Danish Minister, Shipowners' Association Push EU for Tough ECA Enforcement

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Wednesday December 10, 2014

Denmark's Environment Minister, Kirsten Brosbøl, and the Director General of the Danish Shipowners' Association, Anne Steffensen have announced they will work together to urge the European Union (EU) to adopt general, tight controls over shipowners' compliance with new sulfur rules due to take effect from January 1, 2015, Maritime Denmark reports.

"If the tough new requirements are not followed up with effective control, weak souls are tempted to proceed as before to the detriment of both the environment and the law-abiding companies," said a joint statement from Brosbøl and Steffensen.

"This must not happen."

According to the report, the Danish Ministry of Environment will award surveillance contracts to monitor ships sailing through Danish waters from bridges and the air.

But the impact of such measures will be limited if Denmark acts alone.

Denmark will push for tough controls at the EU level as well as encouraging neighbours to act at a national level.

"We work for the EU to adopt a general requirement for tighter controls on ships' fuel," said the joint statement.

"The Minister has written to [her] counterparts around the Baltic and North Sea and urged them strongly to strengthen their monitoring and [the Danish] Shipowners' Association works to ensure unity in the international shipping organizations."

Several Danish shippers, including Maersk Line, are already members of the Trident Alliance which aims to ensure shippers comply with new rules in order to maintain a level playing field.