It emerged from a debate held one day before the vote in Plenary, due on 25 April, that MEPs look set to strengthen rules proposed by the Commission to enhance maritime safety in the EU. But they could be in for a fierce battle with member states, a number of which have strong national maritime interests and are not inclined to allow EU interference on issues such as inspecting ships, helping vessels in distress and compensation for ship passengers and crews.
Nevertheless, the Parliament is likely to request that rules on catching substandard ships be strengthened, notably by hardening the inspection regime for all ships coming through European ports (port state controls).
Member states have asked to be allowed to miss up to 10% of inspections, but EP rapporteur Dominique Vlasto (EPP-ED) is insistent that all individual ships need to be inspected. She proposes concentrating on vessels with a high-risk profile and all passenger ships and oil and chemical tankers of more than 12 years in age, subjecting them to additional inspections.
Member states say that this will be expensive and too hard to police. Up to now, they have only been obliged to check 25% of foreign ships entering their ports. But to arrive at this figure, many states concentrate their controls on safe ships, which take less time, meaning the objective is fulfilled but with a "safety benefit that is close to nil".
Vlasto therefore wants stricter measures, including the possibility of refusing entry into ports for dangerous ships and of banning ships that have been detained more than twice in 36 months.
Another sticking point between member states and Parliament is the proposal to create independent bodies in each country that would be responsible for reacting to accidents at sea.
Rapporteur Dirk Sterckx (ALDE) believes that member states should have "no margin of discretion" in deciding whether to accept that ships in distress be transported to their coasts for repairs, as this can result in loss of precious time before rescue operations take place.
But countries are reluctant to submit themselves to an independent decision-making body that would have the authority to expose their coastlines and ports to serious financial and environmental risks.
Member states are also split over who should take responsibility for investigating accidents once they have happened. Rapporteur Jaromir Kohlicek wants permanent independent investigative bodies to be set up in order to ensure unbiased, in-depth, quality inquiries.
The Parliament is also likely to request stronger passenger protection in the event of accidents and a tighter surveillance of member states' classification societies, bodies to which countries delegate tasks such as inspecting their ships and issuing safety certificates.
