On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 June, representatives from the European Parliament and Maltese Presidency of the Council reached an agreement on three Commission proposals from June 2016 on the safety of passenger ships (see EUROPE 11566). The proposals seek to make maritime transport safer, as well as to simplify the rules in this area. The agreements that were made still have to be officially confirmed.
Passenger registration. The European institutions reached an agreement on Wednesday 14 June on the Commission proposal seeking to revise Directive 98/41/EC on the registration of people travelling on-board passenger ships.
As part of the current legal setup, maritime transport companies have to count and register passengers and crew members during a voyage. For bigger ships (more than 300 gross tonnes), a one-stop shop made available by the appropriate authorities for collecting data (name, gender, date of birth, etc.) will be introduced, while for more local and smaller operators, this data can be provided in writing. The collection and transmission of data will help improve coordination during rescue operations.
In the compromise reached by the European institutions, all vessels will have to transmit data on passengers and crew members in electronic format. Nonetheless, for journeys of less than 20 nautical miles, companies will be able to use “appropriate technical means”, such as the automatic identification system for transmitting data to the competent authorities.
For journeys of more than 20 nautical miles, companies will have to use the one-stop shop system and send passenger and crewmember data 15 minutes after the ship’s departure. For these journeys, companies will also collate and transmit information regarding the nationality of people on board, but according to one parliamentary source, despite this provision being possible, it would be left to the discretion of the operator.
Safety standards for passenger ships. The European institutions also reached an agreement on the draft directive revising Directive 2009/45/EC on safety standards for passenger ships. This proposal aims to clarify the technical standards on the construction, stability and prevention of fires on these vessels. Directive 2009/45/EC effectively gave rise to a variety of interpretations according to the kind of vessel targeted, particularly with regard to those built in aluminium. One European source informed EUROPE that this issue also involved France, the only country that had these kinds of vessels. The draft compromise therefore considers that aluminium vessels should apply rules from Directive 2009/45/EC.
The member states are expected to have a two-year period for transposing the directive proposed by the Commission but will also have a six-year transition period (following the transposition of the text) for vessels built in aluminium, according to the same source. French aluminium vessels will have a 12-year transition period following the date of entry into force of the directive for vessels constructed before this date and 10 years for vessels built afterwards.
The text also excludes vessels that are less than 24 m long from the scope of Directive 2009/45/EC.
Inspection of ro-ro ferries and high-speed passenger craft. In addition, the institutions reached an agreement on Wednesday 14 June on the Commission proposal for the inspection of roll on roll off car ferries and high-speed passenger vessels, which abrogates Directive 1999/EC. Different inspection systems, however, have strengthened this directive but these have created a duplication and variety of practices in the different member states.
This new directive will therefore help simplify and harmonise inspection systems. The agreement reached should lead to a reduction in administrative procedures. Following an initial inspection, roll on roll off car ferries and high-speed passenger vessels will also continue to be inspected twice a year.
The member states in which there are no seaports will also, subject to certain conditions, be exempt from having to transpose the directive. (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)