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"Prestige": European Parliament backs Liberal campaign for compulsory ports of refuge
December 19, 2002 12:00 AM
The European Parliament has today supported a Liberal Group campaign to establish compulsory rules on ports of refuge, which would require EU Member States to provide assistance and accommodation for ships in distress, as well as providing compensation for ports which suffer damage when providing refuge for a damaged ship carrying a polluting cargo.
Commenting after the vote, Baroness Sarah Ludford, Liberal Democrat MEP for London, said:
"This is an extremely important step forward in the current debate on maritime safety, in the wake of the "Prestige" oil tanker disaster. "Prestige" was refused shelter when it first ran into difficulties off the Spanish coast, and instead, was towed out into rough open sea, where it eventually sank. Had compulsory rules on ports of refuge been in place, the pollution could have been contained and this appalling disaster could have been averted.
"I will now look to the Commission to come forward with concrete proposals on this matter as soon as possible."
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