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Cargo turnover
The main sources of
oil and oil product spills in Latvian marine waters
Aerial surveillance
Presently, it is not planned to procure and
install sensor devices for aerial observation of the marine
environment, which would provide effective 24-hour control, even
during the dark when most of the oil and oil products are
illegally released from ships. Aerial surveillance considerably
promotes compliance with regulations for protection of
environmental and biological resources. With sufficient financial
resources, flights are made twice a week, and the number of
recorded offences depends on the number of flight-hours.
The system of fines for oil and oil product spills, and environmental
pollution, is fairly complicated. Captains committing pollution offences are
fined 1000-5000 Ls, in accordance with the Administrative Offence Codex of the
Republic of Latvia.
The Law On the Natural Resources Tax gives a tax rate of 8,000 Ls/t for lawful
discharge (with the appropriate licence) of hazardous substance to water, but
illegal discharges exceeding a concentration of 15 mg/l for oil and oil
products are charged at twenty times the normal rate - 96,000 Ls/t.
The ship owner must compensate for the costs of oil and oil product clean-up.
The International Marine Organization and HELCOM are discussing the possible
total banning of oil tankers with single-layer hulls to minimize accident risk
of oil pollution.
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