Cutting red tape in shipping: a far cry from stated intentions

The European Commission recently released a report on the progress made towards simplifying administrative formalities for ships calling EU ports.

In 2009, the European Commission had produced a maritime […]

Time and tide wait for nobody: Shipowners and ports call for scrubber clarifications

Following the plenary meeting of the ESSF (European Sustainable Shipping Forum) last week, European shipowners and port authorities urgently call for the clarification of the rules pertaining to […]

Commission extends Liner Consortia Block Exemption Regulation until 2020

The European Commission announced today that the validity of EU rules, which exempt liner shipping consortia that have a market share of up to 30% from EU antitrust rules, will be extended […]

Maritime security strategy: Shipowners call for more action on piracy and streamlining of port security measures

European shipowners are calling for the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers to endorse a joint European Commission/European External Action Service (EC/EEAS) Communication, which outlines global […]

Implementation of the EU Sulphur Directive must be harmonised and realistic

Today is the deadline by which EU Member States have to transpose the European Sulphur Directive into national legislation. With the entry into force of the new European sulphur rules […]

Avoiding the iceberg: EU shipowners’ recommendations for an EU Arctic policy

The legal regime for trans-Arctic shipping is complex and consists of the framework laid down in UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of […]

ECSA brings offshore shipping into the fold

In recent years, one of shipping’s more specialised segments, namely service and offshore support vessels, has increased its importance exponentially. The sector includes, among others, ships laying or repairing undersea cables or pipelines, ships […]

European Shipowners welcome Athens Declaration on Maritime Transport Policy

Yesterday, EU Maritime Ministers met in Athens under the chairmanship of the Greek Minister of Shipping, Maritime Affairs and the Aegean, Mr Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, to discuss the mid-term review of the European Commission’s 2009 […]

Filipino seafarers: European Commission acknowledges progress, but ban still pending

In a press release issued last Friday through the EU delegation in Manila, the European Commission confirmed that the Philippine authorities have made substantial efforts to bring their maritime education, training and certification […]

EU shipowners applaud European Parliament’s change of heart on monitoring of CO2 emissions

The plenary of the European Parliament (EP) adopted today its report on the Commission proposal for a Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) Regulation of CO2 emissions from ships […]