Major reshuffle in EU co-funding programmes

The EU until recently supported the integration of transport networks in what is called the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) through specialized TEN-T funding awarded for specific national or cross-border projects, including Motorways of the Sea projects. The Marco Polo programme was the second leg of the EU’s co-funding mechanism with...

EU to spearhead international efforts to fight Somali piracy

On the 1st of January the European Union assumed the chairmanship of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), as part of  a one-year rotation system. This chairmanship is a joint endeavour of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the European Commission and will continue...

Shipping mobilises to alleviate plight of Philippines

Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines in early November 2013, leaving behind it an unprecedented trail of destruction. The European shipping community mobilised immediately to provide Filippino seafarers and their families with much-needed assistance in the aftermath of this natural disaster.

European shipping companies and shipowners’ associations alike made sizeable financial...

Commission adopts clean air package

On 18 December, the European Commission has adopted a clean air package for Europe, aiming at reducing the emissions of air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM), sulphur dioxide (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), methane (CH4) and others.

The main components of the package are the following:

• A Clean Air Programme...

Warning to Member States failing to meet commitments

The European Commission has hinted at the possibility of taking measures, including possible infringement proceedings, against Member States that have failed to ratify international maritime conventions, such as the 2007 Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention  and the 2006 Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) on seafarer living and working conditions.

Regarding the latter...

EU Ministers adopt balanced approach on MRV

On 13 December, the second formal Environment Council under the Lithuanian Presidency took place in Brussels. EU environment ministers discussed the draft Regulation on Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) of CO2 emissions from maritime transport.

Presenting the Commission’s proposal, Connie Hedegaard, Commissioner for Climate Action, recognized the specificities of the...

Member States water down Commission’s proposal on alternative fuels infrastructure

At the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council (TTE) of 5 December 2013, Member States’ Transport Ministers agreed on a General Approach as regards the Commission’s Directive on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure.

The agreement reached is considerably less ambitious than the Commission’s proposal. Although EU Member States fully support...

ECSA holds lively debate on green profile of shipping

On 4 December, ECSA organised a panel debate on how the EU shipping industry can deal with the new environmental challenges. The event resulted in discussions that were as fruitful as they were lively.

The panel consisted of representatives from the side of the shipping industry, the European Commission, the...

ECSA elects Thomas Rehder as new President

Thomas Rehder has been elected as the new President of the European Community Shipowners' Associations, with Niels Smedegaard, President and CEO of DFDS, as Vice-president. Mr. Rehder thus replaces Juan Riva who had been at the helm of ECSA since June 2011.

Since 1987 Thomas Rehder is Managing Partner at Carsten Rehder (GmbH &...

Commission ban on Georgian seafarers lifted

The European Commission decided on 25 November 2013 to lift a three-year ban it had imposed on Georgian seafarers.This decision comes after the withdrawal of the STCW* recognition of Georgian seafarers’ certification in November 2010 following an inspection carried out by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) in 2006. Among the...