15/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - First “Blue Belt” notch in May 2011. The “Blue Belt” idea for short-distance maritime transport in Europe will begin on 1 May, announced Alfons Guinier, the secretary general of the European Shipbuilding Association (ECSA) at a CPMR (Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions) conference on Friday 15 April. Launched a year ago under the Belgian Presidency of the EU, the Blue Belt aims to make it easier to ship goods on shipping routes in Europe and pave the way for a border-free maritime area. Some 250 ships will take part. Their movement will be monitored by the European Maritime Security Agency (EMSA) using automatic ship identification systems (AIS). The information collected will be sent to national customs offices. The exercise will run until November. (A.By./transl.fl)