B3-0442 and 0491/94

Resolution on the shipping accident which occurred on 13 March 1994 in the Bosporus

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its previous resolutions on oil tanker accidents on the world's oceans, and in particular that of 21 January 1993 on the 'Braer' tanker disaster,

-having regard to its resolution of 16 September 1992 on the environmental damage caused by oil spills from ships,

A.having regard to the shipping accident on 13 March 1994 involving two Cypriot oil tankers, the Nassiya and the Ship Broken, in the Bosporus,

B.having regard to the 24 dead, 26 injured and the persons missing as a result of this collision,

C.having regard to the severe environmental consequences of such accidents, tonnes of crude oil having been spilt in this case,

D.whereas traffic on the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, which are only 700 metres wide in places, is very heavy (merchant vessels, warships and passenger ferries linking the two parts of Istanbul),

E.whereas, over the last 30 years, over 120 people have been killed and thousands of tonnes of oil have polluted the sea as a result of accidents in the Bosporus involving oil tankers and warships,

F.having regard to the numerous accidents of this nature which have occurred in recent years, including, most recently, an accident between Corsica and Sardinia,

G.having regard to the international rules of the IMO (International Maritime Organization), the MARPOL convention and its numerous resolutions on the subject,

1.Calls on the Turkish Government and the states bordering on the Black Sea to impose much stricter safety controls on shipments of oil and dangerous goods through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles;

2.Draws attention to the ecological impact of the accidents in the Sea of Marmara, the Aegean and the Black Sea and calls on the neighbouring states to take accident prevention measures coordinated at international level;

3.Calls on the Council and Commission to make representations as rapidly as possible to the IMO, so as to ensure that stricter maritime traffic control measures are introduced and that the international rules in force are applied rigorously;

4.Calls, accordingly, for strict monitoring of the conditions under which flags are granted;

5.Calls for the establishment of a greater number of permanent 'safety routes' with compulsory piloting or escorting of dangerous traffic;

6.Calls for the Commission communication on a common policy for maritime safety to be used as a basis for future international conventions in this field;

7.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments of the Member States and the Turkish Government.