Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 98/18/EC of 17 March 1998, on safety rules and standards for passenger ships
Date: 2002-03-25
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: International Maritime Organisation, carriage of passengers, maritime safety, maritime transport, safety standard, transport safety

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Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council
Directive 98/18/EC of 17 March 1998, on safety rules and standards for passenger ships

(2003/C 20 E/06)

(Text with EEA relevance)

COM(2002) 158 final — 2002/0075(COD)

(Submitted by the Commission on 25 March 2002)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

1.

Background and objectives

In order to ensure harmonisation of safety regulations applying to passenger ferries operating within
the EU, the European Commission in 1996 proposed a Directive to apply rules equivalent to those
applicable at the international level in a harmonised manner also to the domestic trade. Council
Directive 98/18/EC was subsequently adopted on 17 March 1998, and entered into force the same
year. The rules included in Annex I to the Directive translate the relevant international instruments
into safety requirements for vessels operating on domestic services. These requirements apply to all
types of domestic passenger ferries, whilst taking into account their size, age and the characteristics
of the sea area in which they are licensed to operate.

Although a relatively recently adopted Directive, the European Commission considers that certain
provisions contained therein should be simplified or updated in order to provide sufficient
protection for passengers on domestic journeys in the EU Member States. This Directive,
therefore proposes to amend Council Directive 98/18/EC in the following way, to:

— update the Directive taking into account developments of international conventions and codes

for maritime safety, notably the 2000 High Speed Craft Code,

— simplify and improve the procedure for the definition and publication of sea areas, a procedure
that is crucial for the implementation of this directive, since the safety requirements applying to
a specific vessel depend on the sea area in which it operates,

— introduce specific stability requirements for certain categories of ro-ro passenger ships operating
to those in the proposed Directive on specific stability
on domestic services, equivalent
requirements for ro-ro passenger ships engaged on international voyages, and phase out ro-ro
passenger ships which are not upgraded to comply with such stability requirements,

— require that Member States endeavour to make all its passenger vessels, regardless of size, age
and the sea area in which they operate, safe and accessible for passengers with reduced mobility.
This is in line with other proposals by the Commission to render other modes of transport
accessible and safe for such passengers,

— remove the derogation for Greece, thus simplifying the Directive given the marginal impact of

the derogation.

2.

Justification of the proposed measures

The objective of the proposed measure is to amend existing Council Directive 98/18/EC. The
justification is multi-fold. Despite being a relatively recently adopted Directive, certain problems
related to its implementation have already been identified. The principal problem with the Directive
at Community level, relates to the difficulty of verifying implementation, mainly since the current
procedure for publication of sea areas is not practicable. This short-coming has an implication at
Community level, and for all Member States, since the implementation of Directive 98/18/EC
cannot be verified, without having a proper and workable arrangement in place for the designation
and publication of sea areas.

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It is furthermore justified to ensure that the Directive is made flexible to update certain articles in
relation to developments at international level, in particular in relation to the safety of high speed
crafts.

The introduction of more specific stability requirements for ro-ro passenger ships operating on
domestic services is also justified, to improve safety and to ensure an equivalent level of safety
between international and domestic services.

The introduction of safety guidelines for passengers with reduced mobility is in line with the
principle introduced by the Amsterdam Treaty on combating discrimination on grounds of,
among other things, disability and age.

Finally, it should be noted that certain provisions have been introduced that leave a large degree of
flexibility to the Member States in line with the principle of subsidiarity, notably as regards safety
and access requirements for passengers with reduced mobility.

3.

Content of the proposal

The proposal contains two articles making modifications to the existing articles of Council Directive
98/18/EC, and articles to ensure the applicability of such modifications.

4.

Specific considerations

4.1. Definitions (Article 1.1)

New definition 2 (w) on ‘persons with reduced mobility’ is introduced with reference to proposed
new Article 6b. The definition used is that of Directive 2001/85/EC of the European Parliament and
of the Council of 20 November 2001 (1), relating to special provisions for vehicles used for the
carriage of passenger comprising more than eight seats in addition to the driver's seat, and
amending Directives 70/156/EEC and 97/27/EC. This definition, recently agreed by Council and
Parliament, has been found appropriate by the Commission for this Directive also, as it relates to
safety and access requirements for a particular mode of public transport for passengers with reduced
mobility. See also paragraph 4.6.

4.2.

