EU Council and Parliament Agree to Improve Stability Requirements for Ro-Ro Passenger Ships
According to a recent statement from the EU Council, following the new international standards on the ground (SOLAS Convention) the amended directive will play an important role in guaranteeing the safety of these ships in the EU, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.
“The agreement will make travelling by car ferries safer in Europe. This is good news for the many EU citizens who commute to work or go on holiday. The new law guarantees these vessels will have to fulfill strengthened stability requirements,” Czech minister of transport Martin Kupka pointed out in this regard.
As the EU Council explains, ‘Ro-ro’ passenger ships offer multiple maritime connections within the Member States, between the Member States, and with third countries and therefore they are of great importance for the transport of passengers and goods in the EU.
In addition, the revised directive is also a direct consequence of one of the most serious maritime accidents in European waters, such as the sinking of ‘Estonia’ in 1994.
As a result, the new legislation ensures compliance with international standards for the stability of damaged passenger ships, which were recently updated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) through the 2020 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS Convention).
The IMO is introducing a new model to assess the survivability of damaged ro-ro passenger ships, as well as new requirements related to them.
On the other hand, IATA points out that these new international standards seem to be insufficient in light of the requirements already in force in the Union for new small ships which would mean that the new law maintains a level of safety requirements equivalent to the law existing in Union for those vessels.
Moreover, the aim of the revised directive is also to strengthen the requirements for fleet entry within the Union for existing large vessels that have not yet been certified in the Union. Thus, the text of the interim political agreement maintains the general purpose of the Commission’s initial proposal, with the exception of extending the transposition deadline from 12 to 18 months.
This temporary political agreement is subject to approval by the two co-legislators. Meanwhile, the Czech presidency is looking forward to presenting the agreement to the representatives of the member states as soon as possible with the aim of its official approval by the Council.
