Portugal told to implement safety standards
The European Commission has formally requested Portugal to implement European Union (EU) safety standards for ships. The country has been told that it should be implementing the EU Directive on port state control, in particular the imposition of penalties on ships that fail to meet EU safety standards. The move follows an inspection by the European Maritime Safety Agency.
The Commission considered that Portugal did not meet its obligations under the Directive by not imposing penalties in practice on substandard shipping, thereby endangering maritime safety.
If Portugal does not comply with the request within two months, the case could be referred to the European Court of Justice.
Source:itfseafarers
