R 131100Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 4652

UNCLAS HELSINKI 000517 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EWWT EAID ECIN ECON EFIS MARR MASS MCAP MOPS
PHSA, PINS, PREL, SMIG, SENV, SNAR, ASEC, XX, FI 
SUBJECT: FINLAND'S PARTICIPATION IN GLOBAL MARITIME 
PARTNERSHIP ACTIVITIES 
 
REF: STATE 50488 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: Embassy Helsinki's Global Maritime Partnership 
(GMP) (composed of DAO, POL, RSO and chaired by ECON) has 
concluded that Finland is already engaged in a number of 
voluntary multinational initiatives that fall under the broad 
GMP umbrella.  Current GOF collaborations range from sea 
surveillance to pollution abatement to border security - all 
of which could form the basis for additional US-Finnish 
cooperation in the GMP context. END SUMMARY 
 
¶2. The following actions are already underway between Finland 
and the US or between Finland and neighboring states and 
international partners: 
 
MULTINATIONAL MILITARY MARITIME COOPERATION 
 
¶A. Commander of the Finnish Navy, VADM Hans Holmstrom, was 
briefed by the US Chief of Naval Operations on the concept of 
Global Maritime Partnerships at the US Naval War College in 
Spring 2007. 
 
¶B. Command, US Naval Forces Europe has invited the Commander 
of the Finnish Navy, VADM Hans Holmstrom, to participate in 
the Initial (IPC), Mid-Term (MPC) and Final Planning 
Conferences (FPC) for the US-GMP initiative off the west 
coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea known as "African 
Partnership Station" (APS). The Finns declined to participate 
in the IPC or MPC but will send a representative to the FPC 
in November in Stuttgart, Germany. 
 
¶C. There have been at least two exchange visits between 
Finnish Naval leadership and the Office of the Secretary of 
Defense regarding Maritime Domain/Situational Awareness 
(MDA/MSA).  Finland is considered a "model" to emulate when 
it comes to MDA/MSA and, as part of the US National Strategy 
for Maritime Security (NSMS), OSD reached out to Finland to 
assess Finland's strengths and weaknesses in executing 
MDA/MSA.  The Finnish Navy, Border Guard, and their Maritime 
Administration collaborate to collate one combine maritime 
"picture" for total Baltic maritime situational awareness. 
The lessons learned during the exchange visits are still 
being assessed by OSD and the US Navy and Coast Guard. 
 
¶E. The Finnish Navy works closely with the Swedish Navy in a 
maritime situational awareness effort known as SUCFIS - Sea 
Surveillance Cooperation, Finland and Sweden.  Both nations 
benefit from this effort. 
 
¶F. A recent study completed by Finland, Norway and Sweden 
indicated a number of areas where the interests of all three 
nations might benefit from combining resources, standard 
operating procedures, etc.  That study is known as NORDSUP. 
The cooperative engagement between the three nations includes 
a number of maritime initiatives, all of which would fall 
under the US concept of GMP. Implementation of many of the 
maritime-related NORDSUP initiatives will likely begin in 
¶2009. 
 
¶G. Finland's military forces, including naval personnel, 
regularly deploy to international peacekeeping operations 
around the world. However, no Finnish naval or Coast Guard 
vessels have been sent abroad to support international 
peacekeeping or crisis operations.  Their Navy is not really 
configured for such operations; they are a coastal/ Green 
Water Navy and their vessels would be challenged to deploy 
beyond the Baltic. However, Finnish Navy leadership is 
assessing possible venues and operations in which Finnish 
Navy vessels might actually be deployed.  The key determinant 
for future Finnish Navy deployments will be the Finnish 
political will to do so, and an agreement to fund such an 
operation. 
 
¶H. Finland is building two vessels designed specifically to 
address potential oil spills at sea.  These vessels will be 
commissioned and become part of the active force for the 
Finnish Coast Guard within the next few years. 
 
