Government proposes amendments to certain acts in the transport sector

On 10 November 2022, the Government submitted to Parliament a legislative proposal to amend certain acts in the transport sector. The amendments aim to update the acts to meet the requirements of European Union law and to make technical amendments.

The government proposal would amend the Act on the Technical Safety and Safe Operation of Ships, the Ship Safety Control Act, the Act on Ships' Crews and the Safety Management of Ships, the Act on Transport Services, the Act on the Lists of Persons Aboard Passenger Ships, and the Act on Environmental Protection in Maritime Transport.

The proposal would update the Act on Transport Services to meet the new requirements of Union law concerning the risk rating of holders of a licence for passenger and goods transport by road. Provisions on sanctions concerning the submission of the necessary notifications, the acquisition of documents and their keeping in the vehicle would also be added to the Act.

The proposal would also make an addition to the Act on Transport Services to implement the Directive on the use of vehicles hired without drivers for the carriage of goods by road. In future, there would be more flexibility in hiring vehicles from another European Union Member State for licensed goods transport by road.

The proposal would amend the Ship Safety Control Act to exclude from the scope of the Act cable ferries that are not part of the road infrastructure, bringing the legislation more into line with the current practice. The proposal also includes amendments that would facilitate the measuring of Finnish vessels and ensure the availability of services for demanding vessel measuring in the future.

A training obligation concerning waste management in ports would be added to the Act on Environmental Protection in Maritime Transport, which would correspond to the Directive on port reception facilities for the delivery of waste from ships.

The proposal includes amendments to update the number of the new Directive on the minimum level of training of seafarers in Finnish legislation.

What next?

A referral debate on the government proposal submitted to Parliament will be conducted in a Parliament plenary session. Information on the date of the session will be available on the Parliament website. After the debate, the proposal will be referred to a committee. The committee will draft a report, which will then be discussed in a plenary session.

Most of the acts should enter into force on 1 January 2023.

Inquiries:

Katja Peltola, Senior Specialist, katja.peltola(at)gov.fi, tel. +358 50 530 2175

Pyry Takala, Director of Unit, pyry.takala(at)gov.fi, tel. +358 50 911 7627