Brussels, 28/03/2003 (Agence Europe) - During Friday's Transport Council, France, Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Ireland presented a note calling upon the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to designate "particularly vulnerable maritime areas" in order to be able to take special national measures to protect these areas as allowed - under certain, mainly ecological, conditions - by the Convention on Sea Law of the World Health Organisation. These countries hope to present a dossier to the IMO before 11 April in order to have it discussed during the next meeting of the committee on the protection of the marine environment, scheduled for 14 July in London. The areas concerned are said to be certain parts of the special waters of North West Europe zone (as defined by the Marpol Convention), the Channel and its coastal waters, certain parts of the British pollution control areas and the Irish pollution response area, as well as parts of the exclusive economic zones located along French, Spanish and Portuguese coastlines. The five delegations would, initially, propose banning the passage of tankers carrying heavy fuel and bitumen, except double hull tankers or single hull tankers of less than 15 years of age (which would have to state their intention to cross these areas 48 hours in advance). Later, the above countries will be able to propose measures to organise traffic and reports.
Belgian proposal to exceed ceiling of one billion euro compensation in the event of pollution by hydrocarbons
Furthermore, the Belgian delegation submitted to ministers before the Council a contribution concerning civil liability and compensation schemes in the event of pollution from hydrocarbon spills. The Belgian delegation supports the discussions under way at the IMO aimed to raise the ceiling of the additional international compensation fund to 1 billion euros. It also invites the European Commission and the Council to examine the possibility of promoting, at European and international level, a regime that compels ship owners and ship contractors to take out an insurance allowing, in the case of pollution by hydrocarbons and if considered warranted, for the ceiling of compensation envisaged at one billion euros to be exceeded.