EMSA expands THETIS to curb substandard shipping

This powerful tool run by EMSA – with its 600 users in 28 countries – helps member states to fulfill their enforcement and inspection obligations arising from EU legislation.

The EMSA is one of the EU’s decentralised agencies. Based in Lisbon, EMSA provides technical assistance and support to member states and the European Commission in the development and implementation of EU maritime legislation.

One of EMSA’s main tasks is to support member states in monitoring the compliance of ships calling in their ports, as an additional line of defence against substandard shipping. EMSA set up the inspection database initially to facilitate the implementation of the New Inspection Regime for Port State Control. This database – named THETIS after a goddess of the sea – is a single information window combining port call and inspection data.

The system originally guided users to the ships which needed to be inspected and allowed the results of those inspections to be recorded and shared. Through THETIS, access to the inspection results is given to all port state control authorities in the European Union and Paris MoU region. Designed to be flexible, THETIS has been undergoing adaptations since its first deployment, catering for PSC requirements and other flag state obligation-related activities for EU member states, such as the provisions of the Directive on ro-ro ferries and high-speed passenger crafts on regular routes.

The EU’s maritime environment legislation aims to provide the highest level of protection. It is flag neutral and applies to most ships, with some variation of applicability depending on the size and type of ship. In most cases, the EU’s legal acts are aligned with the relevant International Maritime Conventions. In this context, member states have to inspect ships flying their flag or entering ports under their jurisdiction to ensure limited impact on the environment.

In 2014, as the entry into force of the revised Sulphur Directive was drawing close, a clear call was made to EMSA to develop an information system for member states when applying the enforcement provisions of the Sulphur Directive. This call came from the European Commission and EU member states, as well as from the maritime industry through its representatives in the European Sustainable Shipping Forum.

EMSA, keen to achieve a cost effective delivery of the requested service, decided to extend THETIS. Now commonly known as THETIS-S, the new module has been in operation since 1 January 2015 and serves as a platform to record and exchange information on the results of individual compliance checks conducted by member states.

THETIS-S is highly appreciated by member states as it facilitates their legal obligations, as well as by industry as it guarantees a high level of uniformity in inspection and fuel sampling. It also ensures that the collected information is shared throughout the EU. After the first full year of implementation, some 6,800 inspections were conducted and recorded in the system, ensuring compliance of ships calling at EU ports with the applicable sulphur limits. Of these inspections, only 0.5% of ships were not in compliance.

THETIS-S will also be adapted further to include risk-based target mechanisms, including specific alerts from remote sensing and other available technologies. In this way, the system will provide a more efficient way of identifying and selecting substandard shipping that could pose a threat to the marine environment and air quality.

The next major step for EMSA will be to establish THETIS as the EU’s reference database for inspections, reporting, monitoring and verification. Given the potential of THETIS, EMSA is taking a modular approach to its development in order to support enforcement and inspection obligations. PSC authorities in the EU and Paris MoU region will continue to use the appropriate THETIS module to select ships for inspection and record the results of the inspections.

Other competent authorities in the EU interested in implementing PSC-related provisions (that are not included in the PSC Directive) or relevant flag state requirements can use the new THETIS-EU module. This module will incorporate the existing THETIS-S module and, from early 2016, support the provisions of the PRF Directive. Already included in the system are flag state enforcement obligations for EU member states, the provisions of the Directive on ro-ro ferries and high-speed passenger crafts on regular routes. The provisions of the Ship Recycling Regulation will be covered in 2017.

In 2016, EMSA will also begin to develop a module to support the implementation of the MRV Regulation (THETIS-MRV). Through this web-based application, all relevant parties foreseen in the MRV Regulation will intervene in line with the mandatory provisions, as from 2018 ships over 5000GT calling at EU ports will be required to report their annual CO2 emissions. Specific modules could also be developed to further facilitate the work of interested parties on a voluntary basis.

Consequently, authorised users, depending on their access rights, will be able to record and exchange data on inspections and verifications while the system will facilitate the targeting of vessels through alerts generated on the basis of predefined legal requirements.

THETIS is clearly a powerful tool and has great potential, with an ability to cover growing enforcement obligations. It will continue to support member state inspection obligations for ships entering the ports under their jurisdiction, as well as for ships flying their respective flags. In the near future, it will also facilitate the work of other interested parties within the shipping industry, ensuring the standardisation and processing of information while safeguarding data access and respecting confidentiality.