Co-written by Elisabeth Prigent
The "ERIKA" disaster on 12th December 2000, and the subsequent pollution of the French coast line by heavy oil, has resulted in the resurgence of the issues concerning maritime transports security in the European Union.
After the AMOCO-CADIX event in 1978, and further major maritime accidents (two wrecks of oil-tankers in 1993, and the accident of the passenger car ferry ESTONIA in 1994), a first set of laws relating to maritime security and oil pollution prevention was implemented. Those laws aimed to apply more strictly the rules already existing as a result of international conventions concerning ship safety, the prevention of the pollution by ships, the professional qualification of the crew, the work conditions on board and the security of the passenger ships and of the cargo carriage.
