Within the framework of the German EU Council Presidency, the Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs, Wolfgang Tiefensee, today opened the European Conference on "The Future Maritime Policy of the EU: A European Vision for Oceans and Seas" in Bremen and presented a programme for more environmental protection and safety in the maritime transport sector. "Shipping is increasingly becoming an economic factor for both Germany and the entire European Union. 90 percent of the EU's foreign trade and over 40 percent of intra-Community trade goes by sea. We have to make our transport - be it surface, waterborne or air transport - as environmentally acceptable as possible. And this also applies to maritime transport", said Mr Tiefensee in Bremen. "The climate change impact and the adverse effects of the consumption of resources present shipping with new challenges that cannot be met unless all stakeholders take concerted action and unless innovative technologies and solutions are deployed."
In shipping, as in other sectors, the Federal Government is pinning its hopes on innovative technologies to reduce emissions. "These include primarily environmentally friendly marine engines, innovative marine fuels and drivetrains, and the use of diesel fuel in place of heavy grades of oil. In the long term there can only be one approach: we have to move away from heavy grades of oil. We have to replace heavy grades of oil by modern and environmentally sound marine diesel. Marine diesel pollutes the oceans far less than heavy grades of oil. We need the quality standards that we have long enjoyed on land for fuels used on the seas", said Mr Tiefensee.
He said that such a changeover would have many advantages. It would, for instance, be possible to significantly reduce sulphur and particulate matter emissions and oxides of nitrogen in the short term. "This would benefit not only nature but also the population living around seaports." "Shipping has to play its part in reducing CO2 emissions. Even if shipping only causes around 2 percent of global CO2 emissions, the Federal Government supports the Commission's proposal for the inclusion of shipping in emissions trading. However, we are committed to developing rules that are binding worldwide and do not distort competition. Only rules that are uniform and binding throughout the world can result in the desired reduction in CO2 emissions. We will also advocate such rules in the International Maritime Organization (IMO)."
In addition, Mr Tiefensee called for a ban on single-hull tankers in the long term. This will result in more safety for the environment and help to reduce the number of accidents involving serious oil spills", said Mr Tiefensee.
