Tag: EU

IEA launched its Offshore Wind Outlook 2019 noting an increase of 30% in the wind market between 2010 and 2018, which was achieved from technological developments and from the growth of offshore wind projects. The report highlights that Europe is leading the offshore wind development, with the UK, Germany and Denmark being the highlight of these developments. Yet, China added more capacity than any other country in 2018.

Waste has become a challenging issue that the shipping industry has to deal with, not only because it affects marine life and oceans, but because it is also a barrier to ports and their operations. Thus, the EU funded SAFEMED IV project will run on the ports of Arzew, Bejaia, Skida, old and new port and Algiers in Algeria.

UK's National Oceanography Centre has contributed to a new European Marine Board Position Paper, which provides an overview of the current European research vessel fleet and its capabilities. The report also recommends ways in which the fleet should evolve to meet future science needs.

As Yonhap reports, Hyundai Heavy Industries Group issued an application to the European Union, waiting for approval for its proposed takeover of local Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. The company informed that the submission will be reviewed by anti-trust authorities at the European Commission, expecting the results of their call in 2020. 

The EU Council officially adopted the Commission's proposal to reinforce the European Border and Coast Guard, in a bid to respond to the challenges facing Europe in managing migration and its external borders. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency will have a standing corps of 10,000 border guards.

On 8 November, European social partners for the maritime technology sector, industriAll Europe and SEA Europe, met in Brussels for their annual plenary meeting. The parties reflected on the year since the launch of their joint manifesto: Maritime Technology: A Strategic Sector for Europe, expressing their disappointment about the lack of action from EU policy makers and missing sectoral strategy for the maritime technology sector.

Last week, the European Political Strategy Centre (EPSC) published a strategic note for Clean Transport at Sea, describing the course for European Leadership, including the confirmation of the European Commission's President, Ursula von der Leyen’s ambition to add maritime transport into the EU’s Emission Trading System.

The trade agreement between the EU and Singapore was endorsed by EU Member States, meaning that the agreement will enter into force as soon as 21 November. Under the agreement, Singapore will remove all remaining tariffs on EU products, providing new opportunities for EU services' providers in sectors such as telecommunications, environmental services, engineering, computing and maritime transport, making the business environment more predictable.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (the CJEU) confirmed that waste from ships is not subject to the requirements of EU law on transfer of waste. The legal case arose from the fire on board the MSC Flaminia in 2012.

The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) together with the European Federation of Inland Ports (EFIP) published a joint paper calling for the strengthening of port-rail connectivity with regards to the European Union’s transport policy. In fact, the paper entitled “Ports in the European Rail System” suggests the implementation of the current EU legislative rail framework should take into account that rail management is not a core task for port authorities, as they have to deal with a complex web of transport, logistics, industry, energy, blue growth and community interests.