting agreed that modelling matters are included in the topic of information sources with deadline 30
December 2014.
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TG HNS MANUAL 2-2014
6. Any other business
The Meeting took note that a project on HNS response is being prepared under the lead of Finland to the Baltic
Sea Region programme (submission February 2015) as a follow up to the CHEMBALTIC project.
The Meeting took note that in Germany there is planned national risk assessment work is ongoing based on the
outcomes of the BRISK and BE-AWARE projects.
7. Outcome of the Meeting
The Meeting adopted the outcome of the Meeting. The Final Outcome of the Meeting incorporating Annexes
was circulated on 3 October 2014.
The Meeting thanked the host EMSA for the excellent meeting facilities.
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TG HNS MANUAL 2-2014
Annex 1 -List of Participants and TG Members
List of Participants of HELCOM TG HNS MANUAL 2-2014
European Union (EMSA)
Mr. Walter Nordhausen
[email protected]
Ms. Lito Xirotyri
[email protected]
Finland
Mr. Magnus Nyström
[email protected]
Mr. Jani Häkkinen
[email protected]
Poland
Mr. Marek Reszko
[email protected]
Germany
Mr. Klaus Daginnius
[email protected]
HELCOM Secretariat
Mr. Hermanni Backer
[email protected]
List of Members of the HELCOM TG HNS MANUAL
Estonia
Mr. Ivar Frantsuzov
[email protected]
Mr. Leho Lemsalu
[email protected]
European Union (EMSA)
Mr. Walter Nordhausen
[email protected]
Ms. Lito Xirotyri
[email protected]
Finland
Mr. Magnus Nyström
[email protected]
Mr. Jani Häkkinen
[email protected]
Germany
Mr. Dirk Reichenbach
[email protected]
Mr. Michael Akkerman
[email protected]
Mr. Klaus Daginnius
[email protected]
Poland
Mr. Marek Reszko
[email protected]
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TG HNS MANUAL 2-2014
Sweden
Mr. Alexander von Buxhoeveden
[email protected]
HELCOM Secretariat
Mr. Hermanni Backer
[email protected]
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TG HNS MANUAL 2-2014
Annex 2 Timetable of TG HNS
Date
Event
17-18 June 2013
TORs adopted by HELCOM HOD
21-23 January 2014 (HELCOM RESPONSE 18)
Revised timetable
19 March 2014
Kickoff Meeting of TG (Online)
1.-2. October 2014
2.-3. October 2014
31 October 2014
3 November 2014 (12:00- CET)
EMSA HNS Workshop (Lisbon, Portugal)
TG 2-2014 Meeting (Lisbon, Portugal)
Completed subtask: Identification and
grouping of chemicals
Tele-conference possibility (if needed)
25-27 November 2014
30 December 2014
HELCOM RESPONSE 19-2014
Completed subtask: Datasources
17. March 2015 (TG meeting in Hamburg)
Completed subtask: Risks (human &
environmental); scenarios
Completed subtask: Response (Strategy, tools,
coordination, communication)
1st compiled Draft of Revised Manual
(revisions)
Approval by RESPONSE
Adoption by HELCOM HOD
September 2015
Autumn 2015
Autumn 2015 - Spring 2016
2016 (spring?)
2016 (autumn?)
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TG HNS MANUAL 2-2014
Annex 3 Draft outline of revised HELCOM RESPONSE Manual volume II
1
Introduction
2
Initial Measures and Risk Assessment
3
Scenarios according to main risks [TO BE REVISED BY end October 2014]
3.1
Scenario A1: Bulk, gas (flammable, reactive)
3.2
Scenario A1: Evaporators (flammable, reactive)
3.3
Scenario B2: Bulk, floating, (flammable, toxic, reactive etc.)
3.4
Scenario B4: floaters (Non-toxic but hazardous to nature)
3.5
Scenario C2: Bulk, dissolving, (toxic, reactive)
3.6
Scenario C3: Bulk, dissolving, corrosive
3.7
Scenario D2: Bulk, sinking, toxic
3.8
Scenario with multiple chemicals, packages and containers
15
4
scenario)
Calculation of the spreading and fate of spilled chemicals for the definition of risk zones(by
5
Response measures, actions and tactics (by Scenario)
6
Response equipment (including protective equipment) and methods (by scenario)
7
Information sources
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