13th April 2024 – 19th April 2024
LOCAL NEWS
No news reported.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
1. European Parliament will not vote on Energy Taxation Directive
On the 15th April 2024 ECR Rapporteur Johan Van Overtveldt announced that he has decided not to put the Energy Taxation Directive (ETD) to a vote in the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) scheduled for Thursday 18th April 2024. According to Mr. Van Overtveldt, it “would compromise the integrity of the file at this stage, given that clearly no broad majority can be reached.”
In 2021, the European Commission proposed its review of ETD, which has been in place since 2003 and sets minimum levels of taxation for the use of energy products in the EU. A revision of the Directive should bring the text into line with the EU’s climate change objectives, for example by introducing a kerosene tax for intra-EU flights, a tariff ranking according to the carbon content of an energy product and taxation based on energy content rather than volume. In Mr. Van Overtveldt’s draft, first published in 2022, he proposed a technology-neutral approach and sufficiently long transition periods. Nuclear energy was not included in the Commission’s proposal, but was included in Van Overtveldt’s text.
According to ECSA, the decision not to put the draft to vote, is an important development, since it means the ETD process will stall since the European Council cannot legally adopt the directive without receiving prior the opinion of the European Parliament. Therefore, it is now up to the Parliament and the Council to find an agreement on the text.
In the light of the above developments, on the 17th April 2024 the Belgian presidency circulated a compromise proposal to the national administrations, in which they revert back to the initial proposal and try to reach agreement between Member States by adding a number of exemptions.
The national administrations will discuss this proposal at their next Working Party meeting on 25 April. It is understood that the compromise proposal will be discussed at the next ECOFIN Council meeting.
The compromise text is considered to be not in line with the ECSA position and to be particularly burdensome on intra-EU shipping.
Related Publications:
Attachment 1: ECSA C-13549 TWG | For information | ETD will not be voted in ECON committee before elections
ECR Group EU 15/04 - ECR to block vote on ETD
2. IMO Facilitation Committee tackles digitalization and autonomous shipping
The IMO Facilitation Committee (FAL), which deals with matters related to the facilitation of international maritime trade, held its forty-eighth session (FAL 48) from 8 to 12 April 2024, in person at the IMO Headquarters in London.
High on the agenda were discussions around the application of “maritime single windows”, which became mandatory for all IMO Member States on 1 January 2024. Maritime administrations are now required to use a single, centralized digital platform – a maritime single window – to collect and exchange information with ships when they call at ports, in order to streamline procedures and enhance efficiency. The Committee considered revising guidelines on authentication, integrity, and confidentiality of information exchanges via maritime single windows and related services.
The Committee agreed to continue discussions on the development of an IMO strategy on digitalization at the next session (FAL 49), under a new output (subject to Council’s endorsement). The recommendations from the industry survey will be discussed under this new output on IMO digitalization strategy.
Furthermore, the Committee approved a new version of the IMO Compendium on Facilitation and Electronic Business, approved new guidelines on Port Community Systems, and discussed the issue of cyber-security, calling on Member States to develop and operate their MSWs in a cybersecure and resilient way.
The Committee also approved a revised road map for addressing Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) issues, related to the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL Convention). Under the roadmap, the Committee is expected to finalize the development of a mandatory MASS Code to regulate autonomous ships, and adopt relevant amendments to the FAL Convention by 2027.
Related Publications:
IMO 16/04 - Facilitation Committee tackles digitalization and autonomous shipping
IMO – Meeting Summary - FAL 48th session
Safety4Sea 15/04 - IMO FAL 48-key highlights
3. Iran – Israel conflict threatens another shipping choke point
In the light of Iran’s attack on Israel and Israel’s retaliation, maritime security experts are warning ships transiting the Arabian Gulf and Western Indian Ocean to stay alert due to the increased hostilities in the region.
The latest actions of the two countries have added more tension to the continuing risk for shipping in the region.
The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said that there are currently no indications that commercial maritime vessels are intended targets but advised shipmasters to report any suspicious activity and drone activity in the region.
Flight restrictions over Iranian airspace have also been put in place, and airlines are diverting to alternate airports. “Ship crews transiting the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz should be ready to respond to hails from Iranian forces and likely be seized if the ship is deemed to aid Israel, regardless of the validity of the seizure. The Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz is very likely to be in the same situation now as the Red Sea,” Metis Analytics noted in a recent update.
Iran recently stated that Israel's presence in the United Arab Emirates was viewed as a threat by Tehran and it could close the Strait of Hormuz if deemed necessary. "We can close the Hormuz Strait but are not doing so. However, if the enemy comes to disrupt us, we will review our policy," the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard's navy, Alireza Tangsiri, said.
While the risk of a full closure of the Strait of Hormuz has increased, experts believe that the more likely scenario, according to analysts, is that the Strait of Hormuz will become more like the Red Sea, with some ships continuing to transit and others steering clear.
Related Publications:
Think Ing 18/04 - Shipping-Strait Hormuz Iran trade
Splash247 19/04 - Shipping on alert as Israel retaliates against Iran
Reuters 15/02 - Iran says MSC Aries-vessel seized violating maritime laws
Attachment 2:Tradewinds 19/04 - Shipping Warned of fresh drone threats following suspected Israeli retaliation against Iran
4. UK strengthens ecological protections at sea with anti-fouling regulations
The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) strengthened ecological protections at sea through updated regulations governing anti-fouling systems on ships. The new UK legislation implements an international convention prohibiting the use of cybutryne in marine paints, which has been proven harmful to marine flora and fauna, working its way into the food chain.
Coming into force on 10 May 2024, the regulations apply to all UK flagged ships, wherever they sail, and ships flagged to other countries while in UK or controlled waters.
Related Publication:
Safety4Sea 19/04 - UK strengthens ecological protections at Sea
5. US TREASURY REPORT
The US Treasury Report for all actions reported is hereby attached.
Related Article:
Attachment 3:US Treasury Report for week 13/04/2024 - 19/04/2024
6. PIRACY REPORT
The Piracy Report for all actions reported is hereby attached.
Related Article:
Attachment 4:Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report, for the period between 20 March – 17 April 2024
Nothing important to report from Local News, ILO and Parliament of Representatives.