Case 1 Massive pollution feared as oil spill tanker Prestige sinks off spain Port checks on single-skinned tankers like the Prestige will be mandatory under eu law from July 2003. A tanker of its build and age would be banned from eu waters in 2005, and all single-hull freighters would be phased out by French Transport Minister Gilles de robien said on tuesday the european union needed a"maritime police forceto prevent unseaworthy vessels travelling through EU state's waters. Ships with flags of convenience - flags of a country other than the country of ownership -- remained "a real problem", Robien said Eco Matsers of Greenpeace in Amsterdam agreed, saying countries like the Bahamas where the Prestige is registered "do not demand high standards for the ships they register, and the risks with such ships are high"Case 1 Massive pollution feared as oil spill tanker Prestige sinks off Spain • Port checks on single-skinned tankers like the Prestige will be mandatory under EU law from July 2003. A tanker of its build and age would be banned from EU waters in 2005, and all single-hull freighters would be phased out by French Transport Minister Gilles de Robien said on Tuesday the European Union needed a "maritime police force" to prevent unseaworthy vessels travelling through EU state's waters. Ships with flags of convenience -- flags of a country other than the country of ownership -- remained "a real problem", Robien said. Eco Matsers of Greenpeace in Amsterdam agreed, saying countries like the Bahamas where the Prestige is registered "do not demand high standards for the ships they register, and the risks with such ships are high