New approach to safety of small passenger ships
Recently, we 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 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 review of EU rules on passenger ship safety and the recommendation of the fitness check to develop a new, performance based approach to the safety of small passenger ships.