Procedure for the publication of sea areas (Article 1.2)

The Commission proposes a new simplified procedure for the establishment, notification and
publication of a list of the sea areas A, B, C and D, which determine the specific safety requirements
that apply to ships operating in each particular area. The modification is prompted by the problems
encountered in the implementation of Directive 98/18/EC. It is crucial to modify this procedure to
facilitate implementation by Member States and to monitor implementation at Community level.

Furthermore the Commission proposes that the notification of sea areas to the Commission, in
accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 9, should be simplified.

The procedure proposed for the publication introduces more flexibility and transparency for the
operators at Member State and Community level.

4.3.

Ending the derogation for Greek passenger ships (Article 2)

Directive 98/18/EC includes a derogation for passenger vessels trading on domestic services in
Greece only. Given the limited practical implication of this derogation, the Commission proposes
to delete this derogation from the Directive with effect from 1.1.2005, in order to simplify the
Directive.

(1) OJ L 42, 13.2.2002, p. 1.

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4.4.

Stability requirements and phasing-out age (Article 1.3)

The Commission's proposal
introduces specific stability requirements for ro-ro passenger ships
engaged in international voyages to/from EU ports. This would ensure an increased level of
safety of ro-ro passenger vessels operating on the above routes, by 1 October 2010 at the latest.

Taking into account that ro-ro passenger ships encounter similar sea conditions in domestic voyages
as in international voyages and in order to achieve the same level of safety for ships operating in
different sea areas under the same sea conditions, the Commission proposes that domestic ro-ro
passenger ships should also comply with specific stability requirements. The specific stability
requirements shall apply to all new ro-ro passenger ships of classes A, B and C as from
1 October 2004. For new ro-ro passenger ships of class D,
the specific
stability requirements is not justified, due to the restricted operational conditions applying to
these ships. However, taking into account the difficulties that can be encountered in upgrading
existing vessels of classes A and B, the Commission proposes to introduce as an alternative the
possibility of phasing out such vessels at the age of 30 years if the specific stability requirements
cannot be complied with. The same phasing out possibility shall apply to existing ro-ro passenger
ships of classes C and D, unless they fully comply with the stability requirements set out in
paragraph II-1/B/8 of Annex I of the Directive. This means full compliance of these vessels with
the SOLAS 90 stability requirements, an obligation from which they are presently exempted.

the application of

4.5.

2000 High Speed Craft Code (Article 1.4)

Directive 98/18/EC currently applies the High Speed Craft Code(HSC Code) as contained in IMO
Maritime Safety Committee Resolution MSC 36(63) of 20 May 1994 in full to all High speed craft
operating on domestic services. On 5 December 2000, the 2000 HSC Code was adopted, which will
apply for all new vessels whose keels are laid or which are at a similar stage of construction on or
after 1 July 2002. The HSC Code 2000 does not replace the previous code for vessels constructed
before that date, but applies to new vessels only.

The Commission therefore proposes to amend Article 8(a) in order to allow the HSC Code 2000 to
be made applicable through Directive 98/18/EC in a similar manner to the 1994 HSC Code,
through the comitology procedure. This is in full accordance with the principle included in
Directive 98/18/EC as regards Annex I and definitions in Article 2 in relation to International
Conventions.

4.6.

Introducing safety and access requirements for passengers with reduced mobility (Article 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5)

The Commission proposes to introduce specific safety requirements for persons with reduced
mobility, who can make up up to 30 % of the population, and hence a large proportion of
potential passengers. The measures proposed relate equally to the safety of and access to
passenger ships for this group of passengers. The importance of all passengers, with or without
reduced mobility, being guaranteed the same level of safety is crucial.

Council Directives 1999/35/EC (1) and 98/41/EC (2) cover a rather limited area of safety and
accessibility for people with reduced mobility since they concern specific services and assistance,
and not necessarily general information about the ship and safety arrangements.

(1) Council Directive 1999/35/EC of 29 April 1999 on a system of mandatory surveys for the safe operation of regular

ro-ro ferry and high-speed passenger craft services (OJ L 138, 1.6.1999, p. 1).

(2) Council Directive 98/41/EC of 18 June 1998 on the registration of persons sailing on board passenger ships

operating to or from ports of the Member States of the Community (OJ L 188, 2.7.1998, p. 35).

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The mechanism proposed is that guidelines are included in a new Annex III, which shall apply to all
ships and craft operating on domestic services. Because some modifications to be retrofitted to
existing ships may be unreasonable costly, the guidelines shall apply to existing ships and crafts as
far as reasonable and practicable. Member States shall furthermore develop national action plans for
how the existing fleet of passenger vessels shall be upgraded to comply with the guidelines in
Annex III. These guidelines are in line with the International Maritime Organisation's Maritime
Safety Committee Circular 735 (MSC/Circ.735) of 24 June 1996 entitled ‘Recommendation on
the design and operation of passenger ships to respond to elderly and disabled persons needs’.

