Safety rules and standards for passenger ships

By Tomas Abrahamsson

This is an opinion on the proposal for a Directive amending Directive 2009/45/EC on safety rules and standards for passenger ships on domestic routes.

The proposal has emerged from the REFIT program carried out by the Commission with respect to the legislation on passenger ship safety, and forms a part of a maritime package of three proposals, amending also Directive 2010/65/EU on reporting formalities and Directive 2002/59/EC on traffic monitoring and information systems (opinions TEN/603 & TEN/604).

The proposal on 2009/45/EC tries to limit and clarify the scope of this Directive. The EESC welcomes in general this proposal, especially the clarification that aluminium is a material equivalent to steel and that the corresponding fire standards are therefore applicable.

The proposal also excludes all small ships below 24 meters from the scope of the Directive, while at present, only existing passenger ships are excluded, not new ones. The EESC recommends that the application to new ships below 24 meters in length be retained in the interests of passenger safety.

The EESC welcomes the importance that the current EU regulations on passenger ship safety attach to accessibility for persons with reduced mobility, and expresses its satisfaction with the fact that EU standards represent an important added value when compared to international standards, which do not include any mandatory provision in this regard.

 

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