Brussels, 02/05/2012 (Agence Europe) - The ecological damage caused by shipwrecks could be avoided thanks to on-board passive safety measures.
With the Commission laying emphasis on the safety of passenger vessels (legislative measures are scheduled for this year), an association representing the stakeholders of the maritime industry is defending the advantages of on-board passive safety. The NGO promotes solutions to avoid the risk of major pollution quickly, before the pollutants even leak out of the vessel.
On the basis of the observation that cruise liners transport increasing numbers of passengers, and therefore enormous quantities of fuel, in particularly sensitive areas such as natural reserves or coral reefs, the head of the Maritime Passive Safety Organisation, Gilles Longuève, regretted the fact that “currently, the vast majority of ships at sea are not equipped to limit the environmental consequences of an accident”. However, he firmly believes that modern technologies could adapt ship design. “Maritime passive safety supplements environmental measures already taken and helps reduce leaks and facilitate the recovery of pollution in the event of an accident at sea. For cruise companies, the certified and inexpensive solutions represent a unique opportunity to strengthen the eco-safety of their ships and to show their commitment to the environment”, he explained. He also stressed his position at the European Conference on the Safety of Maritime Passenger Transport, held by the European Commission last week, on the sidelines of a public consultation on the subject, which will run until early July. (MD/transl.fl)