NoC34/14 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 2.2.94
levelofcompetence .Priorityshallbegiventovessels
andcrewsofthosethirdcountrieswhichhaveapoor
recordwithregardtocompliancewithIMOinstru­
mentsingeneralandtheSTCWConventioninpar­
ticular.
3.9.6.MemberStatesshouldtakeallappropriate
steps,includingthedetentionofavessel,iftheport
authoritiesdiscoverinthecourseofaninspectionthatcrewsareunabletoprovideproofofprofessionalpro­
ficiencyforthedutiesassignedtothemonboardthe
vessel,ortheinspectorhasreasonablegroundsfor
suspectingthatthecertificatesareeitherforgeriesor
havebeenincorrectlyissued.TheInspectorshallalso
beabletoformajudgementbyrequiringtherelevant
crewmemberstodemonstratebothcompetencyand
therequisiteamountofknowledgeinanoperational
context .
DoneatBrussels,24November1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDirectiveonCommonRulesandStandardsforShip
InspectionandSurveyOrganizations (')
(94/C34/06)
On11June1993theCouncildecided,inaccordancewithArticle84(2)oftheTreaty,to
consulttheEconomicandSocialCommitteeontheabovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforTransportandCommunications ,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingthe
Committee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon10November1993.TheRapporteur
wasMrWhitworth .
Atits310thPlenarySession(meetingof24November1993)theEconomicandSocial
CommitteeadoptedthefollowingOpinionunanimously .
1.IntroductionandBackground 1.2.TheseConventions ,whichformthebasisof
internationalstandardsforthedesignandconstruction
ofships,safetyoflifeandpollutionprevention,are:
—theInternationalConventionforSafetyofLifeat
Sea(SOLAS1974);
—theInternational ConventiononLoadLines(LLC
1966);
—theInternational Convention onMarinePollution
(MARPOL1973/1978)
togetherwiththeprotocolsandamendmentsthereto.1.1.ThisproposalformspartoftheCommission's
Actionprogrammeannexedtoitsdocumentsettingout
ACommonPolicyonSafeSeas[COM(93)66final].It
seekstoestablish,bymeansofadraftDirective,com­
moncriteriaofadequateminimumstandardsforthose
organizations towhichMemberStates(andother
countriesoutsidetheCommunity )delegateauthority
toundertakestatutorysurveysandcertificationofcom­
pliancewithcertaininternationalmaritimeConven­
tionsandrelatedProtocols,CodesandResolutions .
1.3.UnderthetermsoftheseConventions national
governmentsareresponsibleforensuringthatships (')OJNoC167,18.6.1993,p.13.

2.2.94 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC34/15
flyingtheirflagsmeettherelevantprovisionsandfor
issuingcertificatesofcomplianceaccordingly .This
workisverycomplex,requiringahighdegreeofpro­
fessionalknowledgeandexpertiseandextensivehuman
andtechnicalresourcesinordertocarryoutthenecess­
aryworldwidesurveillance .tonnagewhichaSocietyshouldhaveinitsclasstogether
withaminimumnumberofexclusivesurveyors;it
wouldhavetodemonstratethenecessaryresearchand
developmentcapabilitiestoenableittomaintaincom­
prehensivetechnicalrulesandregulationsforcom­
pliancetogetherwithadocumentedinternalquality
managementsystem.Thecriteriahavebeenestablished
havingregardtothebestcurrentpracticeworldwide
—e.g.theIACSMemberstatusrequirementsandthe
proposalsbeingdevelopedintheIMO.
1.4.Manynationalgovernments havedecidedto
delegatethiswork,inwholeorpart,toClassification
Societies.Theoriginalandongoingfunctionofthese
Societiesistocertifyonbehalfofshipownerstomarine
underwriters thatvesselsarebuiltandmaintained 'to
class'sothatthelattermayprovideinsurancecover.
