Amending Directive 2002/59/EC. The purpose of this Directive was to make a number of amendments in order to improve and extend the original, including: facilitating the implementation and operation of SafeSeaNet in a uniform way across Europe, establishing European LRIT data centre, and extending the Directive to fishing vessels over 15m long.

on the insurance of shipowners for maritime claims (Text with EEA relevance)

on compliance with flag State requirements (Text with EEA relevance)

on common rules and standards for ship inspection and survey organisations and for the relevant activities of maritime administrations (Text with EEA relevance)

Directive 2009/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 establishing the fundamental principles governing the investigation of accidents in the maritime transport sector and amending Council Directive 1999/35/EC and Directive 2002/59/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (Text with EEA relevance)

amending Directive 2003/87/EC so as to improve and extend the greenhouse gas emission allowance trading scheme of the Community

on common rules and standards for ship inspection and survey organisations (Text with EEA relevance)

giving effect to Article 6(3) and Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 782/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the prohibition of organotin compounds on ships and amending that Regulation

laying down revised procedures for conducting Commission inspections in the field of maritime security (Text with EEA relevance)

on shipments waste

on the implementation of the International Safety Management Code within the Community and repealing Council Regulation (EC) 3051/95

The European Parliament and Council Directive 2005/35/EC of 7 September 2005, as amended by Directive 2009/123/EC of 21 October 2009 “on ship-source pollution and on the introduction of penalties, including criminal penalties, for pollution offences”, states that the European Maritime Safety Agency shall:

(a) ‘work with the Member States in developing technical solutions and providing technical assistance …in actions such as tracing discharges by satellite monitoring and surveillance’;

(b) ‘assist the Commission in the implementation of this Directive’ including, if appropriate, by means of visits to the Member States, in accordance with Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002’.

The Directive recognises that EMSA ‘has a key role to play in working with the Member States in developing technical solutions and providing technical assistance relating to the implementation of this Directive and in assisting the Commission in the performance of any task assigned to it for the effective implementation of this Directive’.

amending Directive 1999/32/EC as regards the sulphur content of marine fuels.

The Directive 1999/32/EC establishes limits on the maximum sulphur content of gas oils, heavy fuel oil in land-based applications as well as marine fuels for which it serves as the EU legal instrument to incorporate the sulphur provisions of the MARPOL Annex VI. The Directive furthermore contains some additional fuel-specific requirements for ships calling at EU ports, obligations related to the use of fuels covered by the Directive, and the placing on the market of certain fuels (e.g. marine gas oils). The Directive does not contain provisions to regulate ship emissions of NOx or PM.

By the amendment 2005/33/EC parallel requirements in the EU to those in MARPOL Annex VI in respect of the sulphur content of marine fuels was introduced. In addition, it also introduced a 0.1% maximum sulphur requirement for fuels used by ships at berth in EU ports from 1st January 2010. This Directive is currently under review with the goal to align it with the 2008 MARPOL amendment. Further information on the on-going amendment procedure can be found through:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/air/transport/ships_directive.htm

on enhancing ship and port facility security (Text with EEA relevance)

amending Council Directive 98/18/EC on safety rules and standards for passenger ships

on specific stability requirements for ro-ro passenger ships (Text with EEA relevance)

on the prohibition of organotin compounds on ships.

establishing a Committee on Safe Seas and the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (COSS) and amending the Regulations on maritime safety and the prevention of pollution from ships and the corresponding