Maritime pollution in the EU and its effects on Maltese shipping.

Abstract

This thesis, as the title implies will tackle the issue of maritime pollution within the European Union and its effects on Maltese shipping. Since the area of maritime pollution is very vast, these studies will focus primarily on the issue of ship source pollution and on the controversial Directive on ship source pollution (Directive 2005/35/EC). It must be however emphasised that this thesis will not be exclusively dedicated to the legal interpretation of the Directive, but it will also focus on an array of connected areas which are intended to make the reader more conscious of the reasons why such legislation was implemented in the first place and why it was so heavily criticised by the shipping community and even a few Member States (Malta Being one of these). The work is geared towards verifying whether Maltese shipping practices are as abysmal as most people think are whether Malta's opposition to this newer and harsher legislation was solely motivated by an urge to retain its competitiveness within the industry. There is also an analysis of the legal arguments put forward by Malta against such law, which are undoubtedly of high interest and validity. The concluding chapter will focuses on the EU and its intentions for the future of the maritime sector. This part of the thesis will help the reader understand what legislative solutions the EU is proposing to make, in order to have a viable system and hence cut down on the illegal practices that are affecting our marine environment.