Thisinvolvesthevessels'compliancewithRulesand
Regulationsreflectinginternational safetystandards,
whicharepublishedbytheSocieties.2.2.Recognitionwouldbetheresponsibilityofindi­
vidualMemberStates.Aworkingrelationshipwould
beestablishedbetweenthevariousMemberStatesand
theorganizationsthattheyhadrecognized;anorganiza­
tionlocatedintheCommunityrecognizedbyoneMem­
berStatewouldautomatically berecognizedbythe
others.MemberStateswouldnotifyoneanotheras
wellastheCommissionandanadvisoryCommittee
wouldbesetup.MemberStateswouldberesponsible
formonitoringtheeffectivenessoftheorganizations
theyhadrecognized.1.5.Therearenowsome50Classification Societies
worldwide.Inevitablytheyofferavaryingdegreeof
qualityandexpertiseandconcernhasbeenexpressed
aboutthereliabilityofsomeofthemtoissuestatutory
certificatesonbehalfofgovernments .TheInternational
MaritimeOrganization (IMO)hassetupanewsub­
committeeonFlagStateImplementation whichatits
firstmeetinginApril1993consideredtheadoption
ofcriteriafortherecognitionofSocietieswhich,as
originallytabled,weresimilartothosenowproposed
bytheCommission .TheSub-Committee 'sfinalrec­
ommendations wereapprovedbytheIMOMaritime
SafetyCommitteeinMay1993andgoforwardtothe
IMOAssemblyintheautumnforadoptionasanIMO
Resolution .2.3.ThedraftDirectiveseekstoensure,asfaras
possible,thatsimilarstandardsareappliedbycountries
outsidetheCommunitytosuchoftheirshipsasvisit
Communityports.Wheresuchshipscarrycertificates
issuedbyOrganizations whichhavenotbeenrecog­
nizedbyaMemberStatetheyshouldbeinspectedasa
matterofpriorityunderthePortStateControlarrange­
mentstoensuretheircompliancewiththerelevant
internationalstandards.Appropriatemeasuresshould
betakenintheeventofnon-compliance .
1.6,Further,theInternationalAssociationofClassi­
ficationSocieties(IACS),ofwhich11leadingSocieties
aremembers,isdevelopingcommoninterpretations of
therequirementscontainedintheConventionstothe
higheststandards.TheseSocietieshavealsoimplement­
edsophisticatedqualitymanagementsystemswhichare
subjecttoacentralIACSaudit.3.GeneralComments
3.1.TheCommitteeconsidersthattheunderlying
purposeoftheDraftDirectiveshouldbebroadlysup­
portedasbeingasignificantelementintheCom­
mission'sproposalsforimprovingSafetyatSea.
2.TheCommission's Proposals
3.2.ItacceptstheCommission'sassertionthat
Classification Societiesoperateinaninternationally
competitiveenvironmentandareexposedtocommer­
cialpressureswhichmaymilitateagainsttheuniversal
maintenanceofappropriatestandards;further,thata
numberofthemworld-widedonothavetheexperience,
reliabilityandprofessionalism towarranttheirbeing
delegatedtoactonbehalfofnationalAdministrations .
Thissituationjustifiestheadoptionofagreedcriteria
fortheirrecognition .2.1.ThedraftDirectiveprovides,first,thatMember
StateswhichdelegatetoClassification Societiesthe
statutoryinspection,surveyandcertificationfunctions
pursuanttothespecifiedInternationalConventions
shouldonlydosoto'recognized'organizations (Art.3).
Suchorganizationswouldhavetomeetdetailedcriteria
laiddowninAnnex1totheDirective .Thesecriteria
includetheminimumnumberofshipsandtotalgross

NoC34/16 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 2.2.94
couldbeundermined ifthesedidnotcoincidewith
thoseinternationally agreed.3.3.ThemechanismdescribedinArticle4forrecog­
nitionofClassification SocietiesbyindividualMember
Statescoupledwiththerequirementforthelatterto
submitevidencetotheCommissionofcompliancewith
thecriteriawouldseemtobeappropriate .AllMember
Stateswillneedtobesatisfiedwiththeadequacyofthe
criteriaandtherecognitionproceduresastheywill
beobligedunderArticle5.1toacceptcertificatesof
complianceissuedbyanySocietywhichanotherMem­
berStatehasrecognized .3.8.OntheotherhandtheCommission andthe
Council,withalltheprofessionalandtechnicalexpert­
iseavailablewithinthemaritimeadministrations ofthe
MemberStates,willneedtosatisfythemselvesthat
therearesufficientelementsinthecriteriawhichare
capableofobjectivejudgementsoastoensurethatthe
recognitionprocesswillbecarriedoutonaconsistent
basisthroughouttheCommunity .
3.9.TheCommitteeattachesconsiderableimport­
ancetotheprovisionsofArticles6.3,7,B9and10,
whichprovidefortheCommissiontoplayacoordinat­
ingrolewiththeassistanceofanexpertadvisoryCom­
mittee.Thesewillhelptoensureconsistencyinthe
wholeprocessofinitialrecognitionandsubsequent
monitoringandsurveillance .3.4.TheCommitteeisparticularlyconcernedthat
themutualrecognitionobligationshouldnotleadto
anyreductioninthetechnicalandsafetystandards
whichMemberStatescurrentlyrequire.Theprocedures
setoutinArticle6shouldequallyformpartofthe
mutualrecognitionprocessanditshouldbeopentoa
MemberStatetosuspendauthorizationunderArticle9
ifitisnotsatisfiedwiththerecognitionaccordedtoa
Classification SocietybyanotherMemberState.