¶I. In 2006, ADM Collins, Commandant of the US Coast Guard, 
visited Finland and met with VADM Jakko Smolander, Commander 
of the Finnish Border Guard.  ADM Collins has since retired 
and VADM Smolander retires in December 2008. However, VADM 
Smolander's deputy, MG Kaukanen, and the new US Coast Guard 
Commandant, ADM Allen have  been in communication via their 
respective staffs and USDAO Helsinki to reinvigorate the 
pursuit of a number of previously agreed-upon cooperative 
initiatives. 
 
MULTINATIONAL ECONOMIC/POLITICAL MARITIME COOPERATION 
 
¶A. Finland is a member of the Helsinki Commission, known as 
HELCOM, which works to protect the marine environment of the 
Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution through 
intergovernmental cooperation.  HELCOM's Baltic Sea Action 
Plan aims to reduce pollution in the Baltic Sea by 2020.  The 
Plan has been heralded as a pilot project for other European 
seas in context of the proposed EU Marine Strategy Directive. 
 Additionally, HELCOM provides for a multi-national response 
in case of major maritime incidents in the Baltic.  Members 
include Denmark, Estonia, the European Community, Germany, 
Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden. 
 
¶B. Finland participates in a multinational organization 
called Northern Dimension, which seeks to enhance cooperation 
among its members on issues ranging from economic cooperation 
to nuclear safety and the protection of the environment and 
natural resources.  Under the Northern Dimension 
Environmental Partnership, Finland participated in 2005 in 
the upgrade of the Southwest Water Treatment Plant in St. 
Petersburg, Russia.  The improved plant now treats 85% of 
wastewater flowing into the Baltic Sea.  Additionally, 
Finland via Northern Dimension activities assisted with the 
modernization of Russian nuclear power plants on the Kola 
Peninsula and in the Leningrad region.   Northern Dimension 
members include Iceland, Russia, Norway and the EU with the 
United States and Canada maintaining observer status. 
 
¶C. In 2004 Russia, Estonia and Finland implemented  a joint 
mandatory ship reporting system known as Gulf of Finland 
Reporting (GOFREP).  GOFREP divides the Gulf into three zones 
managed by the three partner nations: Southern Sector 
(Estonia), Northern Sector (Finland), Eastern Sector 
(Russia).  All ships over 300GT must identify to GOFREP their 
location and cargo before entering a particular sector.  The 
sector's administrating country then relays this information 
to a tri-laterally operated database.  As Russia develops its 
Baltic Sea ports, traffic in the region has increased, and so 
too has the potential for accidents.  GOFREP's implementation 
has led to an 80% reduction in collisions in the area. 
 
¶D. According to the GOF, GOFREP will eventually be expanded 
to cover the entire Baltic Sea, transforming the system from 
traffic surveillance to sophisticated traffic control for the 
Baltic.   Finland and Sweden currently share much of their 
maritime traffic information via Maritime Traffic Imaging - 
which provides valuable information for safety, security and 
defense cooperation.  There is interest in expanding such 
information-sharing to neighboring Baltic Sea countries. 
 
¶E. The GOF is actively in the Development of an EU Baltic 
Strategy.  Sweden will propose the new strategy in the latter 
half of 2009, during their EU presidency.  Key subject areas 
include: environmental protection of the Baltic, safe sea 
traffic, efficient logistics and transport connections, 
energy cooperation and internal security.  Overall, the 
Strategy supports the continued use of existing organizations 
such as HELCOM and the Northern Dimension, and the inclusion 
of non-EU states in any initiatives. 
 
¶3. COMMENT: Embassy Helsinki's GMP Working Group has 
concluded that the GOF has already been briefed on the GMP 
concept, and currently participates in a wide variety of 
GMP-type initiatives. The GOF actively seeks additional 
partnerships in the GMP context that would improve the safety 
and environmental health of the Baltic Sea and beyond. Great 
opportunity exists for the US to capitalize on Finland's 
involvement and initiative, for example, through sharing and 
exporting of 'best practices'. For further information on 
military maritime cooperation efforts, contact CDR Jon Olson 
in DAO at 358-9-6162-5331, olsonjr@state.gov.  For further 
information on economic maritime cooperation efforts, contact 
EconOff Wendy Kahler at 358-9-6162-5481, 
kahlerwa@state.gov.END COMMENT. 
 
 
BARRETT