Spain – Post-Prestige Measures

Cape Finisterre Traffic Separation Scheme

IMO has amended the existing traffic separation scheme for this area. The result is that vessels carrying dangerous or potentially polluting cargoes must use the most remote traffic lane. Details of the traffic lanes can be found on the Spanish Ministry of Transport website www.mfom.es.

Places of Refuge

At its 23 Assembly IMO adopted guidelines on the issue of places of refuge. New domestic legislation coming into force this month entitles the Spanish authorities to require owners, operators or shippers to provide guarantees against possible damage as a prerequisite to allowing a vessel to enter a place of refuge.

Spain as a New Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA)

With effect from June 2004, Western European waters (Belgium, UK, Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal) are expected to be designated as a PSSA.

A PSSA is an area that needs special protection through action by IMO because of its significance for recognized ecological or socio-economic or scientific reasons and which may be vulnerable to damage by international maritime activities. When an area is approved as a particularly sensitive sea area, specific measures can be used to control the maritime activities in that area, such as routeing measures, strict application of MARPOL discharge and equipment requirements for ships, such as oil tankers; and installation of Vessel Traffic Services (VTS).

Further information is available from the IMO webpage on Special Areas and Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas.

Single-Hull Tanker Ban and Phase Out

As reported in an earlier Steamship website article, IMO has now adopted an accelerated phase out timetable for single-hull tankers and new regulations for the carriage of heavy fuel oil. Click Here to view.