EU Prepares to Change Ship Passenger Registration Process

A European Parliament Committee for Transport and Tourism on February 27 will explore ways to modernize the legislation on the registration of persons on board passenger ships traveling within the EU.

The changes come after the Norman Atlantic fire incident and are based on a European Parliament and Council proposal to amend Council Directive 98/41/EC on the registration of persons sailing on board passenger ships operating to or from member state ports.

The main change will be the digitalization of data. Information would now be transmitted to the maritime National Single Windows and not held by the ship company.

The amendments also aim to update, clarify and simplify the existing requirements for counting and registration of passengers and crew on board passenger ships while enhancing the level of safety; avoid overcrowding on board passenger ships, to facilitate search and rescue operations and to allow for immediate follow-up.

For longer voyages, personal data including names, gender, nationality, year of birth etc, should be recorded in the single window upon the ship’s departure but not later than 30 minutes after its departure.