SHIPPING AND MARITIME TRANSPORT 2012-2013 - ANAVE June 2012 | Page 26

ANAVE INTERNATIONAL MARITIME POLICY
remained as one of top concerns for the international shipping industry, at last, in 2012, statistical reports were encouraging. Attacks in the area fell by 69% (from 197 in 2011 to 62 in 2012). Moreover, early in May 2013, we celebrated one full year from the last kidnapping in Somali waters On 20 August 2012, the ILO Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006) These very positive data are the result of two factors: first, although naval forces in the area are still insufficient, their protection is increasingly effective and second, the widespread application by merchant ships of the Best Management Practices and, in particular, the enrolment of private armed guards, a practice that, in the last, year has been expressly authorized by many countries. To this end, it is very positive news the final adoption, in May 2013, of the Rules for the Use of Force by armed guards. Unfortunately, the same statistics show that in other areas, such as Indonesia and West Africa, attacks increased significantly last year. Moreover, in West Africa, pirates have adopted new and more violent modus operandi and changed their target, from just stealing bunker to kidnapping persons. This fact has led to the centre of the Naval Action of the Spanish Navy in Cartagena to establish a permanent monitoring of vessels with Spanish flag or interests operating in the area. There were no major developments in the IMO regulations during 2012, apart from the entry into force of two important instruments, adopted reached the conditions agreed for its entry into force, which will take place on the same date of this year 2013. When closing this report, the MCL 2006 had already been ratified by 36 States, with almost 70% of the world merchant fleet gross tonnage. In Spain, both shipping companies and the Administration are preparing themselves in close co-operation for the implementation of this important Convention, as it is explained in the section of National Maritime Policy. In 2012, according to data of the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) a new minimum was reached on accidental oil spills from tankers, with no major spill and only 7 minor incidents, totalling 1,000 t spilled, the lowest figure in the historic record. This excellent figure drives the average of last 5 years to only 3,800 t/year, which it is even more impressive taking into account that, during the 90s, this average was of 114,000 t/year. This progress is the result of constant improvement, both of safety rules on ships and of the instruments of control by flag and port States. Severe pollution accidents are finally under control, only with very exceptional incidents that, as in any other human activity, cannot be totally avoided, but even in these cases, pollution consequences are minimized.

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Global framework (IMO-ILO)
fter several years when piracy in the Somalia/Gulf of Aden area

in previous years: the Manila amendments to the STCW Convention and the Energy Efficiency Management Plan. In the latter field, both the IMO and the European Union have postponed the developments of any "market instruments" and agreed to a previous implementation of a system of direct assessment and monitoring of CO2 emissions from ships.

European framework
By the end of 2012, Transport Commissioner, Siim Kallas, announced that he intended to submit a series of proposals on European port policy. The Commission started, without delay, an in-depth review of the Pilotage service or, more specifically, of the procedures for granting Pilot Exception Certificates (PECs). To this end, a study by the consultants PWC and Panteia was made public and, in early 2013, two public consultation procedures were opened. The study stated the existence of important and not justified differences in the requisites and procedures applied in the different EU countries and also that there are no evidences showing that the use of PECs may lead to lower safety

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Internacional Maritime Policy