Overview of MSP related maritime uses

• MSP Driver: willingness to balance between new and old users with focus on navigation and ports
• Current main uses:
  • Shipping
  • Military
  • Tourism
  • Nature conservation
  • Fisheries
  • Mineral extraction
  • Ports
  • Scientific research
  • Oil and gas
  • Submarine cables and pipelines

  • Underwater cultural heritage

• Future uses:
  • Offshore renewable energy production
  • Aquaculture
• Other future uses: underwater tourism
• Issues: how to accommodate newcomers and make the best out of them for sustainable development of the coastal communities and small ports

Which maritime spatial plans exist?

Only pilot plans for MSP exist. Please see database for more detailed information. Regulatory binding plans are under elaboration.

In Poland several plans will be prepared:

• The plan covering the Exclusive Economical Zone (EEZ), the territorial sea, the seawaters between the baseline of the territorial sea  and the boundaries of land lots in contact with the sea, and the internal sea waters of the Gulf of Gdańsk (scale 1:200 000).
• Three plans covering Szczecin, Kamieński and Vistula Lagoons (scale 1:10 000)
• Several plans for sea waters of the major Polish ports (scale from 1:1 000 up to 1:10 000)

The planning process for the plan for EEZ, territorial sea and Gulf of Gdańsk is under supervision of Director of the Maritime Office in Gdynia but covers sea areas under jurisdiction of all three Maritime Offices (in Gdynia, Słupsk and Gdańsk). The preparation of plan was tendered and the tender was won by the consortium of: Maritime Institute in Gdańsk and National Marine Fisheries Research Institute from Gdynia.The process kick-off took place in autumn 2016 with an international meeting (19th of October 2017) at which all BSR MSP focal points were invited. On 8th of March 2017, a similar meeting was held for Polish stakeholders. Both meetings aimed at informing the broader audience about the MSP process, its goals, ambitions and timetables.  The stakeholders were invited to submit suggestions to the plan. In parallel, the stock-taking report was updated. On the basis of stakeholders’ comments and suggestions and with the use of the information available in the updated stock-taking report, the first draft of the zero version was compiled.

The zero version of the plan identified the key sea areas and assigned to them basic and allowed functions. It also identified key spatial conflicts and it examined existing regulations regarding the use of the sea areas (e.g. those related to nature protection, fishery or defence). The plan was sent to interministerial consultations. It was discussed in June by Interministerial working group on maritime policy, chaired by the Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation. Bilateral meetings with key stakeholders were organised in fall 2017. Meeting for general public took place in Słupsk on 4th of October 2017, and eight specialised meetings (i.e. discussing concrete problems such as navigation or fishing in offshore wind farms) took place  between October and December 2017.

The zero draft was translated into English and was subject to international consultations. An international meeting was held on 6th of November in Warsaw in line with the VASAB-HELCOM guidelines on transboundary consultations, public participation and co-operation. MSP contact points from almost all Baltic Sea Region countries attended this meeting. Also draft SEA report for zero draft of the plan was presented at this meeting. 

The results of those meetings informed elaboration of the first draft of the plan covering the same sea are as the zero draft. The first draft contains (in addition to what was proposed in the zero draft) the detailed regulations and prohibitions for all delimited sea areas. The first draft was displayed to public hearings on 19th of June 2018. Together with this draft a SEA report was sent to the public hearing. Both draft zero and draft one were prepared in collaboration with the team responsible for the SEA report.

Simultaneously, the  Director of the Maritime Office in Szczecin launched the  work on the maritime spatial plans covering Szczecin and Kamieński Lagoons. The tender for the executors of these two plans were organised  in October 2017. In the beginning of 2017  the stock-taking reports (i.e. Studies... for the lagoons) were elaborated that paved ground for the actual plans elaboration. Preparation of the plans started in the end of 2017. The initial consultation meetings for general public were held  in February 2018.

The work on the plans covering sea waters of five largest ports under territorial jurisdiction of Director of Maritime Office in Szczecin (ports in  Szczecin, Świnoujście, Police, Dziwnów and Trzebież) started  at the beginning of 2018. The seven aforesaid MSP processes organised by Director of Maritime Office in Szczecin will continue till the first half of 2019. Draft plan for the Szczecin Lagoon will be presented to the German neighbours in fall 2018. 

MSP legislation

The main legal act regarding maritime spatial planning is the “Act on sea areas of the Republic of Poland and the maritime administration” of March 21st 1991, which regulates planning of the sea space (amended in 2015 to implement Directive 2014/89/EU). The supporting law is “Ministerial regulation concerning maritime spatial plans of Polish sea area." An important role for MSP is also played by the “Act on access to information on environment and its protection, public participation in environmental protection and on environmental impact assessment” which stipulates that all spatial plans are subject to the SEA procedure. The same stipulation is repeated in the law on MSP.

National MSP authority

Ministry of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation
Katarzyna Krzywda
Director of Department of Maritime Economy
ul. Nowy Świat 6/12
00-400 Warszawa, Poland
Phone: +48 22 583 85 70

Contact

Maritime Office in Gdynia
Agnieszka Mostowiec
and Małgorzata Gwara
Officers for Maritime Spatial Planning
ul. Chrzanowskiego 10, 81-338 Gdynia, Poland
Phone: +48 58 355 34 37 and and +48 58 355 34 38

Maritime Office in Słupsk
Mrs Anna Goralewska-Burdukiewicz
Officer for Maritime Spatial Planning
Al. Sienkiewicza 18, 76-200 Słupsk, Poland
Phone: +48 59 848 19 93 internal 36

Maritime Office in Szczecin
Maciej Cehak
Officer for Maritime Spatial Planning
pl. Batorego 4, 70-207 Szczecin, Poland
Phone: +48 91 440 32 38