Proposals by the Environment Committee of the European Parliament to impose a levy on all ship calls at EU ports to fund sustainable ship recycling has been strongly opposed by a group of major European maritime sector organisations.

ECASBA joined with the European Community Shipowners Association (ECSA), the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) the Federation of European Private Port Operators (FEPORT), the European Boatmen’s Association (EBA), the European Dredging Association (EuDA) and the European Tugowners Association (ETO) in signing a joint letter to the Parliament calling for the levy to be abandoned.

Whilst welcoming the European Commission’s plans (Reg. COM(2012)) to implement the measures incorporated in the 2009 Hong Kong Convention on the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, the associations fear that imposing an additional cost burden on European ports would adversely affect their competitiveness whilst at the same time penalising shipowners who have already invested in vessels that comply with the Hong Kong Convention. Furthermore, introducing the levy may result in the main ship recycling states failing to ratify the Convention.

As well as supporting the letter, a copy of which can be found here, ECASBA has also called on its members to raise the issue with their national administrations and also their MEPS.