Israeli greens hail blow to UAE oil deal by AFP Staff Writers Jerusalem (AFP) Dec 23, 2021 Israeli environmentalists applauded Thursday after a court dealt a blow to a controversial oil transport deal with the United Arab Emirates, agreed after the two countries normalised relations last year. The deal would have seen Gulf oil brought to Israel's Red Sea port of Eilat by tanker, then moved overland by pipeline to its Mediterranean port of Ashkelon, for onwards shipment to Europe. Environmental advocacy groups filed a petition in May to block implementation of the deal, citing risks to the northern Red Sea corals off Eilat. The three organisations -- Adam Teva Vadim, the Society for Protection of Nature in Israel and Zalul -- argued that the government should not be allowed to increase the amount of crude transiting through Eilat, a pre-requisite for the UAE deal to be viable. The groups withdrew their petition at a supreme court hearing in Jerusalem on Thursday after the government said it would accept the recommendations of the environmental protection ministry and not increase crude flow through the port. "We welcome this significant achievement, which came following widespread public opposition to the (UAE) agreement," the groups said in a statement. Minister for Environmental Protection Tamar Zandberg also welcomed the outcome. "Israel cannot be turned into a dangerous and polluting oil transit hub," she said in a statement. "We will continue to protect the unique coral reef." The ministry had long opposed the deal involving Israel's state-owned Europe-Asia Pipeline Company (EAPC) and an Israeli-Emirati company called MED-RED Land Bridge Ltd. It had previously put a freeze on the agreement, citing the need for further environmental study. EAPC and MED-RED did not disclose the amount of oil they intended to bring through Eilat, but without an increase of the import caps, there is likely to be little space for the deal to go ahead. Zandberg said her ministry was committed to "stop the expansion of the EAPC's activities". The oil agreement was one of several negotiated between Israeli and Emirati firms after ties were normalised under the Abraham Accords brokered by former US president Donald Trump. Israel has estimated that trade between the countries could soon surpass $1 billion. The UAE last year became the third Arab nation to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel after Egypt and Jordan, and was swiftly followed by Bahrain and Morocco. Sudan also agreed to normalise ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords, but full relations have not yet materialised.
Cargo ship captain convicted over Mauritius oil spill Port Louis, Mauritius (AFP) Dec 22, 2021 The captain and first mate of a bulk carrier that crashed into a coral reef off Mauritius, causing the Indian Ocean archipelago's worst-ever environmental disaster, have been convicted of endangering safe navigation. The MV Wakashio, a Japanese-owned but Panamanian-flagged vessel, ran aground in July 2020, spilling more than 1,000 tonnes of toxic fuel into the pristine waters of Mauritius, coating mangroves, corals and other fragile ecosystems. The vessel's Indian captain, Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |