Conservation groups have urged Europe’s three biggest flag states to fall into line with calls to introduce an emissions control area (ECA) in the Mediterranean Sea that would impose tighter sulphur limits.
Greece, Cyprus and Malta “should not play for time”, said Daniel Rieger, a shipping expert for the Berlin-based Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU).
“While there is already a lot of support from littoral states such as France, Italy and Spain, other countries with a strong link to the shipping industry are still hesitant to join the initiative,” added Rieger, speaking on behalf of his NABU bird protection group after a recent conference in Athens.
