Publication - 10 November, 2003
Far away from the press headlines, an almost silent battle is being fought between those who profit from the business of transporting hazardous substances by sea and those of us who defend drastic measures to prevent new oil slicks. Ever since the Prestige began to pour lethal fuel into the Atlantic one year ago, little has changed in legal terms. Although the European Union has forbidden the entry of single-hulled ships carrying heavy fuel into European ports, this type of fuel represents only around 5 percent of all the oil products that enter Europe. Nevertheless, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has already hit the roof over this timid initiative.