Potential sources of nutrient inputs: Baltic Sea ports handling fertilizers

Within recent years HELCOM identified several earlier unknown major point sources of nutrient pollution in the BSR countries related to production of phosphate fertilizers. All of those sites required pollution mitigation measures to be taken urgently, but on the other hand represented typical ”low-hanging fruit” solutions. Based on these findings, organizations within the Coalition Clean Baltic network have raised attention to the need of evaluating the whole fertilizer production/logistics chain.


This report aims to review available information on Baltic Sea ports handling fertilizers, gaps to be filled and roughly estimate potential scale of the problem. Within 2017 CCB plans to enhance this study after obtaining further information from national authorities and its own network of contacts around the Baltic Sea. However, to proceed forward HELCOM should decide and delegate respective mandate to relevant HELCOM body to take it onboard in its work.