B4-0112, 0113, 0114 and 0115/96

Resolution on safety at sea

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on safety at sea and in particular its opinions of 9 March 1994 on the proposal for a Council Directive on common rules and standards for ship inspection and survey organizations ((OJ C 91, 28.3.1994, p. 99.)), and on the proposal for a Council Directive on the minimum level of training for maritime occupations ((OJ C 91, 28.3.1994, p. 109.)), and its resolutions of 11 March 1994 on a common policy on safe seas ((OJ C 91, 28.3.1994, p. 301.)), and 27 October 1994 on safety at sea ((OJ C 323, 21.11.1994, p. 176.)), a month after the tragic 'Estonia¨ disaster,

- having regard to the Council Resolution of 22 December 1994 on the safety of roll-on/roll-off passenger ferries, which encompassed all the main demands of the European Parliament regarding safety at sea,

- having regard to the new Article 75(1) of the EC Treaty introduced by the Treaty on European Union which includes transport safety among the EU competences,

- having regard to Article 7a of the EC Treaty on the internal market and to Article 5 on the obligations of the Member States,

- having regard to the Commission's intentions concerning safety at sea, as proposed in its 1996 legislative programme,

- having regard to the outcome of the SOLAS Conference aiming to improve the safety of ro-ro passenger ships, which was held in London on 20-29 November 1995,

A. whereas, more than a year after the 'Estonia¨ disaster and taking into account the heavy losses of human lives at sea in similar incidents the European Union should be well advanced towards acquiring a well-balanced framework of measures aiming at the enhancement of the safety of ferries as well as other passenger and cargo vessels,

B. whereas a coherent and effective framework for the enforcement of existing and new regulations for avoiding accidents in maritime passenger and freight transport is necessary without delay,

C. whereas the ever-increasing demand for vessels able to transport more people and goods leads to the use of larger vessels with uniform decks, which further jeopardizes the optimum stability of these vessels and their ability to survive after collision damage and/or in adverse sea conditions,

D. whereas investigations conducted on these accidents revealed a number of errors and omissions, mainly concerning technical and design failures but also human error, inadequate ship maintenance and inspections, ageing vessels or dangerous weather conditions,

E. taking into account the international nature of shipping and the ensuing need to define and adopt internationally accepted measures for sea-going vessels, to be uniformly applied by all countries,

F. taking into account the unsatisfactory outcome of the evacuation exercise carried out in Dover on 13 January 1996,

1. Notes the outcome of the November 1995 SOLAS Conference, and in particular the adoption of the new regulations and agreements concerning ro-ro passenger ships: upgrading of the damage stability standard for existing and new vessels; reduction of the number of persons on board one-compartment standard ro-ro ferries; setting up a model test method for testing the equivalent of specific stability requirements; the resolution on 'the regional agreements on specific requirements¨;

2. Believes that these agreements, together with the package of regulations and resolutions concerning the improvement of life-saving appliances and ship evacuation and the set of operational and navigational requirements also adopted in this Conference, would greatly enhance the conditions for safe navigation, provided they are effectively and uniformly applied by all countries;

3. Fully supports the Commission's work at both the IMO and European Union level while regretting the rather slow pace set by the Commission in this field both for the year past and for the current year as shown in the Commission's 1996 legislative programme;

4. Draws the Commission's and the Member States' attention to the need to safeguard the uniform application of rules within European Union territory;

5. Calls on the Commission to complement as soon as possible its working programme in this sector and to propose legislation covering in particular measures in the following areas:

(a) land-based infrastructures for satellite equipment enabling speedy response to ships in distress;

(b) strengthening of the national coastguard services including better coordination between them;

(c) binding rules to apply to inspections of the structural integrity of the hull of the vessels combined with a system of heavy penalties, adopted at national level, for negligence and/or omission contributing to a maritime accident, in particular where loss of life has resulted;

6. Calls on the Commission to produce an adequate solution to the design problem of ro-ro ferries based on high safety standards; supports regional agreements within the EU aimed at developing higher requirements for ship stability and solidity;

7. Calls on the Commission to propose measures ensuring that all vessels flying a third-country flag and using one or more Community ports comply with the same safety requirements as the vessels flying the flag of a Member State and are subjected to the same system of rigorous controls;

8. Welcomes the phasing out of one-compartment ships and the operational and navigational measures adopted;

9. Calls upon the Commission and Member States to ensure rigorous enforcement of the recently adopted Port State Control directive in order to eliminate substandard vessels, normally flying flags of convenience, from EU waters;

10. Calls on the Commission to propose research to ensure harmonized model testing methods and criteria at an appropriately high level so as to ensure genuine and consistent compliance with stability requirements in the event that the SOLAS 90 damage stability standard is exceeded;

11. Considers that the part played by human error in a large percentage of accidents at sea reflects a number of factors, from lack of training to poor working conditions, including inadequate health and safety conditions on board, excessive working hours and inadequate crews; urges the Commission to reconsider the question of crew size and rest periods, to prohibit the steering of vessels by one person, to look into the problem of fatigue, especially of excessive overtime, and to ensure that a vessel's officers and crew fully understand the instructions given in a common language;

12. Calls on the Commission and the Council to promote the European fleet, which has been in steady decline over the last decades, through the adoption of positive measures including the EUROS register, to provide the necessary standards and to contribute to the elimination of substandard vessels in sea trade;

13. Calls on the Commission and the Council to implement better environmental standards and effectively coordinated control measures in all the Member States, fixing a network of routes for maritime transport of dangerous and polluting goods which avoid ecologically sensitive coastal areas, and stepping up observation of maritime pollution;

14. Calls on the Commission to bring forward proposals for new passenger vessels including high-speed ferries and catamarans;

15. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments of the Member States and the states which have applied for accession, and all relevant maritime authorities.