WRITTEN QUESTION P-0324/03 by Carlos Bautista Ojeda (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Discharges into Algeciras Bay.
Date: 2003-02-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: application of EU law, environmental protection, maritime safety, maritime surveillance, oil pollution, pollution from ships, tanker

7.11.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 268 E/95

(2003/C 268 E/094)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0324/03

by Carlos Bautista Ojeda (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(5 February 2003)

Subject: Discharges into Algeciras Bay

At 5 o’clock on the morning of 21 January 2003, the lighter Spabunker IV sank in Algeciras Bay with
900 tonnes of fuel oil and just over 100 tonnes of diesel on board. The statement issued by the Algeciras
harbour master’s office on 22 January indicated that fuel had leaked from the vessel.

Is the Commission aware of this situation?

Since the Commission is responsible for upholding Community law, does it not consider it necessary, on
order to avert further disasters of this kind, to accelerate the mandatory implementation of the rules on
safety at sea adopted by the EU following the ‘Erika’ disaster in all the zones that are at greatest risk owing
to their high density of sea traffic?

Will the Commission take specific measures for Algeciras Bay just as it did for the Galician coast following
the ‘Prestige’ disaster?

Answer given by Ms de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(27 February 2003)

The Commission was informed of the wreck of the lighter Spabunker IV in Algeciras Bay on 21 January
2003. As far as the Commission is aware some of the vessel’s fuel escaped at the time of the accident but
apparently no leak of heavy fuel oil has been detected.

The Honourable Member must know that the Commission is determined to improve maritime safety in the
European Union and worldwide.

On 3 December 2002 the Commission adopted a communication on action to be taken in response to the
sinking of the oil tanker ‘Prestige’ (1), in which it reminded Member States of its wish to see the measures
in the ‘Erika’ I and ‘Erika’ II packages to be applied speedily and proposed additional measures. The Council
of transport ministers of 6 December 2002 declared in its conclusions that it supported the Commission’s
efforts to deal with the consequences of the accident and to avoid a repetition of similar catastrophes. The
Copenhagen European Council of 12/13 December 2002 acknowledged the Commission’s determination
and welcomed the action it had undertaken to confront the consequences of the wreck.

The Commission has now taken all the steps necessary to speed up the establishment of the new European
Maritime Safety Agency. Its Executive Director was appointed on 29 January 2003 and it is due to become
operational in the coming weeks.

Similarly, the Commission has already started work on putting into place the Community vessel traffic
monitoring system, ‘SafeSeaNet’. In addition, it has asked the Member States to speed up the preparation of
the national plans to accommodate vessels in places of refuge, and a coordination meeting on this was
held on 31 January 2003.

As regards new measures, a regulation prohibiting the transport of heavy fuel oil by single hull tankers
bound for or leaving Union ports and speeding up the replacement of single hull ships by double hull
ships was adopted by the Commission on 20 December 2002 (2) and is now being examined by the co-
legislators.

Furthermore, the Commission has started preparing a new set of legislative measures to provide for
financial penalties to be imposed on any person (i.e. not only the shipowner, but also the owner of the
cargo, the classification society or any other person concerned)
liable for causing pollution through
negligence. Steps will be proposed to counter deliberate discharges by ships, together with measures aimed
at collecting evidence and prosecuting the perpetrators.

(1) COM(2002) 681 final.
(2) COM(2002) 780 final.