3.10.TheCommitteenoteswithapprovalthepro­
visionsofArticle11whichseektobringtheinspection
ofcertificatesofcomplianceissuedbynon-recognized
Classification SocietiestoshipsofthirdStateswithin
theambitofPortStateControlinECports.Itis
importantthatthe'appropriatemeasures'specifiedin
Article11.1(b)shouldbesufficienttoensurethetimely
rectificationofdeficienciesandshouldincludedeten­
tionofthevesselinthemoreseriouscases.3.5.ThecriteriaforrecognitionsetoutinAnnexI
arestringent.Itisanticipatedthattheycouldbemet
bythe11IACSmembersbutprobablyonlybyasmall
minorityoftheotherSocietiesworldwide .
3.11.Hopefullythiswillleadintimetoanoverall
raisingofstandards;somethirdStatesmaydecideto
entrusttheircertificationtoSocietiesrecognizedin
accordancewiththeEC'scriteria.EquallySocieties
notsorecognizedmaybeinducedtoimprovetheir
standardstoavoidthepossibledetentioninCommunity
portsofshipscertifiedbythemfollowingfailureto
meetthePortStateControlcriteria.3.6.TheCommission'sdetailedproposalsinthis
respectarevirtuallyidenticaltothoseoriginallytabled
fordiscussionintheIMO.However,therehavebeen
subsequentdevelopments inthatbody.TheResolution
agreedbytheIMOMaritimeSafetyCommitteeatits
meetingattheendofMay(afterthepublicationofthe
Commission'sdraftDirective)andadoptedbytheIMO
AssemblyinNovembernowomitsthequantitative
criteriawhichstillappearintheCommission'spro­
posals.Thesearethatinordertoberecognizeda
Societyshouldhaveinitsclassafleetofatleast1,000
ocean-goingships(over100grt)totallingnolessthan
5milliongrtandshouldemployatechnicalstaffofat
least100exclusivesurveyors.3.12.However,whiletheCommitteeagreesthata
primarycriterionfortheselectionofshipsforPortState
inspectionshouldbecaseswhereclassandstatutory
certificateshavebeenissuedbyanon-recognized
Society,itconsidersthisshouldnottotallypreclude
inspectionintheserespectsofallotherships.
4.Specificcomments3.7.DoubtlesstheCommissionwillwishtogive
furtherconsiderationtotheseaspectsofthecriteriain
thelightoftheIMOdecision.Initsoverallapproach
tomaritimesafetyithasconsistentlysoughttoreflect
provisionsagreedinternationally bytheIMOandthe
ILOintherelevantCommunityinstruments .TheCom­
mitteehassupportedthisapproachinanumberofits
Opinions.InthisinstancetheauthorityoftheCom­
munityinseekingtoapplyitscriteriaindirectlytoships
ofthirdStates(perArticle11oftheDraftDirective)4.1.TheFrenchtextofArticle5.1containsaproviso
(whichisnotpresentintheotherlanguagetexts)which
wouldappeartopermitaMemberStatetorefuse
mutualrecognitionincaseswhereaworkingrelation­
shiphasbeenestablishedbetweenitsadministration
andtheSocietyconcerned,asenvisagedinArticle6.1.

2.2.94 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC34/17
Consistentwiththeviewsexpressedinparagraph3,4
abovetheCommitteebelievesthatthiswouldconstitute
animportantsafeguard,
4.2,Article5.2suggeststhatwhenrecognizinga
SocietylocatedinathirdStateaMemberStatemay
seektonegotiatemutualrecognitionofSocietieslocated
intheCommunity .Thisprovisioncouldproveben­
eficialtotheCommunity'smaritime-related activities
ingeneral.
4.3.TheperformancerecordofSocietiesactingon
behalfofflagStatesasrevealedthroughPortState
Controlinspections,whichisproposedinArticle11.2,
couldwithadvantagebeexpandedtoaninternational
databasecontainingtheresultsofsuchinspectionsby
vesselandflag.TheIMOmightbebestplacedto
undertakethiswork.However,financingcouldconsti­
tuteamajorobstacle.4.4.Article13introducesacompletelyseparate
aspectoftheworkofClassification Societies—i.e.
theformulationbySocietiesofrulesandregulations
governingtheconstructionandmaintenanceofhull,
machineryandelectricalandcontrolinstallations .To
theextentthatthisdoesnotalreadyobtain(andit
accordswithexistingpracticewithinIACS)itwould
clearlybebeneficialforSocietiestoconsultwitheach
otherwithaviewtomaintainingequivalenceandthe
proposalisthereforetobewelcomed.
4.5.Article14providesfortheDirectivetoenter
intoforceon1November1994.Thisdatemustbe
reviewedwhentheDirectiveisfinallyadoptedtoensure
thatsufficienttimeisavailableforMemberStatesto
bringtheirnationalprovisionsintoline.
4.6.The'otherpartiesconcerned'specifiedinSpec­
ificCriterion9inAnnexIshouldincludeprofessional
organizationswhichnumberamongtheirmembersper­
sonswithappropriatesea-goingexperience .
DoneatBrussels,24November1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN