Written by Mathias Gullentops.
This year’s United Nations World Maritime Day (26 September) celebrates the theme of ‘Navigating the future: safety first!’. Although the European Union is not a member of the UN agency responsible for shipping safety and security, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) – membership is reserved for EU Member States with maritime interests), the EU plays a central role in improving enforcement of the IMO’s conventions.
In 2023 alone, the European Commission presented five legislative proposals to modernise EU rules on maritime safety and prevent water pollution from ships. Known as the maritime safety package, the proposals seek to update the current directives to meet today’s challenges and align them with international rules, including IMO standards. The proposals are at an advanced state of completion. The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) will receive a new mandate to support the changes to these directives and to better reflect the agency’s growing role in safety, pollution prevention, environmental protection, climate action, security, surveillance, crisis management and digitalisation. The package includes:
Revision of the Flag State Requirements Directive
To improve maritime safety and reduce the risk of environmental pollution, ensuring that EU flag states continue to provide high quality shipping services, the rules on compliance with flag state requirements are to be revised to take account of digitalisation, improve inspections and cooperation between flag states, and align with international rules on safety, pollution prevention, and working conditions, through inspections and surveys. EPRS is tracking progress on this file.
Revision of the Port State Control Directive
To ensure that inspection of ships’ condition complies with international regulations, including for crews, the European Commission proposed to extend the legislation to cover additional international rules. This would prioritise ships’ environmental performance in determining their risk profile, and boost EU countries’ capacity to detect and address non-compliance with standards and rules on safety, environmental protection and pollution prevention. We track progress on the legislation.
Revision of the Directive on investigation of accidents in the maritime transport sector
To adapt to recent changes in the international maritime regulatory environment and technological developments in the maritime sector, this proposal also seeks an improved concentration of resources and to address shortages in expertise. The final act is awaiting signature.
Revision of the Directive on Ship-source Pollution
In line with IMO rules and to combat pollution from maritime ships, the European Commission proposed a robust framework for penalties for infringements, and their application. This should prevent ship-owners and operators, regardless of the ship’s flag, from releasing any type of illegal discharge into European seas. The final act is s awaiting signature.
Revised rules on the European Maritime Safety Agency
The last major revision of EMSA’s mandate was in 2013. The proposal to revise its rules aims to make it ‘future proof’, by giving EMSA new and more numerous tasks and the resources it needs to fulfil its role. The agency would thereby have a legal mandate to provide EU countries and the Commission with technical, operational and scientific assistance, to ensure maritime safety, security and the maritime sector’s green and digital transition. We track progress on the file.
To mark World Maritime Day, a symposium on extreme maritime weather will take place in London, the IMO headquarters will be lit up in blue (see 2023), and using #WorldMaritimeDay on social media.
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