New Flame shipwreck

P6_TA(2008)0176

European Parliament resolution of 24 April 2008 on the New Flame shipwreck and its consequences in Algeciras Bay

(2009/C 259 E/10)

The European Parliament,

1.   Calls on the Commission to forward to Parliament all the information on the case of the New Flame provided by the competent national and regional authorities, especially that referring to the request for additional resources, such as anti-pollution vessels to be provided by the Community aid mechanism in the field of civil protection assistance interventions, including accidental marine pollution, established by Council Decision 2007/779/EC, Euratom of 8 November 2007 establishing a Community mechanism to facilitate reinforced cooperation in civil protection assistance interventions (2), which aims to place at the disposal of the Member States, when requested by the country affected by the wreck, anti-contamination ships operating under the aegis of the EMSA;

2.   Welcomes the participation of the Andalusian regional and local authorities on this subject, in accordance with Parliament's recommendations on the EU maritime policy for the participation of local and regional authorities;

3.   Takes note that the Government of Gibraltar, the UK and the Spanish authorities expressed their willingness to collaborate within the Forum of Dialogue on Gibraltar in the most effective way in order to manage the accident and its consequences for the maritime and coastal environment;

4.   Underlines the swiftness and efficiency of the EMSA in reacting to the request for assistance made by the Spanish authorities immediately after the accident; stresses that Parliament has constantly advocated increased operational and financial resources for the EMSA, and that more vessels will be available for assistance in the various maritime regions of the EU; calls on the Commission and the EMSA to give their full support to environmental protection in this threatened area, in line with the environmental objectives laid down in the relevant EU legislation and international instruments;

5.   Calls on the Commission, in its role as ‘guardian of the Treaties’, to verify whether the competent authorities complied correctly with their obligations under Articles 2, 3, 6, 10, 80(2), 174(1), 174(2) and 175(4) of the EU Treaty so as to avoid the catastrophe, and, if appropriate, to adopt the necessary legal measures that would stem from such an action;

6.   Encourages all efforts and measures that could be taken by the UK and Spanish authorities, the Government of Gibraltar, the port authorities of Algeciras and Gibraltar and all relevant actors in order to manage in the most responsible way all the activities carried out in the Bay;

7.   Stresses, following pollution the origin of which still needs to be clarified, that all relevant authorities managing the Bay and its coast and the operations to salvage the New Flame must remain extremely vigilant concerning potential opportunist and illegal emptying of fuel tanks and ballast waters;

8.   Underlines that the third maritime package, still at the first reading stage in the Council, on which Parliament adopted its position more than a year ago and in respect of which it is willing to move forward and conclude the seven legislative procedures, provides the EU with all necessary tools for the prevention of maritime incidents and the management of the consequences of such incidents, including in particular provisions for the monitoring of maritime traffic and the investigation of accidents; insists on the need to ensure efficient cooperation between neighbouring ports;

9.   Asks the Commission to call on the competent authorities to provide information concerning the content of the cargo and to indicate what the plans and time-schedules are for removal of the vessel from the Bay and for monitoring the risk of pollution which could stem from the cargo, and to forward such information to Parliament;

10.   Urges the Commission to call on those Member States which have not yet done so to ratify the 2001 International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage and to ensure enforcement of the EU legislation on this subject;

11.   Reiterates its call on the Commission to submit a proposal to Parliament and to the Council as soon as possible in order to ensure that bunker oil for engine fuel in new ships is stored in safer, double-hull tanks;

12.   Reiterates its request for an EU directive on improving the quality of maritime fuels; welcomes the recent agreement within the International Maritime Organization on the introduction of a proposal for legislation in this regard by 1 January 2010;

13.   Encourages the Commission to propose improvements to the legislation on the protection of environmentally sensitive cross-border marine areas, including stronger (satellite) surveillance and monitoring of ships;

14.   Suggests to the Commission that it intervene with the competent national and regional authorities with a view to reaching an agreement on a public performance protocol in the area of the Straits of Gibraltar and particularly in the Bay of Algeciras, similar to the existing bilateral and regional agreements concluded between coastal states, which would provide mutual assistance in the event of a maritime pollution incident;

15.   Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the European Maritime Safety Agency, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the regional authorities concerned.

(1)  Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2007)0343.

(2)  OJ L 314, 1.12.2007, p. 9.