S.I. No. 419/2002 - European Communities (Passenger Ships) Regulations 2002

I, DERMOT AHERN, Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 3 of the European Communities Act 1972 (No. 27 of 1972) and for the purpose of giving effect to Council Directive 98/18/EC of 17 March 1998¹ as amended by Commission Directive 2002/25/EC of 5 March 2002² on safety rules and standards for passenger ships, hereby make the following Regulations:

1.

2.

“the Act of 1955” means the Mercantile Marine Act 1955 (No. 29 of 1955);

“the Act of 1959” means the Maritime Jurisdiction Act 1959 (No. 22 of 1959);

“the Act of 1992” means the Merchant Shipping Act 1992 (No. 2 of 1992) as amended by the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Casualties) Act 2000 (No. 14 of 2000);

“Council Directive” means Council Directive 98/18/EC of 17 March 1998 on safety rules and standards for passenger ships, as amended by Commission Directive 2002/25/EC of 5 March 2002;

“high speed passenger craft” means a high speed passenger craft to which the Council Directive applies engaged on a domestic voyage;

“internal waters of the State” shall be construed in accordance with section 5 of the Act of 1959;

“Irish high speed passenger craft” means a high speed passenger craft that is entitled to wear the proper national colours within the meaning of section 10 of the Act of 1955 or that is a ship to which section 18(3) of that Act applies;

“Irish passenger ship” means a passenger ship that is entitled to wear the proper national colours within the meaning of the said section 10 or that is a ship to which the said section 18(3) applies;

“maritime administration” in relation to a Member State (other than the State) or a third country means the person who, in that Member State or third country, exercises functions the same as or similar to those exercised by the Minister under these Regulations;

“Member State” means a member state of the European Communities;

“the Minister” means the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources;

“passenger ship” means a passenger ship to which the Council Directive applies engaged on a domestic voyage;

“recognised organisation” means a recognised organisation to which an authorisation under regulation 4 of the European Communities (Ship Inspection and Survey Organisations) Regulations 1998 ( S.I. No. 56 of 1998 ), has been granted;

“surveyor of ships” means a person appointed under section 724 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1894, to be a surveyor of ships for the purposes of that Act;

“the territorial seas” means the territorial seas of the State for the purposes of the Act of 1959;

“third country” means a state other than a Member State.

• (2) A word or expression that is used in these Regulations and that is also used in the Council Directive has, unless the contrary intention appears, the same meaning in these Regulations as it has in the Council Directive.

• (3) In these Regulations -

• (a) a reference to a regulation is a reference to a regulation of these Regulations and

• (b) a reference to a paragraph or subparagraph is a reference to a paragraph or subparagraph of the provision in which the reference occurs,

unless it is indicated that a reference to some other provision is intended.

• (4) These Regulations shall have effect notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in regulations, rules or orders applying to passenger ships or any class of passenger ship immediately before the coming into operation of these Regulations.

3.

• (a) the standards referred to in subparagraph (a) of Article 6.1 of the Council Directive, or

• (b) the provisions specified in subparagraph (b) or (c) of the said Article 6.1,

are not complied with, the owner, operator and master of the passenger ship concerned shall each be guilty of an offence.

• (2) Where, in respect of a new Irish passenger ship -

• (a) the general requirements specified in subparagraph (a) of Article 6.2 of the Council Directive, or

• (b) the load line requirements specified in subparagraph (b) of the said Article 6.2,

are not complied with, the owner, operator and master of the passenger ship concerned shall each be guilty of an offence.

• (3) Subject to subparagraph (f) of Article 6.3 of the Council Directive, the owner operator and master of an existing Irish passenger ship of class A, engaged on a domestic voyage, in respect of which there has been a failure to comply with the regulations or specific relevant requirements referred to in subparagraph (a) of the said Article 6.3, shall each be guilty of an offence.

• (4) Subject to the said subparagraph (f), the owner, operator and master of -

• (a) an existing Irish passenger ship of Class B in respect of which, there has been a failure to comply with the specific relevant requirements referred to in subparagraph (b) of the said paragraph 3, or,

• (b) an existing Irish passenger ship of Class C or D in respect of which there has been a failure to comply with -

• (i) the specific relevant requirements referred to in subparagraph (c) of that paragraph, or

• (ii) such rules as are agreed by the maritime administration of the host state concerned and the Minister,

shall each be guilty of an offence.

• (5) Where, in respect of an existing Irish passenger ship, there has been a failure to comply with subparagraph (e) of the said Article 6.3 the owner, operator and master of the passenger ship concerned shall each be guilty of an offence.

• (6) References in this Regulation to an Irish passenger ship shall include references to a passenger ship, while in the internal waters of the State or the territorial seas, that is entitled to fly the flag of a Member State (other than the State) or a third country, subject to the modification that when so construing those references the reference in paragraph 4(c) to “maritime administration of the host state” shall be construed as a reference to “the maritime administration of the flag state of the passenger ship concerned”.

4.

• (2) A reference in paragraph (1) to an Irish high speed passenger craft shall include a reference to a high speed passenger craft, while in the internal waters of the State or the territorial seas, that is entitled to fly the flag of a Member State (other than the State) or a third country.

5.

• (2) The Minister may, subject to subparagraph (d) of Article 7.4 of the Council Directive attach such conditions to an exemption granted under this Regulation as he or she considers appropriate.

• (3) An exemption granted by the Minister under paragraph (1) in respect of an Irish passenger ship shall be specified in the passenger ship safety certificate issued in respect thereof.

