Explanatory note

These regulations implement articles 3, 5, 9 and 11 of Directive 2002/84/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5th November 2002 amending the Directives on maritime safety and the prevention of pollution from ships (“the Directive”). The Regulations provide, as required by the Directive, that references to various international conventions together with the Protocols and amendments to those Conventions and related codes of mandatory status shall be to their up to date versions. In two cases (Regulations 6 and 7), the domestic regulations are amended to refer to the Directive.

The Regulations amend the following Regulations:

The Merchant Shipping (Ship Inspection and Survey Organisations) Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/2908)

The Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards of Safety Communications) Regulations 1997 (S.I. 1997/529)

The Merchant Shipping (Marine Equipment) Regulations 1999 (S.I. 1999/1957)

The Merchant Shipping (Accident and Investigation) Regulations 1999 (S.I. 1999/2567)

The Merchant Shipping (Mandatory Surveys for Ro-Ro Ferry and High Speed Passenger Craft) Regulations 2001 (S.I. 2001/152).

Other Regulations implementing the Directive are the Merchant Shipping (Passenger Ships on Domestic Voyages) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/771) (article 7), the Merchant Shipping (Port State Control) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/1636) (article 4), the Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Port Waste Reception Facilities) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/1809) (article 10), and the Merchant Shipping (Safe Loading and Unloading of Bulk Carriers) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/2002) (article 12).

A Regulatory Impact Assessment and Transposition Note have been produced in relation to the Directive and copies have been placed in the library of both Houses of Parliament. Copies may be obtained from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Spring Place, 105 Commercial Road, Southampton SO15 1EG (telephone number 02380 32917). (The Transposition Note explains where provisions of the Directive have been implemented by other Regulations.)

Merchant Shipping Notices are published by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Copies may be obtained from Mail Marketing (Scotland), Bloomsgrove Industrial Estate, Norton Street, Nottingham NG7 3JG (telephone number 0115 9013336; fax 0115 901334; e-mail [email protected]). They may also be accessed via the MCA’s website http://www.mcga.gov.uk

Copies of the international conventions referred to in these Regulations may be obtained from the International Maritime Organization at 4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SR.