B4-0322, 0323, 0324, 0325, 0337, 0412 and 0415/96

Resolution on the 'Sea Empress¨ maritime disaster

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions and opinions on maritime disasters and on safety at sea, in particular its resolution of 21 January 1993 on the 'Braer' tanker disaster ((OJ C 42, 15.2.1993, p. 155.)), its resolutions of 27 October 1994 on the oil slick in northern Portugal following the accident which occurred to the tanker 'Cercal' ((OJ C 323, 21.11.1994, p. 170.)) and on safety at sea ((OJ C 323, 21.11.1994, p. 176.)), its opinion of 27 October 1994 ((OJ C 323, 21.11.1994, p. 178.)) on the proposal for a Directive concerning the enforcement, in respect of shipping using Community ports and sailing in the waters under the jurisdiction of the Member States, of international standards for ship safety, pollution prevention and shipboard living and working conditions (COM(94)0073 - C3-0193/94 - 94/0068(SYN)), its resolution of 19 January 1995 ((OJ C 43, 20.2.1995, p. 71.)) on the communication from the Commission concerning the draft Council resolution on the European contribution to the development of a Global Satellite Navigation System (COM(94)0248 - C4-0034/94) and its resolution of 1 February 1996 on safety at sea ((Minutes of that Sitting, Part II, Item 5.)),

- having regard to the conclusions of the Environment and Transport Council meeting of 24 March 1994 on maritime safety and the prevention of pollution, given the fact that these two issues are closely linked,

- having regard to the Commission Communication 'A common policy for safe seas¨ and the action programme contained therein (COM(93)0066 - C3-0122/93),

- having regard to the 15 resolutions of the Conference of Peripheral and Maritime Regions (CPMR) of October 1994 on maritime pollution and safety,

- having regard to the Donaldson Report drawn up following the Braer disaster of 1993,

A. deeply regretting the grounding of the tanker 'Sea Empress¨ off the coast of Milford Haven on 15 February 1996 and the ecological disaster which resulted for this part of the United Kingdom with the spillage of approximately 70,000 tonnes of crude oil into the sea,

B. whereas, fortunately, no human lives were lost in this accident; whereas, however, the economic impact of the environmental disaster is expected to be very serious,

C. whereas West Wales is an Environmentally Sensitive Area, containing 82 sites of Special Scientific Interest and several National Scenic Areas, in one of which most of the pollution is concentrated,

D. concerned that, according to information pertaining to the 'Sea Empress¨ accident, omissions or bad management of the crisis at the scene might be responsible for the disaster becoming even worse than initially estimated,

E. whereas the need for passenger and goods transport in recent years has also led to an increase in the number of accidents and catastrophes in maritime transport, due not only to the frequency of voyages but also to ever- increasing size and transport capacity,

F. supporting the Council of Transport Ministers' directive of 7 December 1992 whereby the owners of vessels with dangerous cargoes must inform the port authorities, but nevertheless believing that this measure is insufficient,

1. Considers that the EU and the Member States should implement a long-term sustainable transport policy, thereby considerably reducing the risk of further disasters caused by oil tanker accidents;

2. Calls on the Commission to ensure that an independent enquiry will be carried out into the causes and extent of this accident, in order to establish whether there were serious shortcomings or negligence by any party implicated in it;

3. Calls on the Commission to reinforce port State control and combine it with effective flag State control, which would oblige Member States to monitor properly and control vessels using European Union waters;

4. Believes that the Member States should, in close cooperation with the Commission, establish the areas in their territory which are considered very sensitive or difficult for shipping, and set rules under which such areas must be navigated, the type and size of vessels allowed to navigate in these areas and the weather conditions under which these areas can be open to shipping;

5. Calls on the Commmission to press the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to conduct a study, using South-West Wales as a laboratory for analysing the effects of oil spills in the medium and long term, of the environmental impact of maritime transport of oil and dangerous cargoes, to apply the polluter pays principle, enforcing full liability for ship-owners not only for the cleaning-up operation, but also for income loss of fishermen and compensation payments for damage to the environment;

6. Considers that Community ports should be adequately equipped with infrastructure for establishing a vessel traffic system combined with transponders to assist entry into port and for coping with emergencies and accidents in their area; asks the Member States to ensure the possibility in adverse weather conditions of allowing vessels to enter harbour as a safe haven;

7. Calls on the Commission to propose and on the Council to accept the introduction of a European Ship Register 'EUROS¨ for ships flying flags of the Member States of the European Union, including financial incentives to use it;

8. Calls on Member States to cooperate with the IMO and to use their combined economic and political influence in order to improve maritime safety standards throughout the world;

9. Calls on the Commission and Council to introduce legislation to ensure that vessels entering EU ports have a proper pilot, and that adequate means of assistance (tugs or helicopter) are provided to vessels;

10. Calls on the Commission, the Council and the UK Government to conclude an agreement for a specific disaster aid package (using budget heading B4-300) to assist West Wales in dealing with the social, economic and environmental repercussions of the 'Sea Empress¨ disaster in the short, medium and long term, with particular emphasis on measures to assist the fishing and tourism industries;

11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the International Maritime Organization, the Secretary of State for Wales, the local authorities concerned and the governments of the Member States.