How can ESABALT contribute to BONUS and the European Union’s Strategy for Baltic Sea Region?

ESABALT is strongly aligned with the objectives of the BONUS program especially, Developing improved and innovative observation and data management systems, tools and methodologies for marine information needs in the Baltic Sea region.The project also satisfies three other themes of the BONUS strategic research agenda: Integrated approaches to coastal management, Maritime spatial planning from local to Baltic Sea region scale, and Enhanced, holistic cross-sector and cross-border maritime risk analysis and management. In this way, it will allow authorities to develop effective integrated approaches to coastal management.

ESABALT also contributes to implementation of certain aspects of the European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. It directly addresses the Strategy’s Save the Sea objective in the part that focuses on safety and security of the BSR (sub-objectives Clean and Safe Shipping, and Better Cooperation). By delivery of current, high-quality, multi-faceted navigation-support data the project offers direct tools of efficient accident prevention thus providing significant aid to reaching the objective’s pre-set targets (“number of shipping accidents”). ESABALT provides solutions to the problem that marine data available at the moment are still fragmented and of uneven quality hence there is a need for data integration and better information sharing between various actors involved in shipping and shipping related services. Furthermore, the project adds to reinforcing preparedness and response capacity and to improving cooperation and coordination between various actors (maritime safety, security, surveillance and disaster response agencies), fulfilling the objective: Increased cross-border and cross-sector cooperation and information sharing among maritime authorities and other relevant stakeholders to improve maritime safety and security. ESABALT also satisfies the following EU SBSR area of special interest: Creation of common maritime management systems and monitoring, information and intelligence sharing environments for the Baltic Sea.