European Union pressure on shipowners to shoulder progressively stricter anti-pollution safeguards will end up undermining a vital EU industry and encourage law-abiding operators to skirt regulations, the Union of Greek Shipowners warned in a statement Tuesday.

In a speech to an Independent Association of Tanker Owners (Intertanko) conference released Tuesday, union chairman Nikos Efthymiou also said the EU's toughening stance and increasing antagonism with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) risks driving operators from European shores.

"The critical question is who will be involved in (shipping), and in what parts of the world. The answer is in these parts of the world ... that support the competitiveness of their fleet," Efthymiou said.

Most EU member-states advocate tough action in the wake of the November 2002 Prestige tanker disaster, which caused the worst oil slick Spain has ever known.

But in November, Greece aroused the ire of environmental groups by saying it would block a key European Union agreement aimed at cracking down on ships that dump pollutants into the sea.

In his speech to the Intertanko conference, Efthymiou argued that the EU's new legislation on pollution "criminalises crew members and others in cases where ships are involved in incidents of accidental pollution."

"Criminalisation will discourage seafarers from co-operating fully ... with casualty inquiries or accident investigation," he said.

The Greek shipowners' chairman charged that the EU initiatives "seem to be driven by people who are not familiar with the practical operation of ships at sea and take a simplistic view of pollution incidents," and argued that the EU should follow the IMO's lead on such matters.

"Some quarters in Brussels forget that the European shipping industry is a respectable and vital sector of the European economy," Efthymiou said. "The EU depends exclusively on ships for the transportation of its oil trade and for the continuity of its energy supply ... Those who interfere should be aware that in the end, it is not just shipping but world trade that will be disturbed," he said.

Hosted in the port of Piraeus, the Intertanko conference concludes Wednesday.