Strasbourg, 14/12/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 12 December, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the environmental disaster that occurred last month in the Black Sea, after several tankers and cargo carriers transporting fuel oil and sulphur sank or ran aground. Highlighting the fact that it is important that the rules of maritime navigation should be strictly observed, MEPs call on the European Union and the neighbouring states to ensure that vessel crews and maritime administrations under no circumstances ignore alerts or storm warnings. They also call on the countries concerned to modernise their maritime fleets and to ban the transport of fuel in single hull tankers. This is particularly aimed at Russia which has announced plans to increase its oil transhipment and export capacities on the Black Sea coast. The Parliament also calls on the European Commission and Council to closely monitor developments in the situation and to take concrete action in order to prevent such disasters. According to German MEP Georg Jarzembowski, who is coordinator for the EPP-ED Group within the transport and tourism committee, accession to the European Union by Bulgaria and Romania provides an opportunity to consolidate dialogue with the countries of the region and to encourage the European Community to take the measures necessary to ensure better protection of the Black Sea. Rumiana Jeleva (EPP-ED, Bulgaria) called on ministers to continue work towards adopting the third maritime package, aimed at strengthening measures to prevent accidents at sea and lessening pollution from shipping accidents. (I.L.)