European Parliament to step up a gear on Maritime Safety

5.15.28pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 27th Mar 2007

Two months after the grounding of the cargo-ship the MSC Napoli off Branscombe in Devon, the European Parliament is set to adopt new measures on maritime safety which will make the waters around the South West much safer.

Commenting from Brussels, Liberal Democrat MEP for the South West and Gibraltar, Graham Watson said:

"The Napoli incident has highlighted the need for more robust maritime safety rules throughout Europe. These proposals would close the loopholes which currently allow negligent ship owners to escape liability and would ensure that Member States uphold the provisions of various international conventions on maritime safety. European action will make our waters that bit safer."

On Wednesday, MEPs will discuss reports on civil liability for ship owners and on the obligations of Member States regarding maritime safety standards before voting on these matters on Thursday.

The report on civil liability seeks to establish common rules across the EU on insurance for ship owners and on the liability of any person operating a ship. This would also require ships to carry safety certificates on board at all times. The report on Member States' obligations seeks to ensure that the conventions agreed upon by the International Maritime Organisation are binding. This would make it the obligation of Member States to ensure that ships that carry its flag comply fully with international rules on maritime safety.