Estonian parlt passes legal framework for ship information system

  • 2022-07-18
  • BNS/TBT Staff

TALLINN - A bill amending the Law of Ship Flag and Ship Registers Act and Maritime Safety Act and creating a legal basis for the introduction of an information system for ships has passed third reading at an extraordinary sitting of the Estonian parliament.

The bill was passed with 61 votes for and one against with no neutral votes.

The information system is geared at increasing the competitiveness of Estonian shipping as it enables ship owners and their representatives submit applications for registering their vessel or for carrying out inspections and get an overview of their vessels and their valid certificates. At the same time, the system serves as a tool for oversight officers at the Transport Administration, for whom a new modern procedural environment will be created, which should increase the quality of work, speed up processes and automate the actions performed during inspections.

The information enables to electronically issue preset certificates and to exchange the data on the system with other relevant institutions. For example, in order to perform their public oversight tasks, the Police and Border Guard Board and the Environmental Board need access to the data. The latter bodies can use the information system to make sure that the vessel subject to oversight is in required  technical condition and that its onboard staff is competent and qualified enough to perform certain activities.