GREENPEACE, ITF AND WWF URGE U.N. TO REFORM SHIPPING

GREENPEACE, ITF AND WWF URGE U.N. TO REFORM SHIPPING    Greenpeace, the International Federation of Transport Workers and the World Wildlife Fund have made a joint appeal to Kofi Annan, secretary general of the United Nations, urging him to set up a task force to review shipping practices.
   The three organizations alleged that the sinking of the “Prestige” is only one example of widespread unsafe practices in worldwide shipping that harm the marine environment and cause the deaths of seafarers.
   In their joint letter to the U.N., the three organizations said that a global agreement is required to eliminate the system of “flags of convenience” and ensure the enforcement of shipping regulations by all flag states.
   “Sub-standard ships and shipping practices create a higher than normal risk of serious accidents,” they said in the letter. The organizations added that current industry practices “can make it almost impossible to identify the real owners of vessels and hold them accountable.”
   In a veiled criticism of the International Maritime Organization — the U.N. agency responsible for maritime safety — Greenpeace, the International Federation of Transport Workers and the World Wildlife Fund said that current policy-making in shipping has tended to be “reactive, ponderous and based on industry-driven compromise.”
   They asked for a concerted multi-agency approach to reform regulations, involving the International Maritime Organization and the International Labor Organization.