BALTIC SEAENVIRONMENT PROCEEDINGS No. 59 - Helcom

3.
3.1
3.2
NATIONAL LEGISLATION AND ARRANGEMENTS CONCERNING COMBATTING
MARINE POLLUTION
Legislation
The Act on Prevention of Pollution from Ships, the Act on
Combatting Oil Pollution on Land and the Degree on
Combatting Oil Pollution Incidents include the regulations
related to the contingency planing, duties of various
authorities in this planing as well as in actual combatting
actions. The Act and Degree on the Prevention of Pollution
from Ships include also the stipulations related to national
implementation of the provisions of MARPOL 73/78 Convention.
The Act on the Liability for Oil Pollution from Ships
includes stipulations concerning national implementation
of the 1969 International Convention related to the Civil
Liability for Oil Pollution damage (CLC Convention). The
main body of the act applies to the oil pollution caused by
discharge of persistent oil carried in bulk by an oil
tanker. Some sections of the Act apply, however, to other
oil pollution incidents caused by other ships or by nonpersistent
oil (cf. section 23.2 of the Oil Pollution
Liability Act).
Today the legislation described above covers only oil
pollution incidents. A couple of years ago a national ad
hoc commission on combatting of and compensation for -
marine pollution incidents gave it report. The report
includes inter alia proposals for the expansion of the
present oil pollution combatting and compensation regime
to cover also marine pollution incidents involving hazardous
chemicals. These proposals are still under consideration.
Organization
Todays' organization in Finland is based on historical
events and past changes in the central state administration.
The National Board of Navigation was the competent authority
until 1983 when this tasks was transferred to the Ministry
of the Environment established that year. When the old
National Board of Waters was reorganized and transferred
under the Ministry of the Environment one of its new tasks
was the responsibility for the overall operational
arrangement and development of response to oil pollution
incidents.
So today in Finland the environment protection authorities
carry out duties related to response to oil pollution
incidents. The Ministry of the Environment is responsible
for the supreme management and supervision. The overall
arrangement and development of oil pollution preparedness
and response is the charge of the National Board of Waters
and the Environment. In addition, several other state
authorities such as the Defence Forces including the Navy,
the Frontier Guard including the Coast Guards, the National
Board of Navigation and Marine Research Institute shall
cooperate with National Board of Waters and the Environment
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