In this process, it is crucial that Member States consult organisations representative of persons with
reduced mobility, to ensure that the measures taken are reasonable and acceptable, and will offer a
real solution to the current problems encountered on board passenger ships.

The Member States are requested to communicate their national action plans on existing ships and
report to the Commission on implementation of the article as regards new ships, new and existing
high speed craft, as well as those existing ships certified to carry more than 400 passengers.

It is furthermore proposed that Annexes II and III be amended through comitology procedure in the
light of experience, notably that gained by Member States in the process of implementing this
Directive.

4.7. Modifications to the mandate of the Committee for adaptations (Article 1.4)

The Commission proposes to modify the mandate of the Committee as outlined in Article 8 of
Directive 98/18/EC, for the following purposes:

— Article 8(a)(iii) is added to enable revision of the articles of the Directive relating to the HSC

Code as outlined in paragraph 4.5.

— Article 8(c) is added to give the Committee the mandate to modify Annexes II and III as outlined

in paragraph 4.6.

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community, and in particular Article 80(2) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social
Committee,

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions,

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article
251 of the Treaty,

Whereas:

(1) Council Directive 98/18/EC of 17 March 1998 on safety
rules and standards for passenger ships (1)
introduces a
uniform level of safety of life and property on new and
existing passenger ships and high speed craft, when both
categories of ships and craft are engaged on domestic
voyages, and lays down procedures for negotiation at inter-

(1) OJ L 144, 15.5.1998, p. 1.

national level with a view to a harmonisation of the rules
for passenger ships engaged on international voyages.

(2) The definition of sea areas is crucial

to determine the
application of Directive 98/18/EC to different classes of
passenger ships. The Directive includes a procedure for
lists of sea areas that has proved
the publication of
difficult
therefore necessary to
establish a functional and transparent procedure, enabling
the
the
effective monitoring of
Directive.

implementation of

to implement.

is

It

(3) With a view to harmonising the level of safety applying to
the derogation
passenger ships across the Community,
given to Greece in relation to the timetable for
the
application of the safety requirements should be deleted.

ships)

strengthened

(4) Directive (. . ./EC on specific stability requirements for ro-ro
passenger
stability
introduces
requirements for ro-ro passenger vessels operating on inter-
national services to and from Community ports, and this
enhanced measure should also apply to such vessels
operating on domestic services under
same sea
conditions. Failure to apply such stability requirements
should be ground for phasing out ro-ro passenger ships
after certain years of operation.

the

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(5) It is necessary to take account of changes that have been
made to relevant international
instruments, such as the
International Maritime Organisation (IMO) conventions,
protocols, codes and resolutions, and to do so in a
flexible and rapid manner.

(6) By virtue of Directive 98/18/EC, the International Code for
Safety of High Speed Craft contained in IMO Maritime
Safety Committee Resolution MSC 36 (63) of 20 May
1994 applies
to all high speed craft operating on
domestic services. The IMO has adopted a new high
speed craft code,
the International Code for Safety of
High Speed Craft, 2000 (2000 HSC Code), contained in
IMO Maritime Safety Committee Resolution MSC 97 (73)
of 5 December 2000, applying to all high speed craft
constructed on or after 1 July 2002. It is important to
ensure that Directive 98/18/EC can be updated in a
flexible manner to apply such developments at the inter-
national
level, also to high speed craft operating on
domestic services.

(7) It is important to have regard to the level of safety and
access guaranteed to persons with reduced mobility when
travelling on passenger ships and high speed craft on
domestic services in the Member States.

(8) Directive

98/18/EC should

therefore

be

amended

accordingly,

HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:

Article 1

Directive 98/18/EC is hereby amended as follows:

1. In Article 2 the following point is added:

‘(w)

impairments,

“persons with reduced mobility” means all people who
have a difficulty when using public transport, such as
disabled people (including people with sensory and
users),
intellectual
people with limb impairments, people of
small
stature, people with heavy luggage, elderly people,
pregnant women, people with shopping trolleys, and
people with children (including children seated in push
chairs).’

and wheelchair

2. Article 4, paragraph 2 is replaced by the following:

‘2.

