Strategic Priorities

Safety

Work with EU policymakers to ensure a high standard of safety for crew, passengers, vessels and cargo.

Some regulatory gaps remain mainly due to the fact that some of the IMO Conventions have still not entered into force or have not been ratified by enough Member States, including those from the EU.

The EU has been successfully engaged in the field of maritime safety for over twenty years. Member States are party to a number of international conventions and codes adopted by the IMO, such as the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS), the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), and the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs). In addition, the EU is, as well as some of its Member States, party to international conventions with a regional focus, such as the 1976 Barcelona Convention (for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution) or the 1992 Helsinki Convention (for covering the same objectives for the Baltic Sea) or the 1992 OSPAR Convention (for the North-East Atlantic). This international framework is supplemented by EU legislation, which only applies on a regional basis to the EU, but sometimes include obligations for non-EU flagged vessels.

Accidents in shipping have substantially decreased over the years thanks to legislative packages introduced at the EU and international levels.

However, some gaps remain mainly due to the fact that some of the IMO Conventions have still not entered into force or have not been ratified by enough Member States, including those from the EU.

One example is the International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea, 1996 (the HNS Convention) and its Protocol of 2010.

 

ECSA is keen to engage with the regulators to:

  • continue the dialogue with shipowners on safety issues
  • maintain the EU’s involvement on safety issues at the international level
  • foster open debates on future maritime safety challenges at both EU and the international levels
  • promote a swift ratification of the 2010 HNS Convention