Cabinet Regulation No. 412 regarding protection of the environment during exploration and production of hydrocarbons in the sea.

This Cabinet Regulation sets forth environmental protection requirements during exploration and production of hydrocarbons in the sea in order to eliminate or reduce environmental pollution. Environmental Impact Assessment and monitoring shall be performed by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development prior to the approval of exploration and production of hydrocarbons in the sea. The state monitoring, in accordance with the sea monitoring programme, shall be carried out notwithstanding monitoring being performed by the operator. It shall be prohibited to discharge diesel oil drilling mud and waste thereof into the Baltic sea, but it shall be purified and reused on site or shall be conveyed to the shore for purification and utilisation, coordinating these operations with Marine Environment Administration. It shall be prohibited to discharge impure economic waste water and waste, water based drilling mud and waste thereof into the sea. Pollution control arrangements shall be carried out in accordance with the operational plans approved by the Marine Environment Administration.