| The EU is "closely following" efforts
to remove more than 2300 tonnes of diesel from the wreckage
of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, Transport Commissioner Siim
Kallas has said.
Speaking following the accident near
the Italian port of Civitavecchia, the commission vice-president
told MEPs on parliament's transport committee that European
agencies would contribute to efforts to extract fuel from the
liner.
At least 15 people died and 17 are missing, when the giant
cruise ship ran aground and capsized earlier this month.
"While the search and rescue operation
continues, we are closely following the preparations to remove
the more than 2300 tonnes of fuel oil on board and reduce the
risk of an oil spill," Kallas said.
He added that the European maritime safety agency (EMSA)
has facilitated the use of one of its specialised oil spill
response ships to help remove the fuel.
The ship, "contracted as a stand-by by the
specialised salvage company in charge of the fuel removal",
has now arrived on site, said the commissioner.
"The commission and EMSA will follow and accompany as necessary
the rescue, salvage and investigation operations," he said.
Kallas
added that the commission would present new legislative proposals
on safety in passenger vessels after the summer, but Italian
MEP Carlo Fidanza said there was more urgent work to be undertaken
before coming up with new laws. For Fidanza, the priorities
are to empty the tanks, remove any bodies remaining on the ship
and "avoid an environmental disaster that may still happen"
if the environmental conditions change.
Fidanza said there were also compensation issues to be dealt
with and urged caution of making predictions ahead of the
release of the official inquest.
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