Brussels, 18/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - The sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise ship last Friday off the coast of Tuscany (Italy) has also had repercussions within the different international bodies. European Commissioner for Transport Siim Kallas sought to point out that maritime security was one of his top priorities. Since 2011 the EC has been revising the complex rules on the safety of boats responsible for transporting passengers and is expected to produce new proposals during the coming year, explained the commissioner on the social networking network, Twitter, on 16 January.
On the same day, the International Maritime Organisation also demonstrated its determination to promote maritime passenger transport safety. The secretary general of the special UN agency, Koji Sekimizu, made a statement in connection with the shipwreck and explained that “we should seriously consider the lessons to be learnt and, if necessary, re-examine the regulations on the safety of large passenger ships”. For further information: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/un-official-calls-for-probe-into-costa-cruise-ship-disaster-167695&cp. (MD/transl.fl)