Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-10-21-Speech-4-038"
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"en.20101021.4.4-038"2
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"Mr President, I am grateful to Mr Simpson for raising this crucial issue which is of interest to many Members of this Parliament and also to the Commission.
Directive 2004/35/EC concerning environmental liability also establishes strict liability for operators who cause damage to the environment through the transportation by sea of dangerous goods or polluting goods. Such operators are obliged to remedy the damage caused to protected species and natural habitats.
Additional measures to put in place a compensation regime for damages caused by lost containers would need to be closely assessed against the proportionality principle justifying EU action. The Commission believes that at this stage the work of the IMO to improve standards should be the priority.
The Commission welcomes the results of the Lashing@Sea project. It is primarily the role of the International Maritime Organisation to tackle the issue of containers lost at sea, as this is regulated at an international level. The Commission will nevertheless work together with Member States to promote actions to adopt internationally agreed procedures within the structures of the International Maritime Organisation.
On the second question of overweight and incorrectly stowed containers, there are no EU rules governing the weighing of containers before loading them on ships or procedures covering stowage or lashing. This matter is regulated at national level or through international agreements.
The Commission does not plan at this stage to take a legislative initiative concerning this issue. However, this could change if international discussions are not successful and there are increased problems with the stability of ships, the strength of ships or losses of containers.
Before presenting any new proposal, the Commission would need to fully assess the impact such a measure would have on shipping operators. Today the Commission does not have sufficient information concerning this specific matter.
Concerning the third issue of tracking systems to locate containers at sea, this possibility could be further explored. However, equipping millions of containers with tracking devices would be costly and a proper assessment of the benefits must be carried out before taking a final decision to make such tracking systems mandatory.
The Commission could also assess the feasibility of clarifying the provisions of Directive 2002/59/EC that established the Community vessel traffic monitoring system and which obliges the Member States to ensure that the master of a ship reports to responsible coastal stations any sight of containers drifting at sea.
If the option to ensure the traceability of the containers is to be explored, the cost of such measures should be taken into account. However, such an option could be considered in the framework of the potential development of the traceability of the containers for logistics and security purposes.
Finally, concerning compensation for the damage caused by lost containers; this can be addressed under Directive 2009/20/EC concerning maritime insurance, and Directive 2005/35/EC concerning maritime pollution and sanctions in the event of offences covers cases when oil-polluting substances have been dumped into the sea."@en1
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