I programmi britannici d'investimento pubblico nello shipping e nei porti dal 1999 al 2002

Il capitolo 16 del rapporto annuale 1999 del dipartimento britannico dell'Ambiente, dei Trasporti e delle Regioni sui programmi d'investimento governativi per il 1999-2000 e per il 2001-2002 è dedicato allo shipping e ai porti.

Il governo è determinato a massimizzare il contributo economico che lo shipping apporta all'economia nazionale, nonostante la drastica riduzione della flotta di bandiera britannica che si è verificata nell'ultimo decennio, a causa degli scarsi aiuti pubblici agli armatori. E nello stesso tempo è impegnato a minimizzare l'effetto su mare e costa della polluzione causata dalle navi. E' ancora recente il ricordo dell'inquinamento seguito all'arenamento della Sea Empress, che nel 1996 provocò anche problemi di natura assistenziale alle navi in difficoltà.

E naturalmente nel rapporto viene data enfasi alla sicurezza della vita umana in mare, argomento che trova sempre maggior importanza nelle cronache dello shipping mondiale.

Department of the Environment,
Transport and the Regions

DETR Annual Report 1999
The Government's Expenditure Plans
1999-2000 to 2001-02

Chapter 16: Shipping and Ports

The Government is determined to maximise the vital economic contribution that shipping and ports make to our prosperity, and to minimise the effect on the sea and coast from pollution caused by ships. It is also set on improving safety for all of us who go to sea, whether as passengers or workers.

This chapter chronicles the Department's launch of a new Maritime and Coastguard Agency to provide sea search and rescue and prevent pollution at sea.

The chapter also explains how we have:

negotiated a new European Directive to improve the safety of ferry services;
strengthened pollution prevention standards for ships;
asked the public what they think about ships' liability when a passenger is hurt or dies at sea;
funded a new scheme to improve training for people who want to become seafarers;
promoted a shipping policy that is integrated with other kinds of transport.

Achievements

16.1 The Department has:

chaired the Shipping Working Group which reported to the Deputy Prime Minister in March 1998 on reversing the decline in the UK merchant fleet, on the employment and training of seafarers, and on maximising the economic and environmental benefits from shipping;
set out the broad aims of an integrated shipping policy on these issues in the Transport White Paper published in July 1998;
set out a strategy for reviving the British shipping industry in British Shipping ' Charting a new course, published in December 1998;
agreed new support for the Maritime Training (SMarT) scheme on 1 April 1998 to improve the delivery of Government support for seafarer training;
set out to improve the implementation of pollution prevention standards for ships;
looked set to complete a review of the Pilotage Act, with a report published in July, and of trust ports, with a summary consultation paper published in December 1998;
hosted a quality shipping seminar ' part of an ongoing state and industry campaign to drive out substandard shipping by the more effective implementation of existing regulations;
negotiated a new European Directive that introduces a system of prior inspection of ferry services, and provides the right for member states to participate in accident investigation in the case of all ferry services operating to or from a state's home port; and
set up a new Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) promoting safety at sea and preventing marine pollution. The Agency (which combines the Coastguard Agency and Marine Safety Agency) also provides the UK's maritime search and rescue and counter-pollution service.

Delivery of Objectives

16.2 The Department's work on shipping and ports supports a number of objectives, including:

fostering the vital contribution to economic prosperity made by the shipping and ports industries;
minimising the risk of pollution of the marine and coastal environment from pollution from shipping;
improving safety for those who use the sea for transport, employment or leisure.

Means of Delivery

16.3 The Department meets its objectives in shipping and ports policy through:

supporting the international and European systems for negotiating and agreeing sound standards for maritime safety and pollution control;
implementing effective and efficient safety and environmental regulation in the UK in accordance with the Government's Better Regulation initiative;
overseeing the efficient provision of navigation aids around our coasts;
organising an efficient response to incidents and their thorough investigation;
giving financial assistance towards the training of seafarers;
creating and administering a legislative framework for a ports industry that is both efficient and environmentally friendly;
representing the shipping and ports industries' legitimate interests in Whitehall, Brussels and around the world; and
promoting an integrated shipping policy for the UK.

Figure 16.a Expenditure on Shipping and Ports										£ million
Vote Section		1993-94 outtturn	1994-95 outtturn	1995-96 outturn	1996-97 outturn	1997-98 outturn	1998-99 estimated outturn	1999-00 plans	2000-01 plans	2001-02 plans
7A	Maritime and Coastguard Agency	39	41	44	50	44	43	50	53	53
6K	Shipping and ports services	-6	-5	-17	-4	-8	-7	-	-	-
	Total	33	36	27	46	36	36	50	53	53
	of which
	Central Government's own expenditure
	Voted in estimates	39	41	45	51	40	44	51	53	53
	Not Voted in estimates	-6	-5	-17	-5	-4	-8	-1	-	-

Programme of Work

Marine safety and pollution policy

16.4 The Department's policies for improving marine safety and pollution control are implemented mainly through the Maritime and Coastguard Agency by:

minimising loss of life amongst seafarers and coastal users;
responding to maritime emergencies 24 hours a day;
developing, promoting and enforcing high standards of marine safety; and
minimising the risk of pollution of the marine environment from ships and, where pollution occurs, minimising the impact on UK interests.

16.5 Amongst a wide range of initiatives the Agency is working to:

promote enhanced safety in the fishing industry and amongst the many recreational sea and coastal users;
promote its presence on the coast where Coastguard and other operational staff work together, ensuring a prompt and effective response to threats to people's safety and the maritime environment;
increase the number of merchant vessels on the UK register; and
stamp out substandard shipping through the "Quality Shipping" campaign.

