WRITTEN QUESTION E-0018/00 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Oil discharged at sea.
Date: 2000-01-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: accidental pollution, biotope, directive (EU), environmental protection, harbour installation, marine pollution, oil pollution, pollution from ships, prevention of pollution, waste, waste management

C 330 E/68

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

21.11.2000

Can the Council agree to a directive making it compulsory for ships to clean their oil tanks before leaving
port, given the threat to various biotopes along Europe(cid:146)s coastline from oil discharges? If not, why does the
Council feel that such an obligation is unnecessary and what alternative proposals does it have for
effectively tackling the problem of oil discharges?

Reply

(2 May 2000)

1.
The Council is aware of the problem raised by the Honourable Member. Incorporating environ-
mental-protection requirements is a precondition for defining and implementing Community policies and
actions. Following the mandates given by the European Council at its meetings in Cardiff (15 to 16 June
1998), Vienna (11 to 12 December 1998) and Cologne (3 to 4 June 1999), the task of incorporating these
requirements has already started within the various sectoral policies. The Council has not, however, yet
received any proposals from the Commission specifically concerning the points raised in this question.

The Council would refer the Honourable Member to a body of texts which have already been
2.
approved or are currently under examination which, on account of the growing quantities of dangerous or
polluting goods transported by sea, are designed to avoid and reduce the risks likely to arise from serious
accidents at sea.

3.
In this respect mention should be made of Directive 93/75/EC concerning minimum requirements
for vessels bound for or leaving Community ports and carrying dangerous or polluting goods. It was
amended twice in 1998.

4.
On 8 November 1999 the Council adopted a common position with a view to adopting a Directive
of the European Parliament and of the Council on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and
cargo residues. That common position, together with Directive 95/21/EC on Port State control, provides
for inspections in Community ports in order to monitor implementation of
the international and
Community rules on the subject. In a similar vein the Council has just adopted (December 1999) a
common position on a proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council setting up
a Community framework for cooperation in the field of accidental or deliberate marine pollution. One of
the aims of that Decision is to supplement Member States(cid:146) efforts in cases of oil spillage or threat of oil
spillage and to strengthen their clean-up capacity in that field.

5.
In addition, at its meeting on 24 January 2000, dealing among other things with oil tanker safety,
the Council took note of the initiatives envisaged by the Commission concerning in particular increased
security standards for oil tankers to be admitted to European Union ports,
intensification of security
inspections and identification of those financially responsible in cases of pollution.

The Council would stress, furthermore, that the Community provisions on the subject are based on
6.
international
the International
the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea,
Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships or the resolutions of the International Maritime
Organization.

law,

i.e.

(2000/C 330 E/075)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0018/00

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(19 January 2000)

Subject: Oil discharged at sea

Oil discharges in the Atlantic and the North Sea are a threat to the various biotopes along Europe(cid:146)s
coastline. The large number of birds covered in oil, mainly in December, January and February, illustrates
the serious nature of the pollution. Ships usually make use of stormy weather to flush their oil tanks clean
without being seen.

21.11.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 330 E/69

The only possible solution, according to the Mar(cid:237)ne Ecological Centre in Ostend, would be rules making it
compulsory for ships to clean their oil tanks before leaving port. Ships would not be able to leave without
a certificate of proof.

Can the Commission agree to a directive making it compulsory for ships to clean their oil tanks before
leaving port, given the threat to various biotopes along Europe(cid:146)s coastline from oil discharges? If not, why
does the Commission feel that such an obligation is unnecessary and what alternative proposals does it
have for effectively tackling the problem of oil discharges?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(14 March 2000)

The Commission shares the Honourable Member(cid:146)s concern about operational pollution in Community
waters.

Regulations governing the reduction of operational pollution by tankers have been developed by the
International maritime organisation (IMO) through the International convention for the prevention of
pollution from ships (Marpol 73/78). These regulations have been effective in reducing operational
pollution to the extent that modern crude oil tankers are no longer cleaning their tanks with water. The
current phasing in of modern designs and operating systems is expected to reduce such pollution further
in the next few years.

Much of the operational pollution from all types of ships in Community waters results from their inability
in some ports to deliver cargo residues and ship generated wastes to shore facilities. The Commission
proposal for a Council directive on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues (1)
addresses this particular problem and introduces a number of requirements on both ports and ships to
ensure that adequate facilities are available in all Community ports and that ships use them. By providing
rules, incentives and control procedures for the delivery of ship-generated waste in ports, the need for
discharges at sea will be greatly reduced. The Commission is confident that the proposed directive,
currently in second reading in the Parliament, will have a strong effect on reducing operational pollution,
and in particular oil pollution of all types of ships.

In addition, the Commission presented a proposal for a decision setting up a Community framework for
co-operation in the field of accidental marine pollution (2). This proposal, currently under discussion in
Council and Parliament, aims at further developing Community initiatives (common training, exchange of
experts, exercises, pilot projects, exchange of information) in order to support Member States(cid:146) efforts to
tackle the problem of oil pollution at sea.

In view of the above, the Commission does not envisage,
proposals requiring ships to clean their tanks before leaving port.

for the time being, preparing additional

(1) OJ C 271, 31.8.1998.
(2) OJ C 25, 30.1.1999 amended by COM(1999) 641 final.

(2000/C 330 E/076)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0019/00

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(19 January 2000)

Subject: Rejection of food aid funded from Echo(cid:146)s budget

Shortly, more than 70 tons of food aid (cid:129) approximately 170 000 tins of beef (cid:129) is to be flown back to the
Irish Republic because the Bosnian authorities have refused to authorise its consumption. The failure of
this food aid project is a serious financial blow to MØdecins sans FrontiŁres and Echo, the Commission(cid:146)s