As of 5 December 2024, Directive 2023/946 applies to new and existing ro-ro passenger ships operating regularly on international voyages to or from an EU Member State that have never been certified under this directive or the previous Directive 2003/25/EC.
New Ro-Ro passenger ships
- Ships certified to carry more than 1,350 persons must comply with the specific damage stability requirements outlined in Chapter II-1, Part B of SOLAS 2020.
- Ships certified to carry 1,350 or fewer persons must comply with the deterministic damage stability requirements of Directive 2003/25/EC (Annex I, Section A of Directive 2023/946).
Alternatively, they may comply with SOLAS 2020 (Chapter II-1, Part B) with an increased required index R, as outlined in Annex I, Section B of Directive 2023/946.
Existing Ro-Ro Passenger Ships
- Ships certified to carry more than 1,350 persons: If never certified under this directive, they must comply with SOLAS 2020 (Chapter II-1, Part B) or, alternatively, with the deterministic damage stability requirements of Directive 2003/25/EC (Annex I, Section A of Directive 2023/946), in addition to compliance with SOLAS 2009 (Chapter II-1, Part B).
- Ships certified to carry 1,350 or fewer persons: If never certified under this directive, they must comply with the deterministic damage stability requirements of Directive 2003/25/EC (Annex I, Section A of Directive 2023/946) or, alternatively, with SOLAS 2020 (Chapter II-1, Part B) based on an increased required index R (Annex I, Section B of Directive 2023/946).
In this regard, shipowners and operators ensure their ro-ro passenger ships operating on international voyages to or from EU ports are fully compliant with these new damage stability requirements.
CLICK HERE TO READ DIRECTIVE (EU) 2023/946
