Analysts Say Planned Ban Could Put Oil Supply At Risk
European plans drawn up in the wake of the Erika accident to crack down on aging tankers could endanger shippers' ability to supply oil to the continent, shipping analysts said. Detailed plans put to European Union transport ministers last week were stiffer than early outline proposals, they said. "Europe may not be able to guarantee oil supply because it has suddenly moved the goalposts," one tanker analyst who asked not to be identified said. The EU proposals demand that all single hull crude tankers above 20,000 deadweight tons and product carriers over 30,000 dwt should not be able to enter European ports after January 1, 2010. In February the EU issued outline proposals indicating it would follow the U.S.
Planned Tanker Ban Could Put European Oil Supply At Risk
European plans drawn up in the wake of the Erika accident to crack down on aging tankers could endanger shippers' ability to supply oil to the continent, shipping analysts said. Detailed plans put to European Union transport ministers last week were stiffer than early outline proposals, they said. The EU proposals demand that all single hull crude tankers above 20,000 deadweight tons and product carriers over 30,000 dwt should not be able to enter European ports after January 1, 2010. Although the EU said in February that it would follow the U.S. Oil Pollution Act (OPA), enacted in 1990, and give operators until 2015 to upgrade their fleets to double-hulled vessels, European plans have now opted for a cutoff five years earlier than the American laws.
