A PROJECT to develop better maritime safety, ship pollution prevention and security management for the Black Sea and Caspian Sea has been given to a consortium of companies led by the Mott MacDonald group of the UK.

The consortium has been awarded a two-year contract by the European Commission's EuropeAid Cooperation Office. The project valued at 3.4 million euros has been introduced to improve the adoption of international legislative frameworks and conventions for maritime transport, security and environmental protection in the countries of the Black Sea and Caspian Sea.

The European Union (EU), composed of member states and the European Commission, is the world's biggest aid donor. The commission's EuropeAid Cooperation Office manages EU external aid programmes and ensures that development assistance is delivered worldwide.

EuropeAid's main mission is to implement the commission's external aid instruments, both those funded by the EU's budget and the European Development Fund.

Mott MacDonald will provide technical consultancy in close collaboration with consortium members comprising European and experts from the beneficiary countries of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine.

Wim Verheugt, Mott MacDonald's project director, said: "This contract is of strategic importance to us, as it builds on Mott MacDonald's strong track record of trans-boundary environmental management projects and will enable us to bring many of our skills and expertise into practice, crossing several sectors of our business from maritime and transport consultancy to environmental management consultancy."

The project's objectives are to promote the integration of international convention rules into national legislation and regulations, as well as support the development of technical and personnel prerequisites in order to meet International Maritime Organization requirements in safety of navigation, security of transport - including passengers and crews - and the requirements on environmental protection.

It should also develop and adapt technical and personnel prerequisites in order to set-up efficient port state control in the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea; support national and regional institutions in charge of performing relevant tasks - such as safety, security and environmental supervision - and advise on implementation of international conventions.

The objectives should establish best-practice models regarding safety, security and environmental protection from ships in selected ports in involved Traceca countries (the Traceca corridor starts in eastern Europe - Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine - and crosses Turkey connecting the seaways of the Black and Caspian Sea regions); and support priority projects identified and promote financing schemes for private-sector participation and development of public-private partnership platforms.

These objectives reflect the riparian states' commitment to converge their environmental legislation with that of the EU, as expressed in the partnership and cooperation agreements signed between the EU and the neighbouring countries.

It also acknowledges the necessity to improve cooperation in the areas of maritime security, safety, pollution prevention and development of maritime transport in general with references to the present priority actions on transport networks, especially the Europe-Caucasus-Asia (Traceca) transport corridor.

The Traceca-related programmes will be a basic reference for the project because it establishes transport links, including for the maritime sector, between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea countries, and in particular for those included in the project.