B4-0247 and 0317/94

Resolution on the oil slick in northern Portugal following the accident which occurred to the tanker 'Cercal'

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its earlier resolutions on marine pollution,

A.having regard to the essential role of the oceans in maintaining the ecological balance and as a source of wealth and development of crucial importance to numerous regions,

B.having regard to the oil slick caused by the spillage of about 1000 tonnes of crude oil from the tanker 'Cercal' on 2 October 1994 after it hit a rock in the port of Leix es,

C.whereas Leix es is the biggest port in northern Portugal, responsible for the largest proportion of imports and exports,

D.whereas 400 vessels per day pass the Portuguese coast, some of them tankers,

E.whereas the Portuguese coast is, therefore, a high-risk zone, and worse accidents could happen in future,

F.whereas the outcome was a multiple oil slick extending along the northern coast of Portugal, with its most northerly point at Esposende, passing through Póvoa do Varzim, Vila do Conde, Matosinhos, Oporto and Vila Nova de Gaia, and reaching as far south as Espinho, and affecting numerous beaches, disturbing or destroying the maritime fauna and flora with consequences for the regional economy which are still not clear (the clean-up operations are still going on),

G.whereas one reason for this accident is the fact that it is still not compulsory for vessels - in particular those transporting materials which are dangerous for the ecological balance - to be constructed with a double hull,

H.whereas there is no legal framework for the protection of the Portuguese coast, and it is essential that special protection measures be taken in sensitive coastal areas,

I.having regard to the role of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in the areas of maritime safety and the prevention of marine pollution,

1.Calls on the Commission, in cooperation with the Portuguese Government, to investigate the nature of this disaster and its environmental consequences, as well as the vulnerability of the Portuguese coast;

2.Calls on the Commission to take the necessary basic measures for the prevention of such accidents, in particular via the preparation and implementation of appropriate legislation;

3.Calls on the Commission to release, from the allocations for disaster situations, funding for aid to the affected area;

4.Calls on the Commission to present concrete proposals to improve maritime transport safety;

5.Calls on the Commission to introduce, as soon as possible, special protection measures for those coastal areas which are particularly sensitive owing to their high volume of traffic;

6.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Portuguese Government and the municipalities affected.