MEPs call for EU action on ship scrapping

2515, 03/04/08

Practical measures at EU and international level are urgently needed to counter "environmentally damaging and humanly degrading" scrapping of end-of-life ships in southern Asia, MEPs say in a non-legislative report adopted by the European parliament's environment committee on Wednesday.

They call on the European commission to draft guidelines to state when a ship becomes waste, give port states the power to identify end-of-life ships, and enhance port inspections to improve enforcement of EU waste shipments law (EED 26/10/05 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/19703). MEPs were reacting to a commission green paper on ship scrapping (EED 22/05/07 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/23241).

"Concrete regulatory action at the EU level.. is of the utmost urgency", they emphasise, to cope with an expected "massive peak" in end-of-life ships in 2010, when single-hull oil tankers will be phased out (EED 05/04/05 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/18525).

The committee urges the EU to take "immediate measures" to support the development of a "competitive and clean" ship dismantling and pre-cleaning industry in the EU. Member states are asked to submit all state-owned ships to such facilities.

MEPs welcomed the commission's proposal for a ship dismantling fund and called for the EU "to pursue with determination" its creation at meetings of the International maritime organisation (IMO). The commission is asked to investigate financing options, including compulsory insurance and port fees.

The commission is also asked to develop lists of ships expected to be scrapped soon and of preferred dismantling facilities, and to propose measures to promote the transfer of technology and expertise on dismantling to southern Asia. Plans for a certification system for recycling facilities are welcomed.

The committee says a global agreement negotiated through the IMO would be "most effective" to clean up ship scrapping, but says the current draft agreement is weak and could take "years" to enter force (EED 16/07/07 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/23612).

Follow-up: European parliament environment committee

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/comparl/envi/default_en.htm, tel: +32 2285 2111,

plus draft report http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2004_2009/documents/pr/705/705999/705999en.pdf.

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