Igor Zakharia
These are the Hong Kong International Convention on the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships and the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecked Ships.
MP Adrian Beluțel argues that the existence of a port obligates Moldova to comply with such international standards.
“We have a port; ships pass through it; we use maritime routes; and in this context, we are obligated to be a party to international conventions regulating maritime activities, whether we like it or not. In recent years, we have seen that the importance and cargo turnover of the Giurgiulești International Free Port have only been growing. The moment a ship departs from Giurgiulești for Constanța or Istanbul, it becomes a maritime route. “The Republic of Moldova must be a party to the conventions and international norms governing any incidents: the removal of sunken vessels, insurance, management, and other aspects,” Beluțel stated.
Regulations are binding
Igor Zaharia, Director of the Maritime Agency, noted that currently not a single vessel is registered under the flag of the Republic of Moldova; however, as a port state, the country is obligated to comply with the provisions of these conventions:
“The Giurgiulești port complex is located on the maritime section of the Danube, so the provisions of international maritime conventions apply automatically. We, as a state—not only as a flag state but also as a port state—are obligated to implement these standards.”
Returning to the white list and being “no worse than others”
At the same time, Mircea Păscălucă, State Secretary of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development, explained that another goal of the numerous maritime bills being adopted by Parliament is to remove the Republic of Moldova from the “blacklist” Paris Memorandum of Understanding (Paris MoU) on port state control.
“It is true that we do not have any registered seagoing vessels, as we need to accede to a number of conventions in order to be included on the ‘white list.’ All our efforts are aimed at getting off the ‘blacklist,’ which we unfortunately ended up on several years ago,” said Pascălucă, noting that four conventions have already been ratified, with six more remaining.
In turn, MP Petru Burduja summed up the debate: “Since we don’t have a single seagoing vessel, but we are drafting and passing such laws, it means we’re passing them just to keep up with others.”
Land Issues
Meanwhile, the authorities are continuing their work to expand the Giurgiulești International Free Port. According to Nicolae Mîndra, State Secretary at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Regional Development, the authorities’ vision remains the same, but there are some nuances.
“As for the port, the ministry’s position has not changed: the Giurgiulești International Free Port must be expanded. We are working, including with the Ministry of the Environment, to resolve the issue with the land plots. As with any transportation infrastructure, the main focus is on the economy,” Mindra stated.
