B4-0236/94

Resolution on safety at sea

The European Parliament,

-having regard to Rule 40(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

-having regard to its previous resolutions on safety at sea and in particular its opinions of 9 March 1994 on the proposal for a Council Directive on common rules and standards for ship inspection and survey organizations and on the proposal for a Council Directive on the minimum level of training for maritime occupations, and its resolution of 11 March 1994 on a common policy on safe seas,

-having regard to Article 75(1) of the EC Treaty which includes transport safety among EU competences,

-having regard to Article 7a of the EC Treaty on the internal market and Article 5 on the obligations of the Member States,

-having regard to the conclusions of the Council of Environment and Transport Ministers of 24 March 1994 on maritime security and the prevention of pollution, the two being closely interrelated,

-having regard to the Council resolution of 8 June 1993 on a common policy on safe seas,

-having regard to the Commission Communication on "A common policy for safe seas" and the action programme contained therein (COM(93)0066 - C3-0122/93),

A.deeply shocked by the accident which occurred in the port of Ramsgate in the UK on 13 September 1994, where, during embarkation, a bridge collapsed killing six passengers and seriously injuring seven more, and by the disaster involving the Baltic ferry "Estonia", which capsized in stormy seas on Wednesday 28 September 1994, with the loss of 910 lives,

B.recalling that 8500 lives were lost at sea between 1985 and 1991 in similar incidents,

C.whereas shipping is essentially an international activity and, as such, safety aspects are largely governed by international conventions,

D.whereas the ever-increasing demand for ferries able to transport more people and goods leads to the use of vessels with truncated bows (Ro-Ro type), two gates and uniform decks, to the detriment of stability and safety;

E.whereas international conventions are not always applied, or even ratified; whereas they are not applied uniformly or in the most appropriate way by the Member States; whereas a more coherent framework for the enforcement of existing regulations is therefore necessary,

F.concerned that accidents at sea are increasing, with tragic consequences in terms of human lives lost, and that these accidents are due to a number of factors including human error, loading procedures, technical and design failures, inadequate ship maintenance, ageing vessels or dangerous weather conditions,

G.whereas the Commission proposals for positive measures to aid shipping have not been followed up by the Council, notwithstanding Parliament's wishes, world-wide concern and public indignation,

H.whereas initial investigations seem to reveal that a number of errors and omissions caused these accidents; whereas such accidents could be avoided if:

(i)port equipment and infrastructure were inspected frequently,

(ii)more account was taken of prevailing weather conditions when port authorities allow the departure from port, in particular where passenger-vessels are concerned,

(iii)technical port safety inspections were more rigorous and conformed to consistent high standards, with a proper system of port state control,

(iv)the design, building and restoration of ferries and roll-on/roll-off vessels were subject to highly harmonized rules and standards,

(v)the maintenance of safety standards of such vessels was guaranteed at the highest possible level,

I.whereas intense competition and overcapacity in the field of ferry transportation has led to safety being compromised in the pursuit of profit,

J.whereas these are serious shortcomings and evidence of gross negligence,

1.Expresses its profound sympathy for all persons injured or bereaved by these maritime disasters;

2.Wishes to be fully informed about how these disasters occurred;

3.Calls for an in-depth study of the safety of Ro-Ro vessels as such;

4.Calls on the Member States to provide for heavy penalties to be imposed on any person or authority responsible where negligence and/or omission is proved to have contributed to a maritime accident, in particular where passenger vessels are concerned;

5.Emphasizes the need for consistent and uniform enforcement in the European Union of the IMO conventions concerning safety at sea, and calls on the other European states to join in this effort;

6.Believes that checks carried out on ferries by national authorities must be improved, and calls on the Commission to propose binding rules to apply to inspections of the structural integrity of the hull, fire-fighting and life-saving equipment, emergency procedures, to crew and passenger training for vessels flying the flag of a Member State or calling at EU ports;

7.Calls on the Commission to propose, and the Council to adopt, binding legislation on port infrastructures, at least for the major Community ports, concerning specifically up-to-date and safe embarkation-disembarkation facilities, easy and immediate access to hospitals or medical centres and fire brigades, satellite equipment enabling speedy response to ships in distress, and safe, efficient loading-unloading equipment;

8.Calls on the Commission to implement the research and development programme on maritime transport in order to seek means of investigating the causes of the accidents at sea with a view to preventing future accidents;

9.Calls on the Commission and the Council to promote the European fleet, which has been in steady decline over the last decades, by adopting positive measures including the EUROS register, to enforce the necessary safety standards and to contribute to the elimination of substandard vessels in maritime trade;

10.Calls on all Member States to ensure that ferries using their ports are fitted with segregated car decks, and urges them to pursue this policy in the International Maritime Organization (IMO);

11.Requests a report from the Commission on the reasons for the ferry accidents as soon as possible and a proposal for new IMO standards for Ro-Ro ferries;

12.Calls on Member States to strengthen their national coastguard services, including better coordination between the Member States, to enable them to undertake full monitoring and control of shipping in EU waters;

13.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments of the Member States and the states which have applied for accession, and all relevant maritime authorities.