Maritime safefy: safe loading and unloading of bulk carriers

The committee adopted the report (codecision procedure, 1st reading) by Rijk van DAM (EDD, NL) warmly welcoming the Commission proposal, subject to a number of amendments. Most of these consisted of drafting changes designed to clarify provisions and ensure consistency in the text. In particular, it wanted to formulate in more binding terms the requirement for the competent authorities to intervene where they were notified that a danger might arise. It also included crew safety among the grounds empowering the authorities to intervene, as this was in keeping with the spirit of the directive. One of the key points made by the committee was that the master of a ship should also be informed about any deficiencies on his vessel and should approve the repairs made before a ship left port. It also argued that any damage to the ship during loading or unloading should be reported to the relevant classification society, on the grounds that such damage was likely to affect the ship's safety. On the question of verification, the committee felt that it should be made clear in the text that Member States should also ensure that quality management systems were implemented. Lastly, the committee called on the Commission to provide a report on the implementation and application of the directive and, if necessary, to submit proposals to adapt the directive in the light of its findings. �