That Spain, Portugal and France refused permission for the stricken oil tanker Prestige to land in their ports, but preferred to have it towed out to sink at sea, tells a tale about the weakness of international regulations applying to such traffic.
So does the plaintive letter sent from the European Commissioner responsible to EU governments yesterday calling on them to adhere to guidelines about safety and inspections agreed in 2000 after the last such disaster in Europe. This vessel has been successfully avoiding EU ports and inspections for four years and little if anything has been done about it.
Already the damage to fisheries, wildlife and the 120,000-strong Galician workforce depending on the sea for a living has been devastating and is certain to be prolonged. How they or other areas of Europe will be affected by the sunken vessel and cargo of heavy fuel oil remains to be seen. Reports yesterday reminded us that oil from tankers sunk during the second World War in the Pacific is still leaking and polluting. In the light of this terrible damage, it is urgent indeed that such lax standards of accountability and regulation be reviewed once again.
The opacity and morass of liability involved in the international oil trade is perfectly illustrated by this Liberian-owned, Bahamas-registered, Swiss/Russian-chartered and US-inspected vessel. This voyage saw it bringing Russian crude oil from Latvia to Singapore, exploiting price differences between Europe and Asia, at an expected profit of $400,000. A single-hulled vessel, it was 26 years old and due to be decommissioned in 2005.
Regulations adopted by the EU two years ago following the Erika disaster off western France toughened the inspection standards applying to such vessels, agreed that they be phased out altogether by 2015 and created a European Maritime Safety Agency to operate from next July. Critics argue convincingly that the timetable is too slow and not enough has been done to enforce these rules. There is clearly ambiguity about whether EU member-states or the European Commission should take the initiative in implementing them.
Mr John Cushnahan MEP has been putting the case for the creation of a European Coastguard service to police EU waters for transgressions such as this, as well as for drugs offences and illegal immigration. His case is strengthened by the Prestige disaster. Ireland can contribute to the creation of a more secure Europe by exploring such a distinctive approach.