The EU ports reform is losing its bearings

In March, MEP Knut Fleckenstein, the rapporteur on the European Commission’s proposal for a Regulation on Market access to port services and financial transparency of ports announced that the legislative procedure for this particular file would be suspended until the new European Parliament would be in place following the European...

European Shipping Week 2015 date is announced

The week of March 2-6, 2015 has been chosen as the date for the inaugural European Shipping Week when shipping industry leaders from Europe and around the world will descend on Brussels to meet and network with top legislators from the European Commission, European Parliament and the Council of Ministers...

Slovak candidate Šefčovič nominated as next Transport and Space Commissioner

At a press conference earlier today, European Commission President-Elect Jean Claude Juncker presented his team of Commissioners and unveiled his plans for several structural reforms.

Among the many changes introduced by Mr Juncker, and the one most relevant to the EU shipping industry, is the renaming of Directorate General (DG)...

Announcing the European Shipping Week 2015

Ship owners and shipping industry leaders have joined forces with global event organiser Shipping Innovation to launch the inaugural European Shipping Week (ESW) to be held in Brussels in the early part of 2015.

The week-long series of high level events will centre on a major conference and Gala Dinner...

ECSA looks forward to fruitful EU-US trade negotiations

EU and US negotiators are meeting this week in the context of the sixth Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations round. Negotiators from both sides are debating an ambitious agenda that should, in the event of an agreement, not only remove trade barriers in a wide range of economic...

Cutting red tape in shipping: a far cry from stated intentions

The European Commission recently released a report on the progress made towards simplifying administrative formalities for ships calling EU ports.

In 2009, the European Commission had produced a maritime strategy paper that included a new concept, the so-called “European Maritime Transport Space without Barriers”, which according to the Commission, would...

Time and tide wait for nobody: Shipowners and ports call for scrubber clarifications

Following the plenary meeting of the ESSF (European Sustainable Shipping Forum) last week, European shipowners and port authorities urgently call for the clarification of the rules pertaining to the use of scrubbers.

The EU Sulphur Directive is set to come into force in only a few months, on 01 January...

Commission extends Liner Consortia Block Exemption Regulation until 2020

The European Commission announced today that the validity of EU rules, which exempt liner shipping consortia that have a market share of up to 30% from EU antitrust rules, will be extended until April 2020 .

Commenting on the move, Patrick Verhoeven, ECSA Secretary-General said: “We warmly welcome the European...

Maritime security strategy: Shipowners call for more action on piracy and streamlining of port security measures

European shipowners are calling for the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers to endorse a joint European Commission/European External Action Service (EC/EEAS) Communication, which outlines global actions to safeguard maritime security.

“We commend the European Commission as well as the European External Action Service for taking into account the...

Implementation of the EU Sulphur Directive must be harmonised and realistic

Today is the deadline by which EU Member States have to transpose the European Sulphur Directive into national legislation. With the entry into force of the new European sulphur rules for ships in less than six months, on 1st of January 2015, European shipowners issue an open letter calling for...