EMSA to charter anti-pollution vessels

In August 2003, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council to equip the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) with the legal and technical means necessary to operate specialised pollution response ships and equipment for collecting oil and other noxious substances in the sea. With this in mind, in January 2005, EMSA notified the shipping industry, via the EU Official Journal, that it wished to contract these vessels during 2005.