IMO’s O?NEIL TO TALK WITH GREEM MINISTER ON POST-?PRESTIGE? ISSUES

IMOÆS OÆNEIL TO TALK WITH GREEM MINISTER ON POST-ôPRESTIGEö ISSUES    William O’Neil, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization in London, will travel to Greece Friday to meet George Anomeritis, minister of mercantile marine in the Greek government and president of the European Union Maritime Transport Ministers’ Council.
   O’Neil is expected to tell Anomeritis that, in the aftermath of the 'Prestige' tanker disaster, EU members should use the IMO as the means to formulate “additional regulatory action at the international level,” the IMO said Wednesday.
   “IMO is the forum where safety and pollution prevention standards affecting international shipping are considered and adopted. Standards adopted through IMO apply equally to all ships of all countries,” O’Neil said.
   Any EU-sourced rules applying to foreign ships “which go beyond the IMO standards would be detrimental,” O’Neil said.
   The IMO also said that cargo handling and stowage amendments to its Seafarers’ Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Code, as well as hazardous cargo amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, entered into force on Jan. 1.
   The IMO is the United Nations Specialized Agency with responsibility for the safety of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.