Prestige Accident Current Developments

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Prestige Accident Current Developments

• Corbett Holt Maritime Symposium
• London, December 10, 2002
• Svein A. Ringbakken, Deputy MD, INTERTANKO

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Prestige
Prestige
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Prestige
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Timeline Main Points INTERTANKO Actions

• Nov. 13 Notification
• Nov. 13 Contact w/member and ABS
• Nov. 14 Contact EC
• Nov. 14 initial press contacts - holding
  statement
• 19. Prestige Breaks

• 19. Initial Press Release
• 19. Initial High Level contacts in Brussels
• 20. Senior Personnel Reviews ABS Survey Records
• 26-27. High Level Meetings in Brussels

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No. 1 focus -steering the publicity as much as
possible

• Initial Press Relase 19. Nov
• Ports of Refuge Release 20. Nov
• Chirac Response 20. Nov
• EP Investigation Res. Release 21. Nov
• Open Letter on Places of Refuge 29. Nov
• IO Calling for Release of Master 2. Dec
• Multitude of Interviews and Comments

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More than 300 media responses incl. TV and Radio
Interviews

• Reuters, AP etc.
• CNN, BBC, ITN, US NPR, German, French, Spanish
  and other live media
• FT, Wall Street Journal, Le Monde and many other
  mainstream media outlets
• LL, Tradewinds, Seatrends and all trade media

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Response to Governments, EEC etc.

• Available with information for EC immediately
• High Level Meetings within first week of sinking
• Continued provision of background information
  about industry and trades
• Pushing industry positions and feedback relating
  to the accident

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INTERTANKO Positions

• Full and rigorous investigation of the incident
  to determine cause
• Dispassionate Review
• Immediate Action on Places of Refuge
• Release of Captain Mangouras
• Rejection of port state power to interfere with
  ships navigation in international waters

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EU Transport Council Takes Action -What Now ? EU
Transport Council 1

• The Council calls for an urgent proposal,
  approved before July 1, 2003, for an accelerated
  phasing out of single hull tankers and
  incorporating the Condition Assessment Scheme in
  the general survey regime for tankers regardless
  of design from the age of 15 years

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EU Transport Council 2

• Heavy grades of oil shall only be transported in
  double-hulled tankers and Member States shall,
  through administrative agreements, undertake not
  to accept sh tankers carrying the heaviest grades
  of oil into their ports, terminals or anchorage
  areas.
• Necessary steps to include that EU candidate
  countries, as well as other neighbouring
  countries, including Russia, participate in such
  an agreement will also be taken

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EU Transport Council 3

• Member States are urged to enter into agreements
  with their respective industries to ensure
  quality shipping and eliminate older sh vessels
  transporting the heavy grades of oil. Commission
  invited to develop a model agreement to this end

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EU Transport Council 4

• Member States and the Commission invited to make
  every effort to ensure that a similar rule can be
  established as soon as possible at a worldwide
  level, through an amendment of MARPOL

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EU Transport Council 5

• REGRETS that many Member States have not met the
  25 target of PSC inspections up to now and
  therefore INSISTS on an effective implementation
  of Directive and calls for member states
  implementation before January 1, 2003
• Inspections within the frame work of the Paris
  MOU - to target, in particular, ships carrying
  noxious or dangerous cargo

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EU Transport Council 6

• INVITES the Commission to present a proposal with
  a view to strengthening PSC procedures by
  reducing the intervals between the inspection of
  vessels of greater risk from 12 to six months,
  and by expanding the reporting requirements of
  pilots to also include vessels in transit off the
  coast of Europe

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EU Transport Council 7

• Satisfied that the first Board meeting of the
  European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), December
  4 and expects working programme which will enable
  the EMSA to be operational ASAP.
• EMSA shall promote uniformity and quality of PSC
  inspections in all ports of the Member States.
• The Commission shall establish and monitor the
  procedures for the authorisation and of the
  control of class societies

