Artikkeli

WATERWAYS project supports sustainable use of maritime routes

What does the sustainable and resilient use of the Baltic Sea’s maritime routes look like, and how can it be promoted under prevailing conditions? These are the questions addressed by WATERWAYS, a Strategic Research Council project launched in December 2024. The project aims to balance risks and opportunities while developing sustainable future pathways through collaboration between a multidisciplinary research team and key stakeholders. Experts in information technology, marine engineering, environmental science, and maritime law from Finland’s leading universities and research institutions contribute to the project. The goal is to provide new perspectives, knowledge, and tools that support the sustainable use of maritime routes, benefiting both society and the scientific community.

 

Maritime routes amid change

The Baltic Sea is a vital transport corridor for Finland, supporting national well-being, security of supply, and sustainable development goals. However, intense shipping traffic is also a key contributor to the deterioration of the sea’s ecological state.

The global use of marine areas is increasing for transport, energy production, food production, tourism, and recreation. At the same time, awareness of the vulnerability of marine ecosystems is growing, leading to demands for greater protection and restoration of marine areas. This creates competition for maritime space among various industries and environmental conservation needs.

In the Baltic Sea, several current trends and challenges stand out. Geopolitical tensions impact the safety of maritime routes, and sanctions against Russia have altered traffic patterns, giving rise to a “shadow fleet” of high-risk vessels. Climate change is destabilizing the Baltic Sea’s ecosystems, necessitating effective conservation and restoration measures. Simultaneously, changing weather conditions challenge the operation and planning of maritime transport.

The green transition aimed at mitigating climate change introduces new fuels and offshore wind power, but also new types of emissions and risks that require careful evaluation and management. As oil transport declines, attention shifts to the effects and safety of alternative fuel transportation.

Balancing the risks and opportunities associated with maritime routes in the Baltic Sea within an ever-evolving operational environment is a demanding task. It is therefore timely to consider what sustainable and resilient use and development of maritime routes entails under these conditions, what it requires, and how it can be supported.

 

WATERWAYS: Maritime routes as a source of well-being, security, and safety

The WATERWAYS project, funded by the Strategic Research Council and launched in December 2024, focuses on promoting the sustainable use and development of the Baltic Sea’s maritime routes. Its goal is to enhance the positive contributions of these routes to well-being and security while reducing environmental pressures. By examining ecological, social, technological, and legal dimensions, the project will provide new tools and recommendations to support strategic planning and decision-making.

The project idea emerged in autumn 2023 when Professors Mashrura Musharraf (Aalto University), Sakari Kuikka (University of Helsinki), Osiris Valdez Banda (Aalto University), and Research Director Annukka Lehikoinen of Merikotka gathered to explore collaborative opportunities under the new research program theme Water for Welfare, Security and Peace (WaWe). The team soon expanded to include Dr. Jukka-Pekka Jalkanen, an expert in emission modeling at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, and Professor Henrik Ringbom, an expert in maritime law from Åbo Akademi University.

The research ideas were refined in dialogue with ministries and agencies, deepening the team’s understanding of the challenges and knowledge needs related to the Baltic Sea maritime transport sector. WATERWAYS aims to find solutions for managing the risks and environmental impacts of maritime activities while strengthening their positive societal impacts.

The project will achieve its goals through the following approaches:

  1. Enhanced monitoring: Improving the capacity to track and analyze both legal and illegal activities in marine areas.
  2. Environmental pressure assessment: Developing the ability to evaluate the impacts of shipping and recreational boating.
  3. Facilitating coexistence: Designing solutions to align and balance various maritime activities.
  4. Advancing preparedness: Strengthening readiness to prevent and manage marine spills and environmental damage caused by them.

 

Stakeholder interaction: co-creating sustainable solutions

Kotka Maritime Research Association (Merikotka ry) plays a central role in coordinating societal interaction within the WATERWAYS project. Strategic Research Council projects emphasize stakeholder engagement and the active role of researchers in societal dialogue.

Key stakeholders are encouraged to participate in the project in various roles, including as information providers, co-developers, evaluators, test users, and commentators. Interaction methods range from regular meetings and email communication to in-depth research-based interviews, surveys, workshops, and events. These activities bring together the project consortium, stakeholders, and external experts to build shared understanding and solutions.

The primary goals of interaction are twofold. First, to ensure that the knowledge produced by the project is relevant, timely, and easily usable for stakeholders. Second, to create opportunities for co-production of knowledge, joint interpretation of research findings, and the design of sustainable future solutions.

WATERWAYS project preparations are progressing. The project’s website will be launched, and an advisory expert group comprising stakeholder representatives will be established in early 2025. A kick-off seminar in spring 2025 will bring together researchers and stakeholders to discuss and build collaboration that informs both the research and interaction activities of the project.

Updates on WATERWAYS news and outcomes will be actively shared on Merikotka’s LinkedIn channel thus now is a great time to join its growing follower base!