Preventing Marine Pollution

16.6 The review of the new National Contingency Plan for marine pollution from shipping and offshore installations continued during 1998. The revised plan will also take account of the recommendations on salvage and intervention made by Lord Donaldson.

16.7 The regulations controlling discharges of ships' wastes at sea now have the widest geographical scope permitted under international law. As a result of the enhanced powers and the appointment of dedicated enforcement officers, there has been an increased number of prosecutions for pollution offences with significantly higher fines.

16.8 The Merchant Shipping (Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation Convention) Regulations 1998 ensure that operators of sea ports, oil facilities and offshore installations take effective measures to deal with accidental oil pollution and prepare local oil pollution contingency plans for MCA approval.

16.9 All those who provide ships ' including fishing and pleasure vessels ' with berths must now submit waste management plans to the MCA for approval under the 1997 Merchant Shipping (Port Waste Reception Facilities) Regulations. The MCA is checking that the plans deter operational discharges at sea.

Maritime claims

16.10 In 1998, the Department carried out a public consultation exercise on sea carriers' liability for claims arising from the death of, or injury to, passengers. Following this, the Department made new legislation to triple the amount of compensation available from UK carriers. Following consultation with interested parties, the Department represented the UK at a diplomatic conference on the arrest of ships. The Department also continued to oversee the operation of the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds, particularly in respect of the Braer and Sea Empress incidents.

International Maritime Organisation

16.11 The Department and MCA continued to take an active part in IMO (the United Nations agency responsible for setting standards on ship safety and the prevention of marine pollution from ships). The Department also has landlord responsibility for the IMO's London headquarters, which is leased for an annual rental of '1.2 million. The Department meets 80 per cent of the cost of major repairs. Both income and expenditure associated with the building are included in Figure 16.a.

Navigation services

16.12 The Department has responsibility for the management of the General Lighthouse Fund (GLF) which is used to finance the General Lighthouse Authorities. These Authorities provide lighthouses, buoys, beacons and radio navigation aids around the coasts of the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The GLF is made up from light dues, set by the Secretary of State and charged to shipping calling at British and Irish ports. Their expenditure, estimated at '67 million in 1998'99, is not shown in Figure 16.a because it is not public expenditure. Light dues in 1998 were maintained at levels set in 1997.

Marine Accident Investigation Branch

16.13 The Southampton-based Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is an independent branch within the Department responsible for investigating accidents to and on board UK vessels worldwide, and to any vessels operating in UK territorial waters. Its Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents, Rear Admiral John Lang, reports direct to the Deputy Prime Minister on his accident investigation.

16.14 In 1998 five separate accident reports were published. The Branch Annual Report provided the Chief Inspector with an opportunity to highlight safety shortcomings in the fishing industry. Two editions of the MAIB Safety Digest were produced containing lessons to be learned.

16.15 In all 637 accidents were reported; 38 were investigated in 1998.

16.16 The MAIB has made proposals to introduce a confidential reporting system for seafarers and has examined ways of improving assistance to families following a marine accident.

16.17 In order to make the work of the MAIB more transparent, and to reduce the time it takes to produce its accident investigation reports, the Accident Reporting and Investigation Regulations have been substantially revised. They were circulated to representatives of the marine industry at the end of the year for comment.

The MV Derbyshire

16.18 The UK/EC Assessors' report on the DERBYSHIRE, which sank during a typhoon in 1980 with the loss of 44 lives, was published in March 1998. The Assessors' report, and the survey material on which it was based, represented new and important evidence and the Deputy Prime Minister ordered that the Formal Investigation into the loss of the DERBYSHIRE be re-opened and heard in full in the High Court.

Promoting British interests

16.19 The Department participates in international discussions of shipping matters within the EU, the IMO, the OECD and other organisations. The Department also seeks to advance UK shipping interests in bilateral negotiations with foreign countries. Preparing for the forthcoming maritime negotiations under the General Agreement on Trade in Services will be an important aspect of the Department's work.

16.20 The Department will be working closely with the industry to promote the training of seafarers to reverse the decline in the number of trained UK seafarers and in the size of the UK fleet.

Ports

16.21 UK ports may be broadly classified as private ports, which are owned by private companies; municipal ports, which are operated by the local authority; and trust ports, which are independent statutory bodies run by a Board of Trustees. About 95 per cent of the UK's international trade (by weight) passes through its ports, and any bottlenecks or inefficiencies have knock-on effects on costs and delivery times.

16.22 A review of the operation of the Pilotage Act 1987, published in July 1998, proposes a Marine Operations Code for Ports as a major initiative to raise standards. A review of the accountability, operations and legislation of trust ports in England, Scotland and Wales was published for consultation in December 1998 which recommends the production of national standards of accountability. A ports policy paper is planned for 1999 and the Department intends to reintroduce supplementary credit approvals for safety and maintenance works for municipal ports for the 1999'2000 financial year.

16.23 The Department liaises closely with all sectors of the industry and is seeking to develop a more open relationship. It proposes a partnership with the whole ports industry aiming to meet the aspirations of ports, users and local communities, as well as the key themes of wider transport and economic policies. The Department also proposes that the use of powers and the operation of all ports should become a much more open process than in the past.

16.24 The Department is closely involved in the continuing efforts by the European Commission to implement the principle that the costs of investment in port and maritime infrastructure ' including public funding ' should be recovered in port charges.

Support Programme

Better regulation

16.25 The MCA aims to reduce and simplify shipping regulations where appropriate and has agreed Codes of Safe Practice in a form that meets industry's wish for single documents.