PROGRESS REPORT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION PROJECT “ARCTIC RESCUE”

2013

EPPREmergency Prevention, Preparedness

and Response

"The Issues of Emergency

Management in the Arctic. Oil Spills Prevention and

Response”

EMERCOM of Russia hosted the International conference "The Issues of Emergency Management in the Arctic. Oil Spills Prevention and Response” in the city of Naryan-Mar, August 20-22 , 2013.There were more than 100 participants at the meeting.

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The conference was attended by the delegations from Canada, USA, Norway and Finland. Russian participants represented Federal executive authorities, Ministries of Transport, Natural resources, Energy, Economic Development, the Russian FSB Border Guard Service, Russian Academy of Sciences, scientific community of Nenets Autonomous district and other arctic regions, oil producing companies carrying business in the region including “LUKOIL” and “GAZPROM“.

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The event was attended by the Governor of Nenets Autonomous district I.G.Fedorov, representatives of legislative and executive authorities of the district.There were video greetings addressed to the participants of the Conference from the governors of Arkhangelsk district, Komi Republic, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous district, the special representative of the President of the Russian Federation for international cooperation in the Arctic and Antarctic A.N.Chilingarov, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, the Bishop of Naryan-Mar and Mezensky Jacob.

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There were made 31 presentations on the topics of the Conference. The Conference participants formulated and adopted

recommendations, which summarize the findings and proposals. Among the most important are:

To develop scientific-methodological and technological bases of creation the Arctic interagency system of emergency situations monitoring and forecasting, using existing and prospective resources of territorial and functional subsystems, as well as economic entities.

• To develop scientific-methodological and technological bases of creation the Arctic interagency system of emergency situations monitoring and forecasting, using existing and prospective resources of territorial and functional subsystems, as well as economic entities.

• To create reliable system for providing communications, navigational, meteorological and information services, including estimation of ice conditions, providing forecasting and warning of emergency situations of natural and technogenic character, eliminating their consequences

• To improve the organizational structure of management and security of shipping in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, including the development of integrated Arctic transport-technological system, development of maritime and other transport modes, as well as supporting infrastructure

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• To create a common database for collecting information on tankers plying the seas of the Arctic shelf, providing the opportunity for timely response to emergency situations.

• To expand the network of observations in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation within the system of state environmental monitoring, namely:

to increase the number of observation posts; to ensure control of transboundary transfer of polluting substances.• To enhance the role of researches on the problems of safety of the population and

territories of the Arctic zone, to improve interaction in this area between the Arctic countries, to exchange experience, using the latest achievements.

• To recommend carrying out regular response exercises on oil and other hazardous substances spill.

• To create and approve special rescue training program for the Far North conditions.• To continue the work on legislation improvement, including the development of

subordinate normative and legislative acts aimed at regulating the issues of prevention and liquidation of oil spills in the seas.

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To strengthen the work on technical regulating matters of ensuring safety of objects of oil and gas production on the shelf (and in the Arctic zone).For ensuring the safety of navigation along the Northern sea route (NSR) : to consider introducing mandatory for ice pilotage in some waters of the NSR; to consider the feasibility of introducing payment for ensuring the safety of navigation in

the aquatorium of NSR in addition to the payment for the ice pilotage; to provide the measures against the ships not complying with the Rules of navigation

along the Northern sea route (options - suspension of sailing or transmission in the nearest sea port for investigation).

To develop advanced technologies of transportation of hydrocarbons and oil spill response, adapted to the Arctic zone.

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III International Arctic Forum “The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue”

Forum Theme: “Environmental Safety in the Arctic”

Salekhard, 24-25 September 2013

The program included 4 sessions:

• Environmental safety and population

health in the Arctic region• Legal regime of

environmental safety in the Arctic• Climate, pollution,

biodiversity• Environmental safety of the

Arctic development

Major task of the Forum was to connect all professional points of view and organize a discussion that will encourage consensus between government bodies, academic community and business on the issues of the Arctic nature preservation and liquidation of the environmental impact made by human economic activity.

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Among the guests of honor were the Presidents of Finland - Sauli Niinistö; Island - Ólafur Grímsson, Russia - Vladimir Putin, Arctic Council SAO Chair  - Patrick Borbey and the Minister of defence of Russia and the President of the Russian Geographical society - Sergei Shoigu

Vladimir Putin : “We intend to expand significantly the natural area of preferential protection of the Arctic zone and continue the "deep cleaning" of the territory”

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This year International Conference “Challenges in Emergency Preparedness and Response in the Arctic. Professional training issues" is to be held in the city of Arkhangelsk, where at the end of the current year it is planned to complete the construction of the Arctic Complex Search and Rescue Center of the Emercom of Russia. Venue place is Northern (Arctic) Federal University, which has founded the Institute for complex security. The Conference participants are Arctic Council member states representatives, representatives from high level legislation, Russian State government bodies, ministries, state-private companies, scientific community, educational institutions, local government bodies and search and rescue detachments.

Arkhangelsk September 23-25, 2014

Conference participants will get the chance to visit the Museum «Malye Korely» - the unique collection of monuments of

wooden architecture in the open air at the area of about 140 hectares.

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Thank you for your attention and welcome

to the International Conference in Arkhangelsk