Russian Billionaire's Yacht Stuck in Hamburg Shipyard
A luxury yacht linked to Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who faces EU sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, is sitting in a shipyard in the German port of Hamburg and local authorities said there were no plans to deliver it to its owner.Hamburg authorities denied that they had seized the more-than-500-foot (150 meter) Dilbar superyacht, which boasts a 25-meter swimming pool and is worth nearly $600 million. Forbes had reported on Wednesday that it had been undergoing…
EU Council Adopts Port Reform
On 23 January, the Council of Ministers adopted the Port Regulation, which concludes the procedure at first reading. The European Parliament voted on 14 December 2016. The legal act will be signed by both institutions in mid-February and published in the EU Official Journal a few weeks later. It will enter into force 20 days after its publication. The principles set out in the Regulation will apply 2 years after the entry into force. This means that by March 2019 these rules will have to be applied in all TEN-T ports of the European Union. The regulation will make it easier for new providers of certain port services to enter the market. It will create a more level playing field and reduce legal uncertainties for ports, port service providers and investors.
EU Re-imposes Sanctions on Iranian Bank, Shipping Firms
The European Union re-imposed sanctions on an Iranian bank and 32 Iranian shipping companies on Wednesday, using new legal grounds, after the measures were struck down by a European court. The EU's second highest court annulled an EU asset freeze on Bank Tejarat and 40 Iranian shipping companies in January, finding fault with the legal grounds given by the EU. The EU, as it has done in other cases, responded by re-listing Bank Tejarat and 32 of the Iranian shipping firms using new legal grounds. Eight firms were not put back on the list published in the EU's Official Journal on Wednesday. The decision comes days after Iran and six major powers reached a framework agreement to end a dispute over Iran's nuclear activities which prompted the sanctions. Reporting by Adrian Croft
Iranian Oil Tanker Blacklisted by EU
During a meeting in Brussels on Thursday 12 February, members of European Union decided to sanction again the Iranian Oil Tanker Company which is transporting oil around the globe. The EU's second-highest court ruled last July there were no grounds to blacklist the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), Iran's biggest tanker firm, after it contested the designation. Hence the EU moved to re-impose sanctions on tighter legal grounds, says a Reuters report. The regulation will be published in the EU's Official Journal on Saturday. NITC - a major transporter of Iran's oil - contested the EU's original blacklisting last year, arguing that the firm is privately owned by Iranian pension funds. It has denied any links with the Iranian government or with the Revolutionary Guards.
Legislation Grants Funding for EU's EMSA
The European Union Council adopted a regulation yesterday to finance the actions of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) in the field of response to marine pollution caused by ships and oil and gas installations in the years 2014-2020. Yesterday’s final adoption of the legislative act by the Council follows an agreement reached at first reading with the European Parliament earlier this year. The regulation will enter into force on the day after its publication in the EU Official Journal, which is expected to take place within the next few days. It will apply retroactively, from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2020. The financial envelope for EMSA's tasks for the period from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2020 will be EUR 160.5 million expressed in current prices.
New EU Rules for Waste Shipments
The Council of the European Union (EU) adopted a regulation amending regulation 1013/2006 on shipments of waste, which lays down requirements for shipments of waste within the EU and between the EU and third countries in order to protect human health and the environment (PE-CO S 69/14, 8792/14 ADD1). The new regulation contains strengthened measures to ensure more uniform implementation of the waste shipment regulation throughout the EU. By January 1, 2017, member states will have to establish inspection plans, which must include the objectives and priorities of the inspections, the geographical area covered by the inspection plans and the tasks assigned to each authority involved in the inspections. The inspection plans must be based on a risk assessment.
