IMO, EC ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT ON TANKER ACCIDENTS

IMO, EC ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT ON TANKER ACCIDENTS    William O’Neil, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization, and Loyola de Palacio, vice president of the European Commission responsible for relations with the European Parliament, transport and energy issues, have issued a joint statement that gives IMO the task of preventing pollution from tankers.
      De Palacio said, “as soon as European Union institutions have formulated their position in response to 'the Prestige' incident, appropriate measures would be proposed to the IMO by the EU” to revise present international conventions with the intent of phasing out single-hull tankers and prohibiting “the carriage of dirty oils by single-hull tankers.”
   Both parties agreed on the need to detect structural weaknesses “in aging oil tankers, both single and double-hulled.”
   The European Commission has asked for membership in the London-based IMO,    he United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.