WRITTEN QUESTION E-1070/02

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(17 April 2002)

Subject: Ship safety

Further to the report by the British Judge Mr Justice Colman into the loss of the MV Derbyshire, the more recent loss of the Cypriot-registered bulk carrier Christopher last year, and concern expressed elsewhere about the seaworthiness of pre-1998 bulk carriers, what steps has the Commission taken to curtail the registration of such vessels or introduce controls on their use in EU waters?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(28 May 2002)

The high number of bulk carrier casualties in the past decades and the associated tragic loss of human lives remain an issue of major concern for the Commission. In the past, the Commission participated in the cost of the investigation into the loss of the M.V. Derbyshire and currently is providing financial support to the Royal Institute of Naval Architects in the United Kingdom, which is co-ordinating internationally a Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) study into the safety of bulk carriers. This has been undertaken at the instigation of the Maríne Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organisation, with the purpose of developing recommendations for safer ship design.

The registration of ships is a matter for individual Member States, which shall ensure, in accordance with Council Directive 94/57/EC(1), that their competent authorities can assure an appropriate enforcement of the provisions of the international conventions, in particular with regard to the inspection and survey of ships flying their flag.

The problem particular to bulk carriers casualties is the heavy loss of life associated with foundering when structural failure is, or appears to be, the cause. This has prompted the international maritime community to take, in the first instance, measures to enhance the structural integrity of dry bulk carriers, focusing mainly on the maintenance and enhancement of the strength of the ship's hull. In support of these developments the Union has adopted a number of port State control measures(2) aimed at imposing higher standards of maintenance of dry bulk carriers.

Other factors that can contribute to hull structural failure have been identified by international research as over-stressing due to incorrect loading and physical damage to cargo hold structures during cargo discharging. To address this issue, Directive 2001/96/EC(3) has recently been adopted.

(1) Council Directive 94/57/EC of 22 November 1994 on common rules and standards for ship inspection and survey organisations and for the relevant activities of maritime administrations, OJ L 319, 12.12.1994.

(2) Directive 2001/106/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2001, amending Council Directive 95/21/EC 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 (port State control), OJ L 19, 22.1.2002.

(3) Directive 2001/96/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 4 December 2001, establishing harmonised requirements and procedures for the safe loading and unloading of bulk carriers, OJ L 13, 16.1.2002.