Considerations on COM(1998)662-5 - Enforcement of seafarers' hours of work on board ships using Community ports

Please note

This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.

 
dossier COM(1998)662-5 - Enforcement of seafarers' hours of work on board ships using Community ports.
document COM(1998)662 EN
date December 13, 1999
 
(1) Community action in the field of social policy aims, inter alia, at improving the health and safety of workers in their working environment;

(2) Community action in the field of maritime transport aims, inter alia, at improving shipboard living and working conditions of seafarers, safety at sea and the prevention of pollution caused by maritime accidents;

(3) During its eighty-fourth session of 8 to 22 October 1996 the International Labour Organisation Conference (ILO) adopted ILO Convention No 180 concerning Seafarers' Hours of Work and the Manning of Ships, 1996 (hereinafter 'ILO Convention No 180' and the Protocol to the Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1976 (hereinafter 'the Protocol to ILO Convention No 147');

(4) Council Directive 99/63/EC of 21 June 1999 concerning the Agreement on the organisation of working time of seafarers concluded by the European Community Shipowners' Association (ECSA) and the Federation of Transport Workers' Unions in the European Union (FST)(4) adopted under Article 139(2) of the Treaty, aims to put into effect the said Agreement concluded on 30 September 1998 (hereinafter the 'Agreement'); the content of the Agreement reflects certain provisions of ILO Convention No 180; the Agreement applies to seafarers on board every seagoing ship, whether publicly or privately owned, which is registered in the territory of any Member State and is ordinarily engaged in commercial maritime operations;

(5) The purpose of this Directive is to apply the provisions of Directive 1999/63/EC which reflect the provisions of ILO Convention No 180, to any ship calling at a Community port, irrespective of the flag it flies in order to identify and remedy any situation which is manifestly hazardous for the safety or health of seafarers; however, Directive 1999/63/EC includes requirements which are not to be found in ILO Convention No 180 and which should not therefore be enforced on board ships not flying the flag of a Member State;

(6) Directive 1999/63/EC applies to seafarers on board every seagoing ship registered in the territory of a Member State; Member States should monitor compliance with all the provisions of the said Directive by ships registered in their territory;

(7) In order to protect safety and to avoid distortions of competition, Member States should be allowed to verify compliance with the relevant provisions of Directive 1999/63/EC by all sea-going vessels calling at their ports, irrespective of the State in which they are registered;

(8) In particular, ships flying the flag of a State which is not a party to ILO Convention No 180 or the Protocol to ILO Convention No 147 should not receive more favourable treatment than those flying the flag of a State which is a party to either the Convention or Protocol or to both of them;

(9) For the control of the effective enforcement of Directive 1999/63/EC, it is necessary that Member States carry out inspections on board ships, notably after having received a complaint by the master, a crew member, or any person or organisation with a legitimate interest in the safe operation of the ship, shipboard living and working conditions or the prevention of pollution;

(10) For the purposes of this Directive Member States, on their own initiative, may designate, as appropriate, Port State Control inspectors to carry out inspections on board vessels calling at Community ports;

(11) Evidence that a ship does not comply with the requirements of Directive 1999/63/EC may be obtained after verification of the shipboard working arrangements and seafarers' records of hours of work or hours of rest, or when the inspector has a reasonable belief that seafarers are excessively fatigued;

(12) In order to rectify any conditions on board a ship which are clearly hazardous to safety or health, the competent authority of the Member State in whose port the ship has called may impose a prohibition on leaving the port until the deficiencies found have been rectified or the crew is sufficiently rested;

(13) Since Directive 1999/63/EC reflects the provisions of ILO Convention No 180, verification of compliance with the provisions of that Directive by ships registered in the territory of a third State can take place only when this Convention has entered into force.