Safe seas: ro-ro passenger ships, specific stability requirements

The committee adopted the report by Bernard POIGNANT (PES, F) broadly approving the proposal, subject to a few amendments under the codecision procedure (1st reading). A number of the amendments made drafting changes to reflect the changes made by the Council when it considered the draft directive in June 2002. The committee also called for a longer transitional period (until 1 October 2015) for compliance with the directive by existing ro-ro passenger ships which already comply with the safety standards of the SOLAS 90 Convention. It argued that such vessels had already had to be modified as a result of SOLAS 90 and that compliance with this new directive would entail extra costs, which should be spread over a longer period. �