European Maritime Day 2013

Every year on 20 May, European Maritime Day is celebrated in order to raise awareness of the significance of seas and oceans in our lives. On this day various events are organised for the public in all Member States, such as visits to harbours and ships, seminars and conferences, as well as presentations of new maritime projects.

In Estonia, celebrations are organised by the Estonian Shipowners Association, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, the Estonian Maritime Academy, the Estonian Maritime Administration and the Estonian Maritime Museum, and supported by such companies as Estonian Pilot, Tallink and PKL.

The Maritime Administration is expecting all those interested in maritime affairs at Hundipea Harbour where the 50-year-old icebreaker Tarmo can be visited. In addition, people can meet our Maintenance Section personnel and take a look at the equipment used in their everyday work. At the Admiralty Basin, the MA’s new hydrography vessel Jakob Prei, a modern SWATH-type vessel that was launched just a year ago, is also expecting guests.

Hundipea Harbour is open to visitors from 8 to 12. Tours should be agreed on beforehand: phone +372 620 5780, e-mail andres.kreek @ vta.ee.

Visit also the official European Maritime Day 2013 website where more information is available about the various events organised around Europe.

I/B Tarmo 50 Years in Service

In order to celebrate 50 years of service of the I/B Tarmo, the Estonian Maritime Administration is organising an international conference on Wednesday, 15 May 2013.

At the conference, experts from Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Russia are going to discuss a wide range of issues related to icebreaking activities, such as reports about the 2012-2013 icebreaking season, research and development supporting winter navigation, the history of icebreakers, the present and future trends in icebreaking technology, as well as the significance of ice and the local climatic conditions for the maritime industry. Above all, an overview of the career of the half-a-century-old Tarmo will be presented.

According to the words of Director General of the MA, Mr Andrus Maide, this is an important event for our Administration as well as the entire country because until recently, the Tarmo was the main icebreaker operating in Estonia, and there are very few icebreakers in the world that are as old as the Tarmo and still in such good condition that they could perform their functions effectively.

Mr Maide said that in order to offer efficient icebreaking service and keep the Estonian ports in the Gulf of Finland free from ice in winter, our country needs at least two icebreakers in the region. “Starting from the winter of 2012-2013, we have a contract that allows us to use the services of the I/B Botnica for the next ten years, but we should look into the future and make a decision regarding the purchase of one more icebreaker to guarantee the required icebreaking capacity,” he added.

Icebreaker Tarmo

Survey on Navigational Warnings and Weather Services for shipping through NAVTEX and SafetyNET

A survey concerning the quality of maritime safety information (MSI) broadcast via SafetyNet and NAVTEX is in progress until 8 April 2014. Mariners are encouraged to reflect on how well today's "MSI-service" meets the demands on relevant information and present this to the responsible organizations by filling out the questionnaires published on the Internet.

There is one questionnaire on Navigational warnings and one with questions about Meteorological information:
- questionnaire concerning NAVIGATIONAL WARNINGS: www.surveymonkey.com/s/iho_survey
- questionnaire concerning METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION: www.jcomm.info/mmms

Since NAVTEX service may vary in different geographical areas, do not hesitate to fill out several forms, one for each area.

Questions about this survey is answered by Baltico at the Swedish Maritime Administration in Norrköping,

Phone: +46 771 63 06 05
E-mail: ufs@sjofartsverket.se