WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1842/97 by Irene SOLTWEDEL-SCHÄFER to the Commission. Shipbuilding industry in the EU
Date: 1997-05-30
Institutions: European Parliament, SOLTWEDEL-SCHAEFER
Subjects: International Maritime Organisation, air quality, diesel fuel, international standard, maritime transport, pollution control, shipbuilding, sulphur, transport policy, vessel

C 60/52

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

25. 2. 98

2. Wages: What is the level of wages in each Member State for persons employed in shipbuilding?

Companies: How high is the turnover and profits/losses of companies engaged in shipbuilding? What have

3.
been the trends over the last 15 years? In which areas are companies investing in the mid-1990s?

4.
Tankers: In what years were most oil and chemicals tankers built? How many oil and chemicals tankers are
currently operational under the flags of EU Member States? What is the average age of oil and chemical tankers
currently in use?

5.
Limiting emissions: What directives at EU and Member State level have something to say about limiting
emissions from tanker engines? What exactly do these directives say and in what Member States do what limit
values apply? What institutions or authorities monitor compliance with the directives, and at what intervals?
What penalties are (a) masters, (b) owners and (c) shipyards subject to in the event of failure to comply with the
directives?

(98/C 60/82)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1842/97

by Irene Soltwedel-Scha¤fer (V) to the Commission

(30 May 1997)

Subject: Shipbuilding industry in the EU

1.
Ecological measures: What is the Commission(cid:146)s assessment of the ecological value of (a) more stringent
limit values, or the introduction of new limit values, for emissions of harmful substances by ships, (b) higher
mineral  oil  taxes,  (c)  a  more  effective  law  on  liability?  Can  such  measures  make  energy-saving  propulsion
systems and improved navigation and safety methods economically viable?

2.
Future of the shipping industry: What is the Commission(cid:146)s assessment of the future of the shipping industry
in  the  light  of  the  shift  of  continental  flows  of  traffic  from  roads  to  coastal  shipping,  the  increase  in  marine
climate and environmental research and increasing use of the seas and in view of the huge increase in the world(cid:146)s
population in the twenty-first century?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-1841/97 and E-1842/97
given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission

(22 July 1997)

The research required to provide a detailed answer to all the Honourable Member’s questions would be out of all
proportion  to  the  result  obtained  and  would  be  inappropriate  in  the  context  of  answering  a  written  question.
Unfortunately, for a large part of the questions data is not available within the Commission. As far as data are
available the Commission can give the following answers:

In 1995 the Community shipbuilding industry employed 71.300 people.

There is currently no Community legislation limiting emissions of air pollution from tanker engines. Recently
the Commission presented a proposal for a Council directive relating to a reduction in the sulphur content of
certain liquid fuels and amending Directive 93/12/EEC (1). According to this proposal, the sulphur content of gas
oils for marine use should be limited to a maximum of 0.2%. Bunker fuels are not covered by the proposal.

In  general,  emissions  from  ships  in  international  traffic  are  the  responsibility  of  the  International  maritime
organization’s Marpol convention. In this context there is a proposal to introduce a global cap on the sulphur
content of bunker fuels at a maximum level of 5% (the current global average sulphur content is about 3%). There
are also proposals to designate the Baltic Sea and the North Sea as so-called SOx emission control areas, which
means  that  in  those  areas  ships  would  only  be  allowed  to  use  fuels  with  a  sulphur  content  lower  than  1.5%.
Finally,  there  is  a  proposal  to  introduce  emission  limit  values  for  nitrogen  oxides  for  new  ship  engines,  that
would take effect as from the year 2000. These proposals will be discussed at a meeting in September 1997 on the
revision of the Marpol convention.