2.

Articles 313a and 313b are replaced by the following: ‘Article 313a A regular shipping service’ means a service which carries goods in vessels that ply only between ports situated in the customs territory of the Community and may not come from, go to or call at any points outside that territory or in a free zone of control type I within the meaning of Article 799 of a port in that territory. Article 313b 1. A shipping company may be authorised to establish regular shipping services following an application to the customs authorities of the Member State in whose territory that company is established or, failing this, in whose territory it has a regional office, provided that the conditions of this Article and of Article 313c are fulfilled. 2. An authorisation shall be issued only to shipping companies which: (a) are established in the customs territory of the Community or have a regional office there and whose records will be available to the competent customs authorities; (b) fulfil the conditions laid down in Article 14h; (c) determine the vessel(s) to be used for the regular shipping service and specify the ports of call once the authorisation is issued; (d) undertake that on the routes of regular shipping services, no calls will be made at any port in a territory outside the customs territory of the Community or at any free zone of control type I in a port in the customs territory of the Community, and that no transhipments of goods will be made at sea; (e) undertake to register the names of the vessels assigned to regular shipping services and the ports of call with the authorising customs authority. 3. The application for an authorisation for a regular shipping service shall specify the Member States concerned by that service. The customs authorities of the Member State to whom the application has been made (the authorising customs authority) shall notify the customs authorities of the other Member States concerned by the shipping service (the corresponding customs authorities) through the electronic information and communication system referred to in Article 14x. Without prejudice to paragraph 4, within 45 days of receipt of such notification, the corresponding customs authorities may refuse the application on the basis that the condition of paragraph 2(b) is not met and communicate the refusal through the electronic information and communication system referred to in Article 14x. The corresponding customs authority shall indicate the grounds for the refusal and the legal provisions relating to the offences committed. In that case, the authorising customs authority shall not issue the authorisation and shall notify the refusal to the applicant stating the reasons for the refusal. Where no reply or refusal is received from the corresponding customs authorities, the authorising customs authority, having examined whether the conditions for the authorisation are met, shall issue an authorisation which shall be accepted by the other Member States concerned by the shipping service. The electronic information and communication system referred to in Article 14x shall be used to store the authorisation and to notify the corresponding customs authorities that the authorisation was issued. 4. Where the shipping company holds an AEO certificate referred to in point (a) or (c) of Article 14a(1), the requirements set out in points (a) and (b) of paragraph 2 of this Article, and as referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article, shall be deemed to be met.’;