Strasbourg, 19/11/2007 (Agence Europe) - In a press release reacting to the maritime disaster in the Black Sea published on Tuesday 13 November, the Chairman of the European Parliament's committee on transport, Paolo Costa (ALDE, Italy), called for work to be stepped up on the third maritime package, for concrete emergency action and for close monitoring of the situation in the region. “The loss of human life and the ecological disaster (…) underscore the need to step up the Council's deliberations on the remaining legislative acts of the third maritime package”, declared Mr Costa, going on to point out that a “political agreement” on these documents “is imperative either under the current Portuguese presidency or the future Slovenian presidency”. Returning to the disaster in the Black Sea, he believes that “we must assist by all possible means”. The storms last Sunday in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea caused the sinking of the Russian oil tanker Volganeft 139 and four other vessels. Almost 2000 tonnes of oil have contaminated the waters of the Black Sea, three people have lost their lives and around 20 are still missing. The Council still has to examine some of the seven documents which make up the third maritime package at the next Transport Council on 29 and 30 November. (A.By.)