OBJECTIVE: Council directive 95/21/EC seeks to harmonize the enforcement, in respect of shipping using Community ports and sailing in the waters under the jurisdiction of Member States, of international standards for ship safety, pollution prevention and shipboard living and working conditions.
CONTENT:
- port state controls will apply in all ports, including internal ports, in off-shore installations in service on the continental shelf of a Member State and to ships anchored at sea off such ports or off-shore terminals;
- the total number of inspections will correspond to at least 25% of the number of ships entering the ports of each Member State during a typical year;
- priority inspections will be carried out on certain categories of ships;
- detailed inspections will be carried out where there are clear grounds for believing that a ship does not meet international standards;
- enhanced controls will be carried out on certain categories of ships where there are clear grounds for doing so;
- enhanced controls will be carried out on passenger ships providing regular services between Member States;
- on completion of the inspection, an inspection report containing corrective action to be taken will be sent to the master;
- ships will be detained and operation prohibited in the case of deficiencies which are clearly hazardous to safety, health or the environment;
- the inspection may be suspended and corrective action demanded as and when it becomes clear that the general state of the ship is not up to standard;
- the owner or operator of a ship may appeal against the decision to detain the ship;
- ships which refuse to comply with a request by a Member State to meet international standards may be refused access to all Community ports;
- inspections will only be carried out by surveyors who meet the qualification criteria specified in the directive;
- reports will be drafted by pilots and harbour authorities;
- the competent authorities will cooperate and exchange information on ships using their ports;
- the competent authorities will publish quarterly lists of ships detained.
- Member States must comply with the directive by 31 June 1996.