Greenpeace activists attempt to occupy the single-hulled oil tanker Byzantio'in the port of Rotterdam, The Netherlands today. Greenpeace is highlighting the fact that the vessel is unsafe with its cargo of 50,000 tonnes of oil.
Greenpeace activists today continue to highlight the threat of
unsafe transport vessels in the world's oceans. Activists climbed
the now infamous 'floating dustbin', the Byzantio, a 26 year old,
single hulled vessel transporting over 50,000 tonnes of oil and
hung a banner, which read 'oil hazard' onboard. Other activists
were set to paint the same words on the hull of the ship.
Today's action comes in the run-up to tomorrow's Transport,
Energy and Telecommunications EU Council Ministers' meeting in
Brussels. They are expected to announce measures for improving
maritime safety to reduce the risk of accidents. On December 12 and
13 the EU Heads of Government will meet and will be discussing the
issue of maritime safety.
On December 3rd, the European Commission requested that member
states speed up the implementation of safety measures adopted after
the Erika oil spill three years ago. But these measures will not be
sufficient to prevent another disaster, says Greenpeace. The EU
Commission also published a list of 66 vessels that have been
classified as "highly dangerous", ironically, neither the
disastrous Prestige, nor the Byzantio appear on this list.
"When are politicians going to wake up and realise that tackling
this mess goes beyond mere suggestions," said Marietta Harjono of
Greenpeace. "Now is the time for European governments to take
action and stop these old rust buckets from causing more damage to
the oceans. Now is the time for immediate implementation of
effective safety measures."
Greenpeace is demanding full and unlimited liability throughout
the chain of responsibilities, including the owners, managers and
operators of a vessel and of any charterers or owners of the cargo.
Additionally, Greenpeace is demanding that the EU immediately ban
the use of single hulled tankers and exclude ecologically sensitive
areas from shipping routes.
Concurrently, activists in Switzerland have sent a message to
Crown Resources, the company that has chartered both the Byzantio
and the Prestige: Clean up your mess now! pointing to the fact that
as charterers of the Prestige they should be held responsible for
the ecological disaster.
On Friday, November 29 Greenpeace began to highlight the
imminent passage of the Byzantio through the same route as the
ill-fate Prestige that broke off and sank off the coast of Spain
earlier last month. Greenpeace activists delayed the Byzantio's
departure from Tallinn, Estonia during 5 hours. Two days later,
Greenpeace activists in inflatables escorted the Byzantio through
the Danish Belts, drawing attention to the dangerous shipment by
hanging banners with the word "Hazard" on the hull.
VVPR info: Video available from Greenpeace International, Martin Atkin, Mob: 627000057; photos from John Novis, Mob: +31653819121