EU restrictions on single-hull tankers now effective

EU restrictions on single-hull tankers now effective    The European Union’s rules banning the carriage of heavy oil in single-hull tankers to and from European ports became effective yesterday (Oct. 21).
   Under the regulation, adopted following the oil spills of the “Prestige” near Spain and the “Erika” off the French coast, the European Union has also brought forward the deadlines to phase out single-hull tankers for the carriage of goods other than heavy oil.
   “Tankers of the type of the ‘Erika’ and the ‘Prestige,’ both more than 23 years old, are banned immediately from the port of the (European) Union,” the European Commission said. The European Union wants oil to be carried in double-hull tankers, regarded as safer and less prone to oil spills.
   The European Union will now apply rules on the gradual elimination of single-hull tankers that are “as strict as those in effect in the United States,” the EC commented.
   In addition to the adoption of the EU-wide regional rules, European governments have submitted to the International Maritime Organization a proposal to implement stricter maritime standards worldwide. “The final decision, namely an amendment of annex 1 of the Marpol convention 73/78, should be taken during an extraordinary session… in December 2003 in London,” the EC said.
   Pointing to the likely 16-month implementation period of any International Maritime Organization decision, the EC said that it is also seeking “the conclusion of urgent bilateral agreements” on the protection of coasts and the improvement of maritime safety with neighboring countries such as Russia and Mediterranean countries.