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EU Transport Council 8

• Member States are urged to establish as early as
  possible and no later than by 1 July 2003 plans
  to the identification of places of refuge for
  ships in distress
• Establish a Community vessel traffic monitoring
  and information system and, in parallel, to
  contribute to the finalisation IMO Guidelines
• Member States to examine, in cooperation with the
  Commission, the financial compensation aspects of
  places of refuge

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EU Transport Council 9

• Reinforcing the mechanisms for the control of
  maritime traffic along the coasts of the EU
  Member States through the establishment by the
  Member States, where appropriate and in
  accordance with international law, of a
  preventive distance for ships on which
  demonstrated irregularities have been established

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EU Transport Council 10

• URGES Member States that have common interests in
  sensitive sea areas to identify and formulate
  coordinated proposals for the areas to be
  protected as Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas by
  IMO.
• URGES the IMO to develop the use of the
  instrument of designating Sensitive Sea Areas
  (SSA) and Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas
  (PSSA)

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EU Transport Council 11

• INVITES Member States to adopt measures, in
  compliance with international law of the sea,
  which would permit coastal States to control and
  possibly to limit, in a non-discriminatory way,
  the traffic of vessels carrying dangerous and
  polluting goods, within 200 miles of their
  coastline

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EU Transport Council 11 cont.

• INVITES the Commission to examine measures to
  limit the presence of sh tankers of more than 15
  years of age carrying heavy grades of oil within
  the EEZ of the Member States, or, where
  appropriate and in accordance with international
  law, within 200 miles of their coastline

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EU Transport Council 12

• Support the establishment of a supplementary
  compensation fund, developed in the IMO, which
  should be able to cover any future oil-spills up
  to EUR 1 000 million in the waters of the Member
  States of the EU foreseeing a rapid mechanism for
  payments and being operational by the end of 2003
• Rapid ratification by EU Member States
• If such a fund is not established, to examine
  immediately establishment of a EU Fund before the
  end of 2003

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EU Transport Council 13

• URGES Member States to have in place all the
  necessary operational capabilities, such as
  specialised towage and oil recovery vessels, in
  order to respond to accidents with oil tankers
• PROPOSES the examination of a common mechanism by
  which the oil companies, ship-owners, charterers
  and insurance companies provide the means, not
  only to prevent, but also to efficiently combat
  possible ecological disasters such as those
  caused by ERIKA and PRESTIGE

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EU Transport Council 13 a

• WELCOMES the intention of the Commission to
  present a proposal to ensure that any person who
  has caused or contributed to a pollution incident
  through grossly negligent behaviour should be
  subject to appropriate sanctions

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EU Transport Council 14

• ENCOURAGES Member States, as soon as possible, to
  ratify or accede to the International Convention
  on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution
  Damage, 2001 and the International Convention on
  Liability and Compensation for Damage in
  Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and
  Noxious Substances by Sea, 1996

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EU Transport Council 15

• SUPPORTS efforts to improve working conditions
  and the training of seafarers within the relevant
  fora

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EU Transport Council 16

• In the framework of IMO of to promulgate
  requirements for the protection of large fuel oil
  tanks in all categories of ships against
  collision and stranding, and to monitor progress
  closely

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EU Transport Council 17

• STRESSES the necessity to re-examine
  international rules concerning the law of the
  seas and maritime transport that lead to
  irresponsibilities and negligence tolerated by
  certain open registers

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EU Transport Council 18

• Support for the on-going work in the IMO to
  develop a flag State code and a compulsory model
  audit scheme aimed at ensuring that flag States
  carry out their duties under the international
  conventions

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EU Transport Council 19

• SUPPORT for technical cooperation programmes to
  assist neighbouring countries in particular the
  applicant countries, Russia and within the
  EURO-MED framework in their efforts to increase
  maritime safety and pollution prevention,
  including the effective application of adequate
  PSC procedures.

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What next ?

• Again high level of EU activity where it will be
  necessary to stay very closely involved
• More initial emphasis on IMO than after the Erika
  massive influx of high priority issues for the
  IMO
• IOPC Fund discussions on establishment of
  supplementary fund will be exceptionally
  important
• Voluntary agreements with industry or
  adminsitrative agreements with various
  governments ?