EU DIRECTIVE ON SULPHUR CONTENT OF MARINE FUELS

That this House notes that EU Directive 2012/33/EU regarding the sulphur content of marine fuels from 1 January 2015 will require ships in the Sulphur Emission Control Area to use fuel with a sulphur content that cannot exceed 0.1 per cent; further notes that the Sulphur Emission Control Area covers the English Channel, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea and therefore has a particularly adverse effect on the UK shipping industry in particular; considers that as a result fuel prices and the cost of shipping will increase; is concerned that these increased costs are likely to be passed on to the consumer and are already costing jobs in the shipping industry; further notes that jobs have already been lost in the shipping industry, that additional jobs are under threat, and that this is detrimental to coastal communities; further notes that the Government has been consulted on the implantation of this directive; and calls on the Government to demand exemptions to protect jobs in British shipping and British ports, reflecting that the UK is unique in the EU as an international maritime trading nation.