Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 644: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding COM(2011) 566, which was agreed by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Environment, Transport, Culture and the Gaeltacht on 8 December 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13782/12]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 645: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will bring forward legislation to ban all single-hulled tankers from Irish territorial waters by 2015 as is currently the case in the United States; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13784/12]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 646: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of single-hulled oil tankers that deliver to Irish ports and the number of single-hulled tankers that have passed through Irish territorial waters on an annual basis since 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13785/12]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 644 to 646, inclusive, together.

As the Deputy is aware, there is currently a proposal for a new regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the accelerated phasing in of double hull or equivalent design requirements for single hull oil tankers being negotiated at EU level, COM(2011)566. This proposal is in fact a codification or recast of Regulation (EC)No 417/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 February 2002 on the accelerated phasing in of double hull or equivalent design requirements for single hull oil tankers and repealing Council Regulation (EC)No 2978/94.

The new regulation will codify the parent regulation and its seven amending regulations, and allow the EU Commission to incorporate future changes to MARPOL Annex I which fall within the scope of Regulation (EC)417/2002. MARPOL is an international Convention of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships. Under the regulation, the requirement for double hull tankers is dependent upon vessel category, size and cargo. The regulation applies to all tankers of 5,000 tonnes deadweight or above, which enter or leave a port or offshore terminal, or anchor in an area under the jurisdiction of an EU country, irrespective of their flag, or which fly the flag of an EU country. The regulation shall also apply to oil tankers of 600 tonnes deadweight and above for the transport of the heavy grades of oil. The regulation states that no oil tanker may operate under the flag of a Member State, nor shall any oil tanker irrespective of its flag be allowed to enter the port of a Member State, after certain specified dates up until 2010, unless a ship is a double hull tanker. Up until 2015 a small number of single hull tankers are permitted to operate in EU waters but single hull tankers will not be allowed to operate in EU Waters after 2015.

The new regulation is being dealt with by Council and European Parliament at the same time by co-decision. Ireland is working with other Member States through the working parties that feed back into the Council. Discussions are continuing at EU working party level and the shipping working group at which Ireland is represented recently met on the 24th February 2012. Negotiations are currently underway to reach a first reading agreement.

In relation to tanker numbers, there is an IMO mandatory ship reporting system established in the Western European Particularly Sensitive Sea Area which includes the seas around Ireland. This is known as The West European Tanker Reporting System (WETREP). All tankers in Irish waters must report through the WETREP system. However, there are no specific statistiics for single hull tankers as the under WETREP vessels can report to any of the six member states where WETREP applies, and, they are not required to specify if they are single or double hull tankers. The number of tankers that reported directly to the Irish Coast Guard when entering the WETREP area are by year are as follows: 533 in 2011, 510 in 2010, 375 in 2009, 378 in 2008 and 385 in 2007.

Ireland ensures compliance with double and single hull requirements through its port State control Inspection regime as specified in S.I. No. 656/2010: European Communities (Port State Control) Regulations 2010.