The European Commission has proposed a package of legislative changes aimed at modernizing EU rules on maritime safety and preventing water pollution from ships.
The proposals focus on modernizing and improving maritime safety rules, with an emphasis on port State control and maritime accident investigations.
Flag State inspections will be based on international rules, and specific training programs will be provided by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to enhance national administrations’ control over their fleets.
Port State control will be extended to cover additional international rules, including ballast water and sediments, and the inspection targeting process will be updated to reflect new requirements.
Fishing vessels over 24 meters calling at EU ports will be subject to port State control, and serious accidents involving smaller fishing vessels under 15 meters will be reported and screened for lessons learned.
Digitalization of flag State and port State control operations and the encouragement of electronic certificates will be promoted with EMSA’s support.
Tackling Ship-Source Pollution:
The proposals aim to prevent illegal discharges into European seas by aligning EU rules with international regulations and extending the scope to cover a wider range of polluting substances.
The rules will cover illegal discharges of oil, noxious liquid substances, harmful substances carried in packaged form, sewage, garbage, and discharges from Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (scrubbers).
CleanSeaNet, EMSA’s surveillance and information sharing database, will be optimized to facilitate information sharing and follow-up obligations by national authorities responsible for detecting and verifying potential pollution.
A strengthened legal framework for penalties and their application will be established to enable national authorities to take action and impose fines in case of illegal discharges.
Revamped Mandate for EMSA:
EMSA’s mandate will be updated to reflect its growing role in various maritime transport areas, including safety, pollution prevention, environmental protection, climate action, security, surveillance, crisis management, and digitalization.
EMSA will provide support for implementing regulations such as the FuelEU Maritime Regulation and extending the EU Emissions Trading System to maritime transport.
The agency will continue assisting with maritime surveillance, cybersecurity resilience, crisis preparedness, and simplifying reporting between Member States through the use of IT tools.
For more details visit “New proposals to support clean and modern shipping”