Double-hull oil tanker reg agreement

The new EU regulation ensures that all changes to the original regulation from 2002 are gathered together – helping to create transparency in community laws and increaseing the ease at which the rules can be understood.

The EU regulation on double-hull oil tankers stems from a set of rules adopted by UN’s maritime organisation, IMO. The regulation in 2002 saw EU Member States committing to further accelerate the phase-out scheme for single-hull tankers more quickly than previously agreed.

At the same time, a new set of rules to limit the transport of oil in single-hull tankers to and from ports in Member States was also introduced. In 2005, a stricter set of global rules for single-hull tankers and transportation of oil came into force. Meanwhile, the regulation in the EU was only covering vessels calling at ports in the EU, while the international rules were applicable to all vessels in transit along coasts as well.

In 2011, the Commission put forward the newest proposal on accelerated phase-in of double-hull tankers or equivalent design and has been granted authority to adopt decisions on technical matters outside the ordinary legislative procedure. The decisions will be only of an editorial character with the purpose of ensuring that there is no divergence between EU law and international law.

The new regulation, which is the first result in the maritime area for the Danish Presidency, still needs to be formally adopted by the European Parliament and Council.