Sustainable Shipping and Environment of the Baltic Sea region

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SHEBA will provide a holistic assessment of the impact of operational shipping on the environment of the Baltic Sea region. Through analyses of the drivers for shipping and their impact on future ship traffic volumes and emission factors, current and scenario emissions to water, to air, and of underwater noise will be calculated using and extending the currently most advanced emission model based on AIS ship movement data and state-of-the-art and new emission factors. Atmospheric, oceanic and noise propagation models in combination with ecotoxicology studies will then be used to assess the spatio-temporal distributions, fates and effects of these stressors in the Baltic Sea region. The project will assess the impact of different pollutants on the water quality indicators of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and Water Framework Directive (WFD) and on air quality indicators. Further, the project will provide an integrated assessment of policy options to mitigate pressures linked to shipping, quantifying as far as possible anticipated changes in ecosystem services compared to an established baseline. This will include an analysis of trade-offs between options as well as synergies, and the marginal changes in costs and benefits of options to reduce environmental pressures from shipping and support the achievement of Good Environmental Status as prescribed by the MSFD. SHEBA is supported by a wide group of stakeholders, including ports, the shipping industry and authorities, who will be consulted about the input of data, feedback and results of the project at a series of stakeholder meetings. The flagship involves partners from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Poland and Sweden.

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