Social partners welcome Council agreement on exclusions of seafarers

ECSA and ETF, the European Social Partners in the field of Maritime Transport, welcome the agreement (General Approach) reached yesterday by the EU's Council of Employment and Social Policy Ministers on the Commission’s proposal to amend five EU directives with an aim at repealing the exclusions of seafarers from these...

Shipowners welcome revamped EU anti-piracy naval mission that will run until 2016

EU Member States have decided to extend the mandate of the EU anti-piracy naval mission off the coast of Somalia both in terms of scope and duration. EU Navfor Atalanta will now run until 12 December 2016 and will include several new secondary objectives, designed to combat piracy and its...

All eyes on IMO as Europe moves ahead with CO2 monitoring regime for ships

EU co-legislators reached an informal agreement last week on the Commission proposal for a Regulation on the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of CO2 emissions of maritime transport.

The agreement paves the way for a European MRV system that will become operational as of 2018, applying to ships above 5000...

European Shipowners launch ESSF sulphur survey

European shipowners have launched a survey to monitor the economic impact of the 0.1% sulphur requirements for shipping in the European Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECAs), which are due to enter into force on 1 January 2015, as foreseen by the amended 2012 EU Sulphur Directive.

Numerous reports have already...

European Shipowners Call for Free Transport of International Cargo between Chinese Ports

The 11th Implementation Meeting of the China-EU Maritime Transport Agreement, hosted by the Water Transport Bureau of the Chinese Ministry of Transport, was held in Haikou from 20 to 22 October. The agenda featured an exchange of views on shipping policy developments in China and the EU as well as...

European Shipping Week receives patronage of the European Parliament

European Shipping Week has been granted the European Parliament’s official patronage by its President, Mr Martin Schultz. Both the European Commission and the European Parliament have now actively expressed their support for the week-long event which will be held in Brussels during March 2-6, 2015.

Commenting on European Shipping Week...

European ports reform: making the most of the EU’s capabilities

European shipowners have been closely following developments on the Commission’s third attempt to liberalise market access to port services and improve the financial transparency of ports. Throughout the legislative process, the EU shipping industry has urged EU decision-makers not to empty an already modest Commission proposal from all its meaning...

European Commission Vice President Siim Kallas welcomes the launch of the European Shipping Week

European Transport Commissioner and Vice President of the European Commission Siim Kallas has voiced his strong support for the launch of European Shipping Week, claiming it will help to raise the profile of shipping in Brussels "and allow for a good interaction between its multiple players and decision makers".

In a letter...

MRV: Shipowners ask EU co-legislators not to preempt CO2 progress at global level

European shipowners are concerned by the intention of the Italian Presidency of the Council to move full steam ahead with an inter-institutional agreement on the EU Regulation for Monitoring, Reporting and Verification system of carbon dioxide emissions from maritime transport (EU MRV Regulation), which could potentially include commercial and operational...

Scrubbers: Shipowners urge for clarity and legal certainty at the eleventh hour

In a position paper published today, European shipowners ask EU Member States to adopt a clear, long-term and above all harmonised position on the issue of the discharges of washwater produced by open-loop scrubbers installed on ships.

The EU Sulphur Directive requires that, as of 1 January 2015, all ships...