Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-10-24-Speech-3-230"
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"en.20011024.10.3-230"2
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".
Mr President, today, we are debating the Council's common position on the safe loading and unloading of bulk carriers. We discussed this topic at first reading on 12 February.
In the first instance, the scope is somewhat scaled down. The directive now applies to ships which call at a port in the European Union and are not unloaded by means of their own equipment. Moreover, terminal operators are entitled to confine themselves in terms of inspection and information to those fields for which they are directly responsible.
Secondly, the Council has made a few changes to the compulsory quality care system. For new terminals, a start-up delay has been added, while existing terminals are given three years to meet the requirements. Another new aspect is the fact that in addition to ISO 9001:2000, other equivalent systems are also allowed. Consequently, terminals which already operate a suitable quality system need not incur high costs to install another, equivalent system.
Thirdly, the Council has supplemented the amendments, which improve reporting between the different players.
The three points which the Council was eventually unable to accept concern minor changes to recital 13, to Article 10, Paragraphs 1 and 2. In addition, a few changes have been made in the annexes which remove a number of superfluous provisions and build in a few safety guarantees.
Having assessed all changes made by the Council, my conclusion is that the Council has accommodated all Parliament’s essential amendments. The remaining amendments are not of any major significance and would not justify a further delay in the introduction and application of this legislation. That is why the recommendation which I, and the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism, are making in this Parliament is to adopt the common position unchanged and to insist on a prompt implementation and application in the Member States.
The Commission proposal for a directive was prompted by the high number of accidents involving bulk carriers. Research has shown that many of these accidents were caused by the condition of the ship’s side. Damage to the side can, in combination with wave movements, have fatal consequences. An inventory of procedures and practice showed that bulk carriers regularly incurred damage during the loading or unloading thereof. It also transpired that hardly any procedures are being applied to help prevent this damage to bulk carriers from occurring. At international level, a code has been drafted which stipulates the fundamental safety principles for loading and unloading: the Bulk Loading and Unloading Code, or BLU Code. Based on these principles, procedures have been prescribed which are to be observed prior to, during, and following, the loading and unloading of bulk carriers.
Two of the key points are: firstly, the appointment of a terminal representative and, secondly, the possibility of the port authorities discontinuing the loading and unloading activities in the case of an emergency.
Despite calls by the IMO to transpose the BLU Code into national legislation, this has, so far, not been done in many countries. The European Commission would like to change this. On behalf of the fifteen Member States, it wants to meet the IMO’s request and afford the BLU Code legal status.
The Commission proposal, therefore, aims to include the BLU Code in Community legislation. In addition, it contains the requirement to set up a quality care system at terminals so that the quality of the loading and unloading activities is permanently guaranteed to be at a sufficient level. This system is also intended as the opposite number on land of the ISM safety system, which applies to bulk carriers at sea.
At first reading of this proposal on 13 February 2001, Parliament approved of the basic idea of this proposal and backed fourteen amendments thereto. The most important amendments related to two topics:
First of all, the obligation of the competent authorities to intervene in the loading and unloading process as soon as they are informed of a dangerous situation arising for the personnel or the ship.
Secondly, the improvement of data flows between the players involved.
In its common position, the Council has adopted the bulk, namely eleven, of these amendments, at least, in spirit. That leaves three that were not adopted. Furthermore, the Council has added a number of elements. I should like to briefly comment on those elements and the three amendments that were not adopted."@en1
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