The Ministry for Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma) has signed several cooperation agreements with the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Transport in the aviation and maritime fields. Three documents (two memoranda of understanding and a joint declaration) were signed in the framework of the bilateral meeting which was held today at the Ministry’s headquarters and chaired by the Secretary General for Transport and Mobility, María José Rallo, and Baroness Vere de Norbiton, Secretary of State for Air and Sea Transport at the UK Department of Transport.

David Benito, general director of Civil Aviation, and Benito Nuñez, general director of the Merchant Navy, accompanied the secretary at the meeting.

The three agreements signed are:

• Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation and promotion of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
• MoU on human factors and seafarers’ conditions.
• Joint Declaration on green maritime corridors.

Sustainable aviation fuel

A strategic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for short and medium term net emission reductions from the aviation sector, is asserting itself as a technology poised to replace fossil fuels progressively as their production becomes more common and increases.

It should be noted that Spain and the UK are pioneers in using SAF and it is clear that this is the most obvious path in the short term to decarbonize air transport. With the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding, the two countries further align themselves in this belief and a framework will be established to further advance this issue.

Seaman condition

The MoU on practices relating to human factors and seafarers’ conditions on ships flying the flag of a third country (not Spanish or British), which make regular crossings between Spanish and British ports, is a first step towards developing the future. special cooperation mechanism in this regard. The Memorandum thus has a general scope and the specific cooperation mechanism may be developed in more detail in the future.

With his signature, a new path of cooperation between the two countries was opened to coordinate positions in the international arena, such as social dumping in various maritime routes which caused problems.

In this sense, it focuses on the human factor as a key element in order to align it with one of the main objectives of the International Maritime Organization’s strategy: the “Human Element”.

Green Maritime Corridor Joint Declaration

The Maritime Green Corridor Joint Declaration is the first step towards signing a possible MoU which will lead to green corridor negotiations with the UK in the future.

So-called “green shipping corridors” are dedicated end-to-end decarbonized shipping routes, which include the onshore infrastructure and the vessels that operate them. The creation of such routes involves the use of zero-emission fuel or electricity, the installation of in-port refueling or recharging infrastructure, and the deployment of zero emission capable vessels for clean and environmentally friendly shipping, on certain routes.

Waiting time for operators at border control

During the meeting, the Secretary General for Transport and Mobility asked about the waiting time for carriers at Dover border control. This interest is a direct consequence of the concerns raised to Mitma by the international road transport association about the cases they encountered while crossing the border at Dover, with the usually long waiting times, which primarily affected vehicle drivers.