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KIMO - Plastic pellets spill pollutes Danish, Norwegian, Swedish coastlines - News Article
On 23rd February 2020, the MV Trans Carrier lost more than 10 tonnes of plastic pellets in the German Bight when the cargo on board moved during a storm, damaging one of the containers, which broke open. The vessel, operated by Seatrans Ship Management and owned by Sea-Cargo, was loaded with 26 tonnes of polypropylene pellets and was on route from Rotterdam (NL) to Tananger (NO).
KIMO represents over 80 municipalities across Europe that work together for sustainable seas. KIMO believes that there are measures that should be implemented to reduce the number of containers lost or damaged at sea every year and the associated impacts on coastal communities.
KIMO urges all European governments, the European Commission and the European Parliament to act together at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to establish the following measures:
- National Coastal Administrations to implement robust, transparent processes to ensure that immediate action is taken to mitigate spills of plastic pellets and other non-toxic substances;
- Competent revision of the ISO standard requiring containers with reduced stacking or racking capacity to be marked so they can be identified, stowed and lashed safely on deck;
- Financial penalties and compensation regimes for the retrieval of lost containers and/or their contents, according to the ‘polluter pays’ principle;
- Implementation of a Convention on liability and compensation for damage in connection with the carriage of non-toxic substances including strict liability on ship owners for pollution from their vessels, compulsory insurance for all vessels and a reserve fund to cover shortfalls in compensation.
Language: English