 

Text: Annukka Lehikoinen

Presenting Research and Networking at the ICES Conference

The Annual Science Conference of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) was organized this year in Gateshead, England. ICES is an intergovernmental marine science organization with almost 6 000 scientists and 20 member countries. We Kotka Maritime Research Centre (KMRC) researchers Patrik Kauppi and Emilia Luoma attended the 4-day conference with a poster “Addressing biodiversity risks in the maritime sector: a focus on green transition” and an oral presentation “Balancing risks and opportunities between climate objectives and marine life: green maritime fuels as a case study”. The theme of the conference sessions was this year fishery oriented but especially the presentations considering maritime spatial planning were highly relevant to us KMRC researchers.

The conference started on Monday in somewhat rainy and chilly England. The venue was the International Centre for Music in Gateshead, also known as “the Glasshouse”. The opening ceremony of the first day was spectacular, featuring music performance and an inspiring keynote speech. The keynote was particularly suitable for us, as it emphasized interactivity and elaborated on the meanings of the terms multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary. The terms that we are very closely linked to all the time. The researchers’ presentations during the conference were interesting to listen to, even though they mostly focused on fishing and fish stocks.  As maritime transport impacts marine ecosystems, it is beneficial to have some awareness of the status of fish populations. In the evenings, the conference allowed for a more relaxed atmosphere, including visits to the Newcastle United football team’s stadium and an art exhibition at the Biscuit Factory.

Luoma’s presentation was held in a very diverse theme session regarding scientific advances under ICES science plan. Her eight-minute presentation was based on the ongoing research in the Gyroscope project. The presentation underlined that since the use of green maritime fuels affects the whole marine transportation system, there is a need for systems understanding to make the transition sustainable. To address this issue in the project, workshops have been organized for experts with diverse backgrounds to discuss the potential risks and opportunities when different aspects of sustainability are considered.  Based on the discussions, causal networks have been drawn to visualize the key variables and the causalities between them. The aim of the study is to identify the factors on which the sustainability of solutions most critically depends on, and which should be prioritized. Although the work is still in progress, it is already evident that there is a need for a knowledge co-production of this kind.

Emilia Luoma presented the ongoing study in the GYROSCOPE project.

During the Tuesday evening poster session, Kauppi presented his research in a theme session that focused on accounting for climate change in Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). The poster highlighted emission reduction actions resulting from the green energy transition in maritime transport, which, however, have biodiversity impacts that are not yet adequately considered. Additionally, the integration of biodiversity mainstreaming into MSP was recommended. The session provided an excellent opportunity to discuss and network with other conference participants. Many researchers interested in the topic visited the poster, so there was hardly any time without discussion partners. The conversations were encouraging, as the topic was considered very important. Overall, the one-on-one discussions during the poster session were a highly positive experience, especially for a young researcher attending an international conference as a presenter for the first time.

Patrik Kauppi’s poster focused on the literature review of his doctoral dissertation.

Overall, nearly 800 researchers from around the world attended the ICES annual science conference, and we had the privilege of being part of this fantastic event. Following the presentations, engaging in discussions with various researchers, and taking advantage of networking opportunities enriched our understanding about the current state of the marine environment. As researchers at the KMRC, we can benefit from these insights by connecting them with our research topic regarding maritime transport.

Text by Patrik Kauppi and Emilia Luoma

Stakeholders’ perspectives on the sustainable development of marinas in the Gulf of Finland

A research article on the sustainable development of marinas, initiated in the 30MILES project coordinated by Kotka Maritime Research Association and funded by the Interreg Central Baltic Program and the Regional Council of Southwest Finland, was finalized in the Gyroscope project funded by the Research Council of Finland. The article has now been published in the Ocean & Coastal Management journal and has open access. In addition to researchers from the Kotka Maritime Research Association, the article’s authors include researchers from the University of Helsinki and the Finnish Environment Institute.

The starting point for the article was the assumption that making visible the different perspectives various stakeholders have on sustainable marina and on the actions needed to achieve it, can aid reaching a shared understanding and thus support the sustainable development of marinas. Individual boaters and marina operators were interviewed on how they define sustainable development and its goals within the marina context. Further, graphical, conceptual influence diagrams (CID) to visualize and structure the different ways individuals perceive the sustainability of marinas were constructed. The CID’s consist of the key variables and their causal interactions.

Based on the results of the article, the CID is a useful tool for analyzing and comparing stakeholders’ perceptions of sustainability. The method helps to identify the key variables and their potential conflicts. Furthermore, the article indicates that linguistic differences in terms of different concepts, for example, can cause misunderstandings between different people. Therefore, cooperation and co-learning among various stakeholders are necessary to create shared understanding. In addition, the three-pillar sustainability model can help interviewees widen their understanding about sustainability. Hence, we recommend its use when working with stakeholders in sustainability-related issues. Finally, the article proposes management implications that can support the sustainable development of both marinas and boating.

Text: Emilia Luoma