The European Commission has adopted a proposal to coordinate safety rules for small passenger ships (length below 24 meters). It is the first time a common safety framework for all small passenger ships is presented at EU level.
The proposal recommends Member States to follow common safety goals and functional requirements for small passenger ships – such as for ship design, fire hazards and emergency situations. These requirements, if endorsed and further developed by Member States, will provide a common level of safety for passengers sailing domestically and facilitate access for manufacturers and operators to the wider EU market.
The proposal follows on the recently improved rules on passenger ship safety and the recommendations of the Regulatory Fitness and Performance (REFIT) check, which recommended to develop a new, performance based approach to the safety of small passenger ships.
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Source: European Commission
