Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-10-24-Speech-3-233"
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"en.20011024.10.3-233"2
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".
Mr President, the Commission is delighted by the report which has been drawn up by the Committee on Regional Policy, Transport and Tourism, in relation to this proposed directive establishing harmonised requirements and procedures for the safe loading and unloading of bulk carriers. I wish, in particular, to thank Mr van Dam for his report and for the help he has given the Commission in its efforts to increase the safety of bulk carriers. This directive will transpose into Community legislation the code of the International Maritime Organisation, which is currently in force in relation to the safe loading and unloading of ships, as well as certain parts of the convention for the safety of life at sea. This code, which is, in fact, a recommendation, was established by the IMO in 1997, but, so far, it has not been widely applied. As soon as its application becomes obligatory in all the Union’s ports, this code will be much more widely used and will, therefore, contribute to the safety of all bulk carriers visiting the Union. As the rapporteur has indicated, this directive is aimed at combating the phenomenon of the disappearance of bulk carriers, that is, the sinking of these ships, which suddenly break up in open sea and sink in a few minutes, thereby causing the loss of considerable human life. As Mr Fava has said, these statistics are unfortunately quite clear: over the last ten years, these wrecks have caused the loss of 134 ships with 743 victims, and there is a consistent tendency in terms of the average age and the total annual dead weight of the ships which have disappeared. It was, therefore, necessary to deal with this issue of the safety of bulk carriers, and it is known that bad loading and unloading methods are considered to be one of the main causes of these tragic accidents. As the rapporteur has said, the directive is designed to ensure that the handling of cargo in our ports respects strict rules, so as to prevent damage to ships during loading or unloading of heavy bulk cargo. Before and during loading and unloading, the crew on board and the dock personnel must be in contact and in agreement, and, furthermore, a plan must be agreed in advance in relation to the way the loading and unloading will be carried out. Heavy equipment which is often used in these operations must be handled with caution, and, in the event of a disagreement between the two parties, the dock personnel and the crew on board, the competent authority must be able to intervene to suspend the operations in order to prevent possible damage to the structure of the bulk carriers. The Commission is therefore very pleased that Parliament intends to accept the common position of the Council without amendments, because, if it is adopted rapidly, this directive will be able to enter into force very soon. This also shows that, on sensitive maritime issues, the European Parliament and the Council are able to rapidly reach a decision with the greatest degree of cohesion, and the Commission hopes that the cohesion demonstrated in this case will also be demonstrated in relation to the other great issues which are currently on the agenda."@en1
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