Mott MacDonald supports maritime pollution prevention project

A Mott MacDonald-led consortium has been awarded a two year contract by the European Commission's (EC) EuropeAid Cooperation Office to support the development of a common security management, maritime safety and ship pollution prevention project for the Black and Caspian Sea.


The €3.4 million project has been introduced to improve the adoption of international legislative frameworks and conventions for maritime transport, security and environmental protection in the Black Sea and Caspian Sea countries.

Mott MacDonald will provide technical consultancy in close collaboration with consortium members comprising European and local experts from the beneficiary countries (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine).

The objectives of this project are to:

· Promote the integration of international convention rules into national legislation and regulations.

· Support the development of technical and personnel prerequisites in order to meet IMO requirements in safety of navigation, security of transport, including passengers and crews, and the requirements on environmental protection.

· Develop and adapt technical and personnel prerequisites in order to set-up efficient port state control in the Black Sea as well as in the Caspian Sea.

· Support national and regional institutions in charge of performing relevant tasks such as safety, security and environmental supervision and advise on implementation of international conventions.

· Establish best practice models regarding safety, security and environmental protection from ships in selected ports in involved TRACECA countries (The TRACECA corridor starts in Eastern Europe – Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine – and crosses Turkey connecting the seaways of the Black and Caspian Sea regions).

· Support priority projects identified and promote financing schemes for private sector participation and development of public private partnership platforms.

These objectives reflect the riparian states’ commitment to converge their environmental legislation with that of the European Union, as expressed in the Partnership and Cooperation Agreements signed between the EU and the neighbouring countries.

It also acknowledges the necessity to improve cooperation in the areas of maritime security, safety, pollution prevention and development of maritime transport in general with references to the present priority actions on transport networks, especially the Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA) transport corridor.

The TRACECA related programmes will be a basic reference for the project because it establishes transport links, including for the maritime sector, between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea countries, and in particular for those included in the project.

Wim Verheugt, Mott MacDonald’s project director said, “This contract is of strategic importance to us, as it builds on Mott MacDonald’s strong track record of trans-boundary environmental management projects and will enable us to bring many of our skills and expertise into practice, crossing several sectors of our business from maritime and transport consultancy to environmental management consultancy.”

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