EU ACTION URGED ON TANKER ANCHORAGE THHREAT
The Celtic League General Secretary has written to the European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs expressing concerns about the large quantity of heavy oil bunkered in tankers anchored off shore around Europe. The approach to the EU is in tandem with an earlier submission to the United Kingdom Department for Transport about the large number of fully laden tankers anchored off the South West of England awaiting moves in oil prices on the International commodity markets.
See - TANKERS ANCHORAGES COMPOUND POLLUTION THREAT at:
Coastlines around the Celtic countries have endured considerable environmental damage as a result of oil-spill over the past twenty five years.
The Celtic League have periodically raised the issue with National and EU authorities following incidents such as the Braer (off Shetland), Sea Empress (off Pembroke) and the Erika and Prestige incidents which caused catastrophic pollution off the coasts of Brittany and Galicia.
"Commissioner Jo Borg Maritime Affairs and Fisheries European Union 27/04/09
Dear Commissioner Jo Borg
Potential pollution threat of oil tankers at anchorage
I am writing to you to express the concerns of the Celtic League about the potential pollution threat of an unspecified number of fully laden oil tankers that are lying in anchorage around the UK. We are under the impression that the tankers are currently `lying up' waiting for the price of oil to rise.
Last week, we wrote to the UK Minister for Transport expressing our concerns about what additional contingency plan's are in place to deal with any environmental threat posed by the foundering or accidental spillage of bulk fuel oil from these oil tankers. Members of our organisation have witnessed the environmental damage to our coasts and wildlife over the past thirty years when such events occur and that government agencies around the British Isles are often stretched to meet the remedial requirements of the emergency. We have also been witness to the catastrophic scenes and damage that has been caused to large stretches of the French and Spanish coast line when oil tankers founder at sea, especially when there has been a delay in putting contingency plans into operation.
In consideration of the real potential risks involved to several EU states if one or more of these anchored tankers spills their cargo, what procedures at an EU level, if any, are in place to deal with such an international catastrophe. Also we would like to know if your office has taken up this issue with the UK government and also what the legalities are of holding on to such large amounts of oil in `storage' close to maritime areas that have a special environmental status, like those along the South West of England and the Cornish coast line.
We believe the above issues are important enough to be taken into consideration as part of the development of an European Maritime Policy, which we are aware you are working on at the moment.
I look forward to hearing from you
Yours sincerely Rhisiart Tal-e-bot General Secretary"
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J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League
27/04/09
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