Sept 24th 2008 - The Threat to British Shipping

Delivered by Derek Clark on 24 September 2008

Tags: Threat, british, shipping trade, international maritime organisation, Vlasto, shipwrek, damage, Costs, bureaucrats

Debate: - An (Electronic) Bridge over Troubled Waters or, The Threat to British Shipping. Well, says Derek Clark MEP, UK waters were peaceful enough until the CFP got to work and virtually destroyed our fishing industry.

Now it's the turn of our maritime trade, with several MEPs producing a raft of reports concerned with shipping in EU waters. It does not take a genius to see that this means, primarily, UK waters. We are still world wide traders, while the EU is introspective, viewing globalisation suspiciously rather than as increased opportunities in an ever growing market place. Sterckx recommends an Automatic Identification System (AIS), linked to EU's Galileo satellite, to log the movement of every ship in our waters, irrespective of its flag, whether in passage, in harbour or at anchor off our shores.

An EU Centre will collate the data and, electronically stored, it becomes a nightmare security risk. Exporters and importers could have their trade details released to unscrupulous rival outfits giving rise to possible commercial espionage and market penetration. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has already expressed its fears. Vessels tracked in UK waters come go around the world and will be endangered by leaked data of their movements and cargo, for piracy is with us still. Off Somalia, for example, a multi-national force is hard pressed by opportunist pirates who would relish the chance to know where, and when, the richest pickings were to be had. Vlasto wants the EU to be empowered to refuse ships access to our waters. The vessels of our trading partners, especially of our Commonwealth, could then be turned away in an EU trade war, crippling our economy.

Relying on massive food imports, here is the potential to threaten our continued independence. Kohlicek seeks to hinder investigation into maritime accidents by preventing witness statements being obtained from third country authorities. Member states are to pick up the bill for shipwreck and damage caused by uninsured ships. This encourages countries to turn stricken ships away, in defiance of the rule of the sea. Costa specifies new regulations on the liability of carriers of passengers by sea in the event of accidents, while de Grandes Pascual sets up new standards for ship inspection.

The EU mill grinds on. Ironically, with one exception, the region of every British MEP has a coastline, while some of the Commissioners originating these proposals come from land-locked states. Likewise all MEPs, whether or not their countries have a coastline, voted on this package, Wednesday, September 24th. Without exception these reports were adopted, Costa by a small margin, all the others by overwhelming majorities.

Unless something strange happens in the Council they will all soon become law. In his speech to the House the day before the vote Derek Clark said- "I will encourage my government to reject this rotten proposal, for British Maritime Trade, and Global Maritime Trade, is under threat from bureaucrats you would not trust with a rowing boat."

Derek Clark MEP Brussels Sept 24th 2008