Protection and preservation of the marine environment is a topical issue around the Baltic Sea. Not least does it refer to vessel-source pollution. The Baltic Sea is a particularly vulnerable sea area with its narrow waters, often severe climatic conditions, and growing tanker traffic, especially to and from Russian ports at the far end of the Gulf of Finland. By way of example, oil transports in the Gulf of Finland tripled in 1995 to 2003, recently reaching to some 78 million tons a year.
The article concentrates on social and ethnic background factors in the Baltic Sea area transition economies with special reference to Estonian-Russian relations in Estonia. The general framework of the study deals with the transition to a market economy and the effects this transition has on east-west migration. The data for the study was collected in 1996 from four major city regions in four transition countries, this article being based on findings from Tallinn and St. Petersburg. A specific aspect discussed here is the connection between ethnically-based relative deprivation and willingness to emigrate. Indeed, the Tallinn Russians with the most notable tendency towards deprivation do indicate the highest propensity to emigrate. However, as remarked in the final section, the connections between the willingness to emigrate and factors underlying it are far more complex.
Foreign Ships in Vulnerable Waters: Coastal Jurisdiction over Vessel-Source Pollution with Special Reference to the Baltic Sea