• (4) An exemption granted by the Minister under paragraph (1) in respect of an Irish high speed passenger craft shall be specified in the high speed craft safety certificate or Dynamically Supported Craft (hereafter referred to in these Regulation as “DSC”) Construction and Equipment Certificate, as the case may be, issued in respect thereof.

6.

• (a) before the passenger ship concerned is put into service, and

• (b) at such other intervals as may be determined by the Minister.

• (2) Each existing Irish passenger ship shall, in addition to being surveyed in accordance with section 6 of the Act of 1992, be surveyed -

• (a) before the passenger ship concerned is put into service on domestic voyages in a host state, and

• (b) at such other intervals as may be determined by the Minister.

• (3) If in respect of an Irish passenger ship there is a failure or refusal to comply with paragraph (1) or (2), as may be appropriate, the owner, operator and master of the passenger ship concerned shall each be guilty of an offence.

• (4) A survey to which this Regulation applies shall be carried out by a surveyor of ships or a recognised organisation.

• (5) A survey under this Regulation shall be carried out in accordance with the relevant procedures and guidelines referred to in Article 10(4) of the Council Directive.

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• (2) A survey to which this Regulation applies shall be carried out by a surveyor of ships or a recognised organisation.

8.

• (2) Section 8 of the Act of 1992 shall apply to a survey carried out on an Irish passenger ship referred to in Regulation 6 as it applies to a survey carried out under Part II of that Act as if -

• (a) there were substituted in subsection (1) “(which shall be known as a passenger ship safety certificate and is referred to in this Act as ‘a certificate’)” for “(which shall be known as a passenger ship certificate and is referred to in this Act as ‘a certificate’)”,

• (b) there were deleted in subsection (2)” or in another document given or sent to the holder of the certificate”, and

• (c) the following subsection was substituted for subsection (6), but without prejudice to the application of subsection 5(a) to offences committed under subsection 6(c) in relation to any other vessel by the owner of the Irish passenger ship concerned:

• “(6) If in respect of an Irish passenger ship there is a failure or refusal to comply with a condition, restriction or requirement specified in the certificate relating to it, the owner, operator and master of the passenger ship concerned shall each be guilty of an offence and shall each be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding €1904.61 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, or to both.”,

and accordingly references in that section to a survey shall include references to a survey carried out on an Irish passenger ship.

• (3) The owner, operator and master of a passenger ship that is entitled to fly the flag of a Member State (other than the State) or a third country, that does not have on board a valid Passenger Ship Safety Certificate issued by the maritime administration of that Member State or third country, as the case may be, shall, while the passenger ship concerned is in the internal waters of the State or territorial seas, each be guilty of an offence.

9.

• (a) a High Speed Craft Safety Certificate, and

• (b) a Permit to Operate High Speed Craft.

• (2) The Minister may withdraw a High Speed Craft Safety Certificate, or a Permit to Operate High Speed Craft, issued by him or her under paragraph (1) where, in relation to the Irish high speed passenger craft concerned, he or she is satisfied that there is a failure to comply with the requirements of the High Speed Passenger Craft Code.

• (3) Where, in relation to an Irish high speed passenger craft, there is compliance with the requirements of the DSC Code, the Minister shall, in accordance with the provisions of that Code, issue to the owner of that craft -

• (a) a DSC Construction and Equipment Certificate, and

• (b) a DSC Permit to Operate High Speed Craft.

• (4) The Minister may withdraw a DSC Construction and Equipment Certificate, or a DSC Permit to Operate High Speed Craft, issued by him or her under paragraph (1) where, in relation to the Irish high speed passenger craft concerned, he or she is satisfied that there is a failure to comply with the requirements of the DSC Code.

• (5) The owner, operator and master of an Irish high speed passenger craft that does not have on board -

• (a) a valid -

• (i) High Speed Craft Safety Certificate, and

• (ii) Permit to Operate High Speed Craft, or

• (b) a valid -

• (i) DSC Construction and Equipment Certificate, and

• (ii) DSC Permit to Operate High Speed Craft,

shall each be guilty of an offence.

• (6) The owner, operator and master of a high speed passenger craft that is entitled to fly the flag of a Member State (other than the State) or a third country that does not have on board -

• (a) a valid -

• (i) High Speed Craft Safety Certificate, and

• (ii) Permit to Operate High Speed Craft, or

• (b) a valid -

• (i) DSC Construction and Equipment Certificate, and

• (ii) DSC Permit to Operate High Speed Craft,

issued by the maritime administration of that Member State or third country shall, while the high speed passenger craft concerned is in the internal waters of the state or the territorial seas, each be guilty of an offence.

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11.

• (2) Where an offence under these Regulations is committed by a body corporate and is proved to have been so committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of, any person, being a director, manager, secretary or other officer of the body corporate, or a person who was purporting to act in any such capacity, that person shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished as if he or she were guilty of the first-mentioned offence.

• (3) Proceedings for an offence under these Regulations may be brought and prosecuted by the Minister.

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EXPLANATORY NOTE

(THIS NOTE IS NOT PART OF THE INSTRUMENT AND DOES NOT PURPORT TO BE A LEGAL INTERPRETATION)

These Regulations replace the Merchant Shipping (Passenger Ships) Regulations 1998 ( S.I. No. 548 of 1998 ) which implemented Council Directive 98/18/EC and also give effect to Commission Directive 2002/25/EC. The Regulations introduce a uniform level of safety of life and property on new and existing passenger ships and high speed craft.

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