Each Member State shall:

jurisdiction,

(a) establish and promptly update a list of sea areas under
its
the
all-year-round and, where appropriate, restricted peri-
odical operation of
the classes of ships, using the
criteria for classes set out in paragraph 1;

delimiting

zones

the

for

(b) publish the list in a public database available on the
Internet site of the competent maritime authority;

(c) notify to the Commission the

such
information, and when modifications are made to the
list.’

location of

3. Articles 6a and 6b are inserted:

‘Article 6a

Stability requirements
passenger ships

and phasing-out of

ro-ro

All ro-ro passenger ships of Classes A, B, and C, the
1.
keel of which is laid or which are at a similar stage of
construction on or after 1 October 2004 shall comply
with the specific stability requirements set out in Directive
[. . ./EC].

All ro-ro passenger ships of Classes A and B, the keel
2.
of which is
stage of
laid or which are at a similar
construction before 1 October 2004 shall comply with
the specific stability requirements
in Directive
[. . ./EC] by 1 October 2010, unless they are phased out
on that date or on a later date on which they reach the
age of 30 years but in any case not later than 1 January
2015.

set out

3.
All ro-ro passenger ships of Classes C and D, the keel
stage of
of which is
laid or which are at a similar
construction before 1 October 2004 shall comply with
the provisions of paragraph II-1/B/8 of Annex I by
1 October 2010, unless they are phased out on that date
or on a later date on which they reach the age of 30 years
but in any case not later than 1 January 2015.’

‘Article 6b

Safety requirements for persons with reduced mobility

1. Member States shall take appropriate measures, based
on the guidelines in Annex III
to enable persons with
reduced mobility to have safe access to all passenger ships
of Classes A, B, C and D and to all high speed passenger
craft, the keel of which is laid or which are at a similar stage
of construction on or after 1 October 2004.

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shall co-operate with and consult
2. Member States
organisations representing persons with reduced mobility
on the implementation of
included in
Annex III.

the guidelines

3.
For the purpose of modification of passenger ships of
Classes A, B C and D and high speed craft, the keel of
which is laid or which are at a similar stage of construction
before 1 October 2004, Member States shall apply the
guidelines in Annex III as far as reasonable and practicable
in economic terms.

Member States shall draw up a national action plan on how
the guidelines shall be applied to such ships and craft. They
shall communicate that plan to the Commission.

4. Member States shall report to the Commission on the
implementation of this Article as regards all passenger ships
referred to in paragraph 1, passenger ships referred to in
paragraph 3 certified to carry more than 400 passengers
and all high speed crafts, before 1 October 2007.’

4. Article 8, is amended as follows:

(a)

in point (a) the following subpoint is inserted:

5. Annex III is added, as set out in the Annex.

Article 2

Point (g) of Article 6 (3) of Directive 98/18/EC is deleted with
effect from 1 January 2005.

Article 3

Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and
administrative provisions necessary to comply with this
Directive by 1 January 2004 at
the latest. They shall
forthwith inform the Commission thereof.

When Member States adopt those provisions, they shall contain
a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such a
reference on the occasion of
their official publication.
Member States shall determine how such reference is to be
made.

‘and

Article 4

(iii)

the provisions relating to the High Speed Craft
Code,
thereto,
referred to in Articles 4(3), 6(4), 10(3) and 11(3).’

amendments

subsequent

and

This Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day
following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the
European Communities.

(b) the following point (c) is added:

‘(c) Annexes II and III may be amended to improve the
technical specifications, in the light of experience.’

Article 5

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.

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ANNEX

‘ANNEX III

GUIDELINES FOR SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR PASSENGER SHIPS AND HIGH SPEED CRAFT FOR
PERSONS WITH REDUCED MOBILITY

1. Access to the ship

(as referred to in Article 6b)

The ships should be constructed and equipped in such a way that a person with reduced mobility can embark and
disembark easily and safely, either unassisted or by means of ramps, elevators or lifts. Directions to such access
should be posted at the other accesses to the ship and at other appropriate locations throughout the ship.

2. Signs

Signs provided on a ship to aid passengers should be accessible and easy to read for persons with reduced mobility,
and be positioned at key points.

3. Means to communicate messages

The operator should have the means onboard the vessel to visually and verbally provide announcements, such as
regarding delays, schedule changes and on-board services, to persons with different forms of reduced mobility.

4. Alarm

Alarm/call buttons shall be available and accessible to passengers with reduced mobility.

5. Additional requirements ensuring mobility inside the ship

Handrails, corridors and passageways, doorways and doors shall accommodate the movement of a person in a
wheelchair. Elevators, vehicle decks, passenger lounges, accommodation and washrooms shall be designed in
order to be accessible in a reasonable and proportionate manner to persons with reduced mobility.’