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Displaying items by tag: Flag State Directive

#FlagDirective- Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar has confirmed another successful Irish Presidency trilogue with the European Parliament on the Flag State Directive, which covers marine issues.

The trilogue which involved negotiations between the EU's Council, Commission and Parliament met last week to reach agreement.

"The safety and welfare of those working in the maritime sector is vital. The agreement on the EU Directive on Flag State control, following on from last month's agreement on Port State control, is a key milestone in implementing the Maritime Labour Convention" said Minister Varadkar.

"Ireland has a strong maritime tradition and we are very happy to advance a number of important maritime initiatives during our Presidency. We recently finalised an agreement between Member States and the European Parliament on an EU directive in relation to technical standards for Recreational Water-based Craft which should see improved emission standards and increased competitiveness among European manufacturers.

"We also expect to make significant progress on the revised Marine Equipment Directive, which streamlines and updates procedures for approval of equipment installed on board EU ships, and which is very important for the industry and the functioning of the internal market as well as for safety of EU ships."

The final text agreed of the Trilogue on the Flag State Directive will be presented to Coreper for final endorsement by Member States.

 

Published in Ports & Shipping

Coastal Notes Coastal Notes covers a broad spectrum of stories, events and developments in which some can be quirky and local in nature, while other stories are of national importance and are on-going, but whatever they are about, they need to be told.

Stories can be diverse and they can be influential, albeit some are more subtle than others in nature, while other events can be immediately felt. No more so felt, is firstly to those living along the coastal rim and rural isolated communities. Here the impact poses is increased to those directly linked with the sea, where daily lives are made from earning an income ashore and within coastal waters.

The topics in Coastal Notes can also be about the rare finding of sea-life creatures, a historic shipwreck lost to the passage of time and which has yet many a secret to tell. A trawler's net caught hauling more than fish but cannon balls dating to the Napoleonic era.

Also focusing the attention of Coastal Notes, are the maritime museums which are of national importance to maintaining access and knowledge of historical exhibits for future generations.

Equally to keep an eye on the present day, with activities of existing and planned projects in the pipeline from the wind and wave renewables sector and those of the energy exploration industry.

In addition Coastal Notes has many more angles to cover, be it the weekend boat leisure user taking a sedate cruise off a long straight beach on the coast beach and making a friend with a feathered companion along the way.

In complete contrast is to those who harvest the sea, using small boats based in harbours where infrastructure and safety poses an issue, before they set off to ply their trade at the foot of our highest sea cliffs along the rugged wild western seaboard.

It's all there, as Coastal Notes tells the stories that are arguably as varied to the environment from which they came from and indeed which shape people's interaction with the surrounding environment that is the natural world and our relationship with the sea.