Brussels, 02/12/2003 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, the European Commission sent a letter to Latvia inviting it to refuse access to its ports for the Russian oil tanker Geroi Sevastopolya. As revealed on Monday by Reuters, this single-hull tanker, 24 years of age, was chartered by an American oil company for the transport this month of 50,000 tonnes of heavy grade oil to Singapore, after having been fitted out in Latvia and taking the same route as that taken one year earlier by the Prestige oil tanker (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.16). With the entry into force on 21 Octobedr this year of the new E European legislation on single-hull tankers, which mainly bans the transport of heavy grades of oil by such tankers, the Russian ship is banned from entering a member State port (EUROPE of 22 Octobver, p.8). H owever, nothing prevents it from entering ports of Latvia as this country will not be a member of the Eu until 1 May 2004. Ion his letter, therefore, François Lamoureux, Director of DG Transport and Energy, points out to the Latvian authorities that he wishes to be informed of "any decision taken by your maritime authorities in relation to the possible rquest for loading of t his ship. On this occasion, I would also appreciate it", he said, "if you could in form me of the measures taken to immediately implement Regulation No (EC) 1726/2003 in your country". (Ed.: regulation on single-hull oil tankers).
If the regulaiton is not for now compulsory for Latvia, then this country may "very well apply the law that it sh ould at any rate apply in six months' time", Gilles Gantelet, Spokesman for Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio, explained on Tuesday. He noted the risk that this vessel reporesents (it is said to have been seriously damaged during a collision in 2001 but that it is not on yte list of tankers banned from entering E ruoepan terrirotry: see EUROPE of 20 November, p.16). Mr Gantelet, moreover, pointed out that the EU Transport Ministers at the Council on 5 December will discuss this point with their Russian coutnerpart responsible for tarnsport policy.