the ECSA wishes a correct one and harmonized application of the European directive on the collection of the refusals of the ships



The European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) has published today a note that it specifies own position on the introduction of the European directive 59/2000 on the harbour systems of collection for the refusals produced from the ships and residual ones of the cargo. In the document, specifying to support fully the objectives of this stiff norm to prevent the illegal drainage of residual refusals and in sea stimulating the ships to unload them in lie in wait for harbour systems which put on from the Member States, the association of the European shipowners detailed list to consider that, if such system instituted from the directive turns out adapted for the attainment of the scope, however its performance turn out not harmonized and of corrected application.

In the note the European shipowning association among other things speeds up the creation of adequate and sufficient harbour systems of collection, obligation that - the ECSA finds - unfortunately is not respected with the consequence that not there is a sufficient number of suitable structures to the collection of the refusals produced from the ships and of the residual ones of the cargo. Moreover the association wishes the adoption of more transparent and fair a system of rates and a efficient mechanism of monitoring and application. The ECSA emphasizes therefore the necessity to adopt a valid and functional system of payment, offering to the shipowners an just incentive for the drainage of the refusals and the residual ones in these systems.

"So that the directive is effective - the general secretary of the ECSA, Patrick Verhoeven restates - in the communitarian ports must be available adequate systems of collection. Moreover these structures must be able to manage new types of waste, as the water of ballast and the liquids of the scrubber, deriving from severeer environmental norms. The next step is that to assure that the rate paid to the port of call port is structured in way such that encourages the shipowners to deliver the refusals of the ship to the suitable structure".

The European shipowners ask therefore a more pragmatic approach the issue for the waste disposal for the ships. Remembering that the ships engaged in the marine transport short beam, that they navigate on routes breviums and they carry out numerous ports of call in the ports of the EU, and the ships that anticipate a sufficient storage capability do not need to unload own refusals in every single port of port of call, the ECSA observes that the review of the European directive would have to establish a regime of exceptions and exceptions being guaranteed a greater flexibility to the shipowners without moreover to put to risk the objectives of the directive.

"The application and control drive - Benoit Loicq confirmation, director for marine Safety and the atmosphere of the ECSA - must be efficient. It would have to be based on inspections, but also on an electronic system that can allow with the shipowners to signal deficiencies of the directive, but also to receive information on the availability of harbour systems of collection before to scale a port of the European Union".