Tag: EU

MEPs participating in the 71th session of the MEPC of the IMO in London gave their views on the ongoing talks on Wednesday, 5 July. Among others, European Parliament delegation leader, José Inácio Faria, noted that if the IMO does not present a global solution to reduce shipping emissions, the EU will have to set up its own scheme.

The European Environmental Bureau published an assessment of the performance of the Maltese Presidency of the EU, in relation to environmental issues. The assessment based on Ten Green Tests showed that Malta has performed well in relation to nature protection, but badly when it comes to measures to tackle climate change or transform energy system.

Following publication of the EU Council conclusions on Blue Growth in the marine and maritime sector, Our Fish Campaign manager, Rebecca Hubbard, suggested that the EU’s aspirations for Blue Growth should focus on practical and achievable targets, like of ensuring that EU governments correctly implement the reformed Common Fisheries Policy.

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the creation of a joint venture between the three Japanese shipping companies, NYK, MOL and K Line, as it concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns given the limited impact of the transaction on the routes to and from Europe.

The European Commission announced that it welcomes the international agreement adopted by IMO, on setting up more stringent rules on the safety of passenger ships and that it is now ready to assess whether the specific EU damage stability requirements for ro-ro passenger ships should be aligned to the global ones.

Oceana conducted an analysis on 16 EU Member States’ plans, revealing a widespread lack of ambition to effectively use networks of marine protected areas, to contribute to the EU’s objective of achieving healthy, clean and productive seas by 2020, as required under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

The present and the future of the shipbuilding industry in Greece towards LNG as fuel era, was the focus of the discussion organised by Piraeus Port Authority, under the EU co-funded project Poseidon Med II. Speakers also highlighted the project's scope and activities, as well as the under development designs of vessel retrofits and new buildings within Poseidon Med II.

Aiming to implement smart solutions for a safe and sustainable shipping, the EU-funded EfficienSea2 project has finished a full-scale simulation of a variety of e-Navigation solutions. The simulations involved 8 navigators and took four days, at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, focusing on the human factors in e-Navigation.

On the occasion of the Digital Assembly, on 15 -16 June, European seafarers and shipowners highlight the importance that shipping is better served by smart digital solutions, to finally decrease the administrative burden they face. Shipping today is still hampered by endless paperwork, which causes detriment of the crew and affects the overall smooth shipping operations.

The European Commission issued a report regarding the strategy dialogue initiated by EU for a sustainable blue growth agenda for the Baltic Sea region. The report presents a vision for 2030, focusing, among others, on shipping, that sees digitalisation and green practices to have transformed the whole sector across the entire value chain.