Giglio, 13/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - The maritime sector and coastal regions are still feeling the shock waves caused by the Costa Concordia incident early this year. All are well and truly resolved to develop current legislation on navigation in order to prevent such a disaster from happening again, and to improve the response to such accidents. The island of Giglio, where the accident happened, is still shaken by the tragedy, three months to the day later. A seminar on maritime safety and passenger transport was held on the island by the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), on 12-13 April. Sergio Orgelli, Mayor of Giglio, said their aim is to “work together to set rules in place in order to prevent this ever happening again in our waters”. All coastal regions of Europe feel concerned by the human and environmental consequences of the accident, calling to mind a series of wrecks that they have already had to face (Moby Prince in Tuscany, Prestige in Galicia, Erika in Brittany, Estline or Fu Shan Hai in the Baltic Sea, to name but a few).
Jean-Yves Le Drian, CPMR President, voiced his annoyance saying: “By amassing disasters, we are far from a regulation that allows us to be given better marks for safety and we, the regions, are always the victims.” He went on to say: “At European level, with each disaster, procedures are initiated but these regulations (Ed: Erika 1, 2 and 3), which are positive, must be validated by the member states in order to become operational. We, the regions, are particularly concerned by the consequences of legislative failings.” The CPMR will do everything it can for an Erika 4 package to be implemented. “If the regions do not drive things forward, then things will not move. We have a great deal to do ahead of us and we are close to the positions taken by the European Commission, which is more a partner to us than the member states which are too timorous because they wish to protect their own interests.”
Debora Serracchiani (S&D, Italy), who is a member of the EP transport committee, considers that political will is needed to ensure rules are applied by all countries, despite their individual interests. She went on to concede that her country, Italy, “has not always set a shining example when it comes to applying rules on investigation.” She deplores the lack of European rules determining navigation distances along the coast.
Taking inspiration from aviation. The time is therefore right for regulating navigation and ideas are buzzing on how to ensure maritime safety. Enrico Rossi, President of the Tuscany Region, trusts that the maritime sector will take inspiration from the rules in the aviation sector. “If flight changes prove necessary, the prior agreement on air traffic control is compulsory. Why is this not the case for the maritime sector?” he asked. Le Drian put in: “For a long while, the sea had to be free and deregulated, whereas it was the other way round for aeronautics. That is an enormous contradiction and our role is to push for the same policy in both sectors.” Serracchiani hopes that, when the European satellite programme Galileo becomes operational in 2014, it will contribute to surveying maritime traffic.
IMO action. This year again, the Commission plans to review the legislation on passenger ship safety. At international level, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) should do the same, especially by updating the SOLAS convention to safeguard human lives at sea, which had been set in place after the sinking of the Titanic, just 100 years ago this week. Cristiano Aliperta, the deputy permanent representative for Italy with the IMO, explains that they would consider whether it is necessary to amend the SOLAS convention. The convention, he said, covers all kinds of accident and aims to achieve the zero accident stage. It is not to be ruled out that certain norms may be amended. However, this can only be done in the light of the investigation report carried out by the Italian authorities. “We shall do nothing until we have read the report”, he said, adding: “Our response should be level-headed, composed and not the fruit of emotion.” The CPMR president, however, said he felt the IMO was more in the interest of flag states rather than the coastal regions.
In Giglio, there is still a sense of urgency. On the island of Giglio, rescue operations and the pumping of fuel have come to an end, but the region is still tangled up in the concrete consequences of the sinking incident. Meticulous work is needed to return the island to its former state: gathering up of waste, and refloating the ship to prevent all damage to the environment of the Tuscany archipelago, which is one of the largest Mediterranean marine parks. “Each day that passes means that the environment is at greater risk. It will no longer be possible to carry out the same activities after the Giglio accident and this will perhaps change the nature of tourism along the coast”, a senior official of the Tuscany region, Maria Sargentini, said. (MD/transl.jl)