WWF Italy proposes the dangerous prohibition of navigation of goods in the Mouths of Bonifacio



As a result of the collision between a ferry and a portacontainer happened Sunday near Head Corso, to north of the Corsica, the organization enviromentalist WWF Italy has newly brought back the attention on the dangerousness of the marine traffic in the Mouths of Bonifacio, the strait that separates the Corsica from Sardinia, and on the impact that an incident of this type could have had on the ecosystem of the area.

"Although has the safety mechanism legacy to Ramogepol (the plan of participation adopted from France, Italy and Principato di Monaco if of marine pollution in the north-western Mediterranean, ndr) immediately been activated - it has found the president of WWF Italy, Donatella Bianchi - what would have happened if the collision had happened inside of the Strait of Bonifacio, a extremely fragile area that continues to being exposed to a traffic extremely elevated? We would have had an environmental disaster in a position to putting to risk one of the natural patrimonies of our Country, comprised the marine area de La Maddalena".

The organization enviromentalist has evidenced that from the official data found from the local Harbour offices on the traffic of ships and the incidents along the Mouths of Bonifacio it can be deduced that the area is constantly subject to the risk of pollution because of the remarkable marine traffic that is carried out to you and of the type of ships that journey to you. "It turns out from the information in our possession - it has specified WWF Italy - than 63% of the ships in transit are classified as "High/very High Risk", second methodology IMO. Between the recommendations of the IMO (International Maritime Organization), that it has declared the area of the Strait of Bonifacio and the surrounding zones as "particularly sensitive marine Area" (Particularly Sensitive Sea Area - PSSA), figure in fact the activation of the controlled pilotage. From the start of the experimentation, but - it has specified the organization enviromentalist - the demands for pilotage they have been alone 14. In 2018 three sun ships of the large tonnage (greatest than 86.000 tons). From the analyses of Bonifacio Strait Pilotage System it emerges that in average every year 3,500 ships cross the strait of Bonifacio of which (10% French, 26% Italians and 64% clappers other flags). Every year the ships are about 50 to which the lacked observance "recommendations" IMO is contested which associate measures of environmental protection, that is not the respect of the routes and/or the communication with station VTS as expected. To this breach of the last recommendation joins to the total, the pilotage, with the exception of a company (NYK Linens) that also snon having the obligation it has respected recommendations IMO totally, confirming also that it will continue to make it in future also".

"The area of the Mouths of Bonifacio - it has observed Donatella Bianchi - is between the beautifulr and landscapedly rich zones than biodiversity of the Mediterranean, with natural characteristics of absolute importance and oneness, as is testified by the same institution of the marine area protect de La Maddalena. Draft, but, also a zone of very dangerous navigation, with a high volume of traffic of ships of every genre, comprised ships with dangerous cargos (oil tankers, to chimichiere and liquefied gas tankers). For these reasons the area enjoys various provisions and levels of protection, national and transnational. As it demonstrates the incident to wide of the Corsica, unfortunately, the danger is not alone legacy to the ships that transport dangerous cargos, as the oil tankers or chimichiere, but also to the enormous fuel amounts that are you anticipate in the reserviors of the ships that constitute, in itself, a risk".

WWF Italy has remembered that in the arc of last the 42 years in waters of the Mouths of Bonifacio 29 marine incidents famous and recorded, between which 14 groundings, seven sinkings, four have happened hit, three lacked incidents and a collision. In order to reduce the risk of incidents the organization enviromentalist has formulated a series of proposals for safety of navigation in the area, beginning from the implementation and financing in the medium term all the systems today available for a better control of the marine traffics in order to guarantee in the first place safety of navigation of the great ships that transport dangerous substances, verifying that they are in possession of necessary the insurance documentation, and regulating the intense traffic of ferries, cruise ships and other transport ships goods that can provoke damages to the marine and coastal atmosphere in case of collision with other ships, natural infrastructures or obstacles. Over the long term, instead, the start of an initiative coordinated with the French government and of the European Union is wished, in coherence with the agreement between France and Italy on June 15, 2010 and with two resolutions IMO of 1993 and 2012, for an international agreement in within IMO that prohibits dangerous navigation of goods in the Mouths of Bonifacio.

Moreover, according to WWF Italy, it is necessary to totally apply to the Convention of Barcelona and Protocollo on the protected areas and the biological diversity of the Mediterranean, also throwing again the institutional distance, as expected in the Prestigiacomo-Borloo Agreement of 2010, for the creation of the transnational marine park of the Mouths of Bonifacio. It is necessary also to promote in transitory phase instruments of voluntary cooperation between subjects private publics and in order to prevent and to limit the dangers of incident, the pollution and the marine environmental damage.

WWF Italy at last proposes to guarantee an adequate information for the shipowners, the commanders of the ships, the insurance agencies on the existence of the "Service of recommended pilotage", as ordered from decree n° 73/2014 of the La Maddalena Harbour office, and recommends a full involvement of the European Union in the institutional action in matter of safety of the traffics and respect of the technical standards of safety in the Mouths of Bonifacio and in support of the proposal in center IMO.