The European
Parliament has tightened the ship scrapping rule under which EU-registered
ships must be sent to EU-approved facilities to be scrapped.
The proposed
regulation intends to minimise the adverse effects of careless scrapping of
vessels outside Europe, most often in South-East Asia, in unsafe and unsanitary
conditions.
Shipowners
would face penalties if they send or sell vessels for recycling on a beach or
in a scrapping facility not approved by the EU, including vessels sent for
scrapping within 12 months of a sale.
But the
European Parliament rejected a plan proposed by the Environment Committee to
create a recycling fund raised through a recycling levy to be imposed on any
ship using an EU port.
The
Environment Committee plan was drafted by Swedish MEP Carl Schlyter, and is
based on the "polluter pays" principle to ensure that old ships are
recycled in the proper facilities.
The
Environment Committee's proposal was defeated by 299 votes to 292, with 21
abstentions.
Members of
European Parliament have, however, endorsed an amendment for tabling a
legislative proposal by 2015 "for an incentive-based system that would
facilitate safe and sound ship recycling".
Schlyter
said: "While the EP has voted to put an end to European ships being
recklessly scrapped in developing countries in hazardous conditions, this is
jeopardised by the failure to adopt a financial mechanism to support it."
Under the
new proposal, each member state would have to ensure that every EU-registered
ship has a list of hazardous materials onboard the ship, while non-EU ships
that enter EU ports must also have a hazardous materials inventory.
Source: Ship Technology. 19
April 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment