Progress report for
Decreasing ship-source pollution
Achievement at a glance
A Commission proposal for new rules for the Directive on ship-source pollution was published in 2023. This resulted in the adoption of an amendment of the Directive in 2024. An ex-post evaluation of the EU Directive on ship-source pollution was carried out in 2022. It found that it successfully contributed to the incorporation of international rules on ship-source pollution into Member State law and improved the detection of pollution from ships. In particular, the Directive was the impetus behind the creation of the CleanSeaNet service – an EU satellite-based oil spill monitoring and vessel detection service managed by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).Challenges faced in implementation
Areas for improvement:- information exchange and/or expertise to effectively detect, verify and penalise pollution from
ships
- the dissuasive effect of the penalties applied across the EU for ship-source pollution
- the current reporting by EU Member States is incomplete and results in a lack of detailed
information on ship-source pollution and related penalties imposed across the EU over time.
Next Steps
Benedicte CaremierBeneficiaries
EU Member States, ships
Actions
Less administrative burden for EU Member State authorities.Improved waste prevention and management practices on board ships.