Tag: EU

Maersk Line could face a $1bn fine European Commission investigators have begun riffling through documents at AP Moller-Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, Hamburg Sud and Neptune Orient Lines after marching in to their offices this morning.It is not immediately clear what sparked the dramatic action, which is capturing headlines around Europe today.Early reports in Denmark suggest Maersk Line could face a $1bn fine, but the company and the Commission have both pointed out there is no evidence to suggest wrongdoing at this time.In a statement the Commission says it has "reason to believe that the companies concerned may have violated the antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices and/or abuse of a dominant market position".It is not immediately known whether any documents have been taken away from the liner giants today but sources say it would be standard practice to do so.Maersk says it is cooperating with the investigation and had stressed its innocence.Its legal chief Christian Kledal said in a statement: "Unannounced inspections are a preliminary step in European Commission investigations into suspected infringements of competition rules. However, the fact that the Commission carries out such inspections does not mean that the company has engaged in anti-competitive behaviour ...

Restrictive measures against Syria The European Union (EU) issued a press release stating that it has decided to impose restrictive measures, including an asset freeze, against Syria.To view the press release please click hereSource: European Union

European Union Regulations on Syria On 9 May 2011 the EU issued Council Decision 2011/273/CFSPand Council Regulation (EU) No. 442/2011introducingrestrictive measuresin the light of the situation in Syria.Thesanctions providefor an arms embargo, a ban on internal repression equipment and restrictions on the admission to the Union and the freezing of funds and economic resources of certain persons and entities.Annex I of Regulation (EU) No 442/2011 provides a list of equipment which might be used for internal repression.Annex II of Regulation (EU) No 442/2011provides alist of natural and legal persons, entities or bodies subject to the sanctions. To view the Council Regulation (EU) No 422/2011 please click here Source: Journal of the European Union

Essential to include the shipping industry in the ETS Of all industries in the EU economy the transport sector is the only one to have steadily increased its Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions since the reference year of 1990.Transport comprises of three modes, inland (road, rail and waterways), sea and air. Emissions from inland transport (mainly road) are the most important followed by maritime while aviation comes third.The greatest share of CO2 reductions has been achieved by land based emissions sources such as industrial plants and road transport. Regarding the maritime sector, it has to be said that historically it has not been addressed properly, if at all, as compared to all other transport modes. Such a privileged lack of regulation implies that currently, the cost of reducing emissions from ships would be much lower than for same results from land-based polluters.The shipping industry claims that by improving marine fuel oil quality and by reducing the sulphur content, as agreed in the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) under the MARPOL Convention, it will contribute to CO2 emissions reduction. This is incorrect and misleading.Improved marine fuel quality is totally unrelated to CO2 emissions. A better and cleaner fuel does not reduce CO2 emissions ...

Hopes to raise standards in accident investigation Investigating serious marine accidents and providing until now often confidential reports and data to a central body will become mandatory this year for all 27 European Union (EU) member states.The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) says it is ready to put into force the 2009 European Commission (EC) regulation requiring all member states to conduct investigations into maritime casualties and to submit their findings.A common investigation process is set to be adopted this year, which creates great hopes that standards in accident investigation will be raised.Source: Safety4Sea

Call for better policy coordination A call for better policy coordination between regions bordering the Atlantic Ocean is the main plank of a resolution on a European strategy for the Atlantic region adopted by Parliament on Wednesday. MEPs urge the Commission to put forward by June 2011 a strategy that takes account of both maritime policy and territorial cohesion.By June this year the Commission is due to present an EU strategy for the Atlantic, based on the findings of a public consultation concluded in October 2010.In a debate with Maritime Affairs Commissioner Maria Damanaki on Monday, MEPs called for an approach based on cooperation between the EU and the countries, regions and communities on the shores of the Atlantic to tackle issues that transcend frontiers.The strategy should cover a range of areas such as marine energy, environment, pollution transport, safety, security, research, leisure and tourism, according to the resolution, which was adopted by 589 votes to 26 with 54 abstentions. It should also include services and training in maritime professions as well as fisheries and aquaculture.MEPs want the strategy "to work following a bottom-up approach, starting from local authorities and involving all stakeholders". They stress the need for "better spending ...

Need of oil and CO2 free energy supply Alternative fuels have the potential to gradually replace fossil energy sources and make transport sustainable by 2050, according to a report presented to the European Commission by the stakeholder expert group on future transport fuels. The European Union (EU) will need an oil-free and largely CO2-free energy supply for transport by 2050 due to the need to reduce its impact on the environment and concerns about the security of energy supply. According to the EU, the expert group has for the first time developed a comprehensive approach covering the whole transport sector. Expected demand from all transport modes could be met through a combination of electricity (batteries or hydrogen/fuel cells) and biofuels as main options, synthetic fuels (increasingly from renewable resources) as a bridging option, methane (natural gas and biomethane) as complementary fuel, and LPG as supplement. "If we are to achieve a truly sustainable transport, then we will have to consider alternative fuels," said Vice-President Siim Kallas, who is also responsible for transport. "For this we need to take into account the needs of all transport modes." The Commission is currently revising existing policies and the report will feed into the ...

European Advance Cargo Declaration regime in force Shipping companies are from 1 January 2011 obliged to provide the relevant European Customs offices with security data for all goods to be exported from or imported to the European Union (EU). Failure to do so properly can result in penalties.The purpose of this regime is to ensure the security of EU Member States through better monitoring of the movements of goods. The security data will have to be submitted through electronic declarations before the goods are brought into, or out of, the European Union. In addition, a uniform set of EU risk criteria will be applied by European Union Member States when carrying out customs controls on goods entering or leaving the EU.Unfortunately EU Member States all have different specifications / electronic file formats and some states may not have had the required systems in place to receive the advance cargo declaration information in electronic format on 1 January. We understand that several states that were somewhat behind in this regard have now made some progress and that system testing is taking place.The Commission has informed us that it has advised these states not to apply sanctions during the phasing-in period of ...