Protect your coastline against the next Prestige disaster

	A year after the Prestige sank, Spanish beaches are still contaminated with oil; poisonous compounds have entered the food chain and are now found in seafood; large amounts of oil are still floating around on the ocean and wash on to the beaches; the wreck still contains enough oil for another disaster; 300,000 birds have been killed by the oil spill and still more of them are dying.
Despite all these facts the Spanish government is denying the scale of the effects of the disaster and claims that their way of handling the situation was the only right way and that not a single mistake was made. This has aroused our concern and therefore the Friends of the Coast have drawn up six demands to European coastal states and international bodies concerned with marine transport, marine safety and protection of marine areas. These demands are prompted by our wish to protect our coasts and seas:

1. Damaged oil tankers must be brought to a place of refuge, instead of being towed to the open sea.
2. States must ensure the availability of facilities to repair damage and clean up spilled oil.
3. States must cooperate and develop Emergency Action Plans.
4. Transportation routes of oil tankers must avoid marine and coastal nature reserves.
5. Coastal states must provide clear and reliable information on the consequences of oil spills and the way they are handled.
6. Coastal states must designate marine nature reserves as soon as possible. (explanation of the demands)
   

This Friends of the Coast Campaign is supported by