Transport Council News

European shipowners welcome the Transport Council’s conclusions on the digitalisation of transport adopted recently, said a press release from European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA). It rightly underlines the importance of digitalisation for the European economy and competitiveness, and confirms the EU's ambition to become a global leader in this area. “Digitalisation is already very present in our sector and we welcome the attention given to it by the Transport ministers”, commented Martin Dorsman, ECSA Secretary General. “As the Council conclusions propose, a genuine European single window should be provided, based on the “reporting once” principle and the use of a harmonised electronic cargo manifest in order to set up a European Maritime Transport Space without Barriers.

Designed to expand awareness of the economic impact of commerce on the Lower Mississippi River and highlight career opportunities and pathways, the Summit will feature an array of speakers from industry and academia, along with a panel discussion on how industry can collaborate with educators to fulfill current and future workforce opportunities. “This Summit is designed to educate community stakeholders of the economic impact of trade, transportation and logistics throughout the region and build a coalition of advocates to help leverage resources to develop a highly-skilled local workforce for the future,” said Gary LaGrange, Port President and CEO. The summit begins at 8:30 a.m. in the Great Hall of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

The Australian Transport Council (ATC) of Ministers this month approved the new national safety standard for navigation equipment. The National Standard for Commercial Vessels (NSCV) Part C, Subsection 7C – Navigation Equipment replaces those parts of USL Code Section 13; Miscellaneous Equipment, pertaining to navigation equipment. The National Marine Safety Committee (NMSC) technical team developed the standard in consultation with the marine industry over a two-year period, often covering innovative equipment introduced since the last update of the USL Code in 1984. NMSC’s Acting CEO John Henry noted that much has changed in the field of electronic navigation equipment since the USL Code was published.

The Australian Transport Council (ATC) of Ministers has approved a new set of national safety guidelines on marine pilotage. The revised guidelines were developed by the National Marine Safety Committee (NMSC) in conjunction with Ports Australia, the Australian Marine Pilots Association and Marine Safety Queensland. The project delivers Federal, State and Territory Authorities with a set of guidelines to facilitate a national approach to marine pilotage safety. NMSC’s Acting CEO John Henry said the standards referenced are appropriate for the individual ports and pilotage areas within their jurisdiction’s waters. “In providing these guidelines…

With homeland security becoming more critical in recent months, the 24th annual International WorkBoat Show, to be held November 28-30 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, will host a special security panel entitled "The Changed Waterfront of Maritime Port Security," as part of the event's comprehensive conference program. The panel, to be held on Thursday, November 29, at 2 p.m., will feature experts from the U.S. Coast Guard, Port of New Orleans, as well as fire and safety personnel addressing critical issues of port security. "The issues discussed by this distinguished panel will have relevance to any port in the United States…

An agreement has been reached between the European Union and China on its participation in the GALILEO program. This agreement was initialled in Beijing on September 18 by F. Lamoureux, Director-General of Energy and Transport at the European Commission, and M Shi Dinghuan, Secretary General of China's Ministry of Science and Technology. “China will help GALILEO to become the major world infrastructure for the growing market for location services,” said Loyola de Palacio, Vice-President of the European Commission, responsible for the GALILEO programme. Her counterpart in the negotiations, China's Science and Technology Minister Xu Guanhua highlighted that “China supports GALILEO and plans to participate actively in its construction and application for mutual benefits”.

The Transport Committee voted on the draft report tabled by Philip Bradbourn (EPP-ED, UK) on Community guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network. Following the report last year on these guidelines by the High Level Group under Karel Van Miert, the Commission submitted to Parliament an amended proposal, adding nine new projects to those already adopted by the EP at its initial first reading. MEPs warmly backed the introduction of "motorways of the sea" to launch new regular transnational cargo shipping lines. These routes are intended to improve links with islands and enable goods traffic to avoid natural barriers such as the Alps and the Pyrenees.

On 1 July the Netherlands replaced Ireland as head of the European Union (EU) for the next six months. The Netherlands will be the first country to assume the Presidency of the European Union since its enlargement to a total of 25 member states. What is more, the membership of both the European Parliament and the European Commission will change during the Dutch Presidency. The Dutch will probably also have to deal with the signing of the new European Constitution. These significant changes to both the people and the structure involved in running Europe are effectively "handicaps" which could potentially impede, or at least slow down, some of the legislative plans of the Dutch Presidency.

Intertanko will co-sponsor a symposium in the European Union capital Brussels on January 24, 2002 on the subject of: The First European Parliament Symposium on Maritime Safety in Europe Maritime safety: Over the horizon? The symposium will draw up an inventory of European policies on maritime safety, and aims to heighten the awareness of the players involved and give an opportunity to compare ideas. The speakers will include Loyola de Palacio, vice-president of the European Commission and commissioner in charge of Transport and Energy, Göke Daniel Frerichs, president of the European Union's Economic and Social Committee, Isabelle Durant and F. Alvarez-Cascos of the European Union Transport Council. Source: Intertanko

The European Transport Council (i.e. Euro necessary to launch the Galileo satellite navigation project. without delay. Galileo has been stalled for 15 months. launch and thus increased the pressure on the Transport Council. was made possible by a compromise regarding the composition of the Joint Authority. process at the end of 2003. continue using the free GPS system will be able to do so as the signal will not be blocked. case, Galileo will have several levels of service, some of which will also be free. Transport and Energy Commissioner, Mrs. charge for those services which are of a higher quality than GPS currently provides. industry unless it wishes to avail itself of the reportedly 'superior' capabilities of Galileo.

INTERTANKO’s European Reference Group continued its promotion of INTERTANKO’s policies in Brussels last week. Numerous meetings were arranged with Members of the European Parliament from Spain, France, Germany, Italy, with transport or shipping attaches from Malta, Cyprus and the U.K., as well as with senior officials from the Maritime Transport Directorate. INTERTANKO’s main message remains that shipping is international and should be regulated through international rules agreed in IMO, while regional or national regulation, however well intended, often proves counterproductive. INTERTANKO underlined the need for much faster ratification of the IMO conventions, which would remove some of the pressure for regional or national regulation.

The Mississippi Valley Trade & Transport Council will host the 26th annual World Trade and Transport Conference in New Orleans, January 30 through February 1. The three-day conference on commerce and transportation will be held at the Mariott New Orleans on Canal Street – next to the French Quarter. The annual conference attracts both cargo interests and transportation specialists and will feature a variety of expert speakers addressing economic and trade forecasts.