Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-10-21-Speech-4-037"
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"en.20101021.4.4-037"2
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"Mr President, as you said, I speak this morning on behalf of the Committee on Transport and Tourism on an issue that has been overlooked for so long, namely containers falling from ships at sea.
It is amazing to me that, in this modern day and age, thousands of these containers go missing each year, with the great majority of them falling off the ships into our oceans. It is estimated that a staggering 10 000 containers are lost at sea each year. It would appear to us that shipping lines and insurers are quite happy to accept this figure and do nothing about it. In European waters, 2 000 containers a year are lost at sea, and this figure would appear to be rising year on year. These containers are a menace to navigation, they could pollute the seas with both toxic and non-toxic materials, and they leave local authorities with large clean-up costs.
The Transport Committee is now demanding action to reduce this figure and is sending a signal to the maritime industry that we are not prepared to tolerate this state of affairs much longer. The MARIN Institute in the Netherlands found the main reasons for container stack collapses were faulty lashings, overweight containers and faulty stowage. In addition, crews on larger container ships have difficulty in assessing when severe loads are moving forward and/or aft due to weather conditions, which can amplify vertical acceleration in these areas beyond the vessel’s actual design specifications.
Moreover, the absence of a strict liability compensation convention for non-toxic substances leaves local government picking up the cost of the clean-up. Parliament is now demanding that shipping companies accept their responsibilities on this issue. We would like to see the Commission becoming more proactive in solving this unacceptable state of affairs. Today I am asking the Commission to study the results obtained by the Lashing@sea project and to come forward with proposals to improve container lashing procedures and equipment.
Secondly, we would like to see action to ensure that all containers are correctly weighed in port and correctly stowed before a ship sets sail for sea, as well as fitting automated beacons to aid container location.
Thirdly, we are asking the Commission to look at the compensation regime so that local and regional authorities are not left short-changed.
Finally, I want to return to the obligations of the wider maritime industry to get their act together. I appreciate that containers will be lost in severe storms. What I cannot accept is that containers are lost due to shoddy workmanship, or to containers being overloaded or incorrectly stacked, or because of a
attitude to this problem by the industry at large.
Containers falling off ships are dangerous. Losing 20 000 of them a year is unacceptable. Lives are being put at risk, which is why we are demanding action. The maritime industry seems unwilling to act. Maybe we should."@en1
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