WRITTEN QUESTION E-1853/01

by Pere Esteve (ELDR) to the Commission

(26 June 2001)

Subject: Carriage of dangerous goods by sea

On 12 December 1999 the oil tanker Erika broke up off Brittany, contaminating more than 450 km of the French coast. It is a deplorable fact that accidents resulting from the carriage of toxic and dangerous goods by sea occur regularly everywhere.

In the Mediterranean area, toxic goods such as oil are routinely carried by sea.

The Balearic Islands rely on tourism for over 80 % of their GDP. Apart from the irreparable environmental costs, another disaster of the Erika type would destroy the economy of a region like the Balearics, one of Europe's main tourist destinations.

What information does the Commission have about the carriage of toxic or dangerous goods in the Mediterranean? What does it intend to do about this kind of carriage, bearing in mind the high risk involved and the fact that, for economic reasons, the peoples living on the shores of the Mediterranean need the environment to be as clean as possible?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(18 September 2001)

The Commission agrees with the Honourable Member of the importance of safety of maritime transport, in particular of transport of dangerous and toxic goods, such as oil and chemicals, as a means of protecting the marine environment, as well as protecting the coastal zones. In that respect, the Commission presented two packages of proposals in 2000. The Erika I proposals(1), includes proposals for strengthening of the Port State Control Directive 95/21/EC, on improvements of common rules for classification societies and the role of maritime administrations

(revision Council Directive 94/57/EEC) and proposals for a Regulation on the accelerated phasing out of single-hull oil tankers. The Erika II proposals(2) include a proposals for a Directive establishing a Community monitoring, control and information system for maritime traffic, a Regulation establishing an European oil pollution damage compensation fund and a Regulation establishing a European Maritime Safety Agency.

The Commission systematically collects data from Member States on the weight and nature of goods transported to and from Community ports, according to Council Directive 95/64/EC(3) on the statistical returns in respect of carriage of goods and passengers by sea. The data received is however not yet of a character to enable a full overview of the transport of dangerous goods in the Mediterranean. The Commission furthermore supports a project in the framework of the Euromed co-operation to improve the statistics on goods transported by sea in the Mediterranean.

Through Council Directive 93/75/EEC(4) concerning minimum requirements for vessels bound for or leaving Community ports and carrying dangerous and polluting goods(Hazmat Directive), vessels carrying dangerous cargo bound for or leaving Community ports are required to report to the competent authority of those states the nature of such goods, their quantity and location on board. Discussions within the institutions are on-going to broaden and to improve the effectiveness of this reporting regime(5).

It is also the intention to impose the mandatory carriage of Automatic Identification System(AIS) transponders and Voyage Data Recorders(VDRs) to all ships sailing to and from Community ports.

A more accurate collection, recording and evaluation of data on maritime safety will be undertaken by the future European Maritime Safety Agency(6). One of the tasks of this Agency is to provide the Commission and the Member States with objective, reliable and comparable information and data on maritime safety to enable them to take the necessary steps to improve maritime safety.

(1) COM(2000) 142 final.

(2) COM(2000) 802 final.

(3) Council Directive 95/46 of 8 December 1995 on statistical returns in respect of carriage of goods and passengers by sea (OJ L 320, 30.12.1995).

(4) Council Directive 93/75/EC of 13 September 1993 concerning minimum requirements for vessels bound for or leaving Community ports and carrying dangerous or polluting goods (OJ L 247, 5.10.1993). Directive as last amended by Commission Directive 98/74/EC (OJ L 276, 13.10.1998).

(5) COM(2000) 802 final - 2000/0325 (COD).

(6) COM(2000) 802 - 2000/0327 (COD).