Commission welcomes provisional agreement modernising ship inspections and oversight

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached today between the European Parliament and the Council on updating the requirements for the Port State Control of vessels calling at EU ports, and on the flag State requirements for merchant vessels registered in EU Member States.

For the Flag State Directive, the co-legislators agreed to incorporate the relevant International Maritime Organization (IMO) rules (the International Instruments Code, or III-Code) into EU law. This ensures these rules can be enforced on ships flagged in the EU Member States. Member States will also need to carry out an agreed number of flag State inspections each year and to provide for the digitalisation of Member States’ statutory ship certificates, which will, in turn, facilitate port State inspections.

The agreement on Port State Control will see EU law aligned with the IMO and the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control on the requirements concerning organisation and carrying out of port State controls. Member States also agreed to establish a voluntary Port State Control regime for larger fishing vessels and to increase the importance of environmental requirements of Port State control by adjusting the ship risk profile used to select ships for inspection. The revised Directive will also provide for electronic ship certificates, which will allow inspectors to prepare better prior to inspections, and focus on the ships’ compliance with applicable rules, rather than a review of papers once on board.

Flag State control and port State control are important tools when it comes to a wide range of issues linked to shipping, such as maritime safety, environmental protection, as well as working conditions on board.

The European Maritime Safety Agency will support the implementation of the new provisions, by providing training and technical support, as well as the necessary IT tools for both Flag and Port State control administrations. 

Next steps

Following today’s political agreement, the final texts must now be adopted formally. Once this process is completed by the European Parliament and the Council, the new rules will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and enter into force 20 days later. Member States will have 30 months to transpose the directives into national law.

Background

The proposals were presented by the Commission in June 2023 as part of the maritime safety package. As laid out in the EU Green Deal, the Smart and Sustainable Mobility Strategy and the Zero Pollution Action Plan, the Commission is committed to setting shipping on a path towards zero emissions, pollution and accidents.

Quote(s)

With today’s agreements, Member States will be better equipped to monitor and to inspect ships – both their own and those calling in their ports. They will gain efficiency through digital information sharing between administrations and will benefit from EMSA’s continued support, through training or the underlying digital infrastructure for sharing inspection results. The EU already has the world’s highest maritime safety standards, and we cannot be complacent. A modern flag and port State control regimes will ensure we can keep our seas safe and clean into the future.

Adina Vălean, Commissioner for Transport