About the project

About the project

The EU-funded TRACECA Maritime Safety & Security II Project (EuropeAid/133051/C/SER/multi – Contract number: 2012/308-311) is a response to the interest of the European Union to develop co-operation in the field of maritime safety, security and protection of the marine environment by providing technical expertise and support to the countries members of the TRACECA organization.

Direct beneficiary countries are Eastern Partnership partners: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine; and the Central Asia TRACECA countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Indirect beneficiaries are Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey.

The overall objectives of the project are to approximate the partners’ legislations with the EU regulatory framework, support the further ratification and implementation of international maritime safety and security conventions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Labour Organization (ILO) as well as improving the level of quality and coordination of maritime administrations in the Black Sea and Caspian Sea partner countries.

The project contributes to the implementation of the TRACECA Regional Action Strategy (TRAS) on Maritime Security, Safety and Environmental Protection for the period of up to 2021 between the Participating States. 

The specific objectives are to:

• Strengthen the regional coordination between the EU and partner countries, and the countries themselves.

• Monitor the flag performance and provide dedicated assistance to maritime administrations to prepare for the IMO Audit Scheme.

• Enhance the regional cooperation in the field of vessel traffic monitoring and reporting in order to improve maritime safety and to reduce maritime pollution.

• Reduce illegal waste disposal, pollution and emissions related to maritime transport.

• Increase the qualifications of maritime personnel.

• Maintain a secure shipping environment by proper implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Regulations.

Expected results are:

• Improved level and coordination of maritime administrations

• Improved performance of the partner countries on the Paris Memorandum Black and Grey lists

• Reduced maritime pollution caused by ships

• Better information available regarding vessel movements and increased sharing of data between neighbouring countries

• Better secured ship and port facilities and enforcement of related measures.

In order to achieve these results, the main components of the project are:

- Component 1 - Regional coordination: by its very nature, maritime transport is international. To ensure progress in the implementation of standards, it is important to foster a coordinated approach between the countries, in the Black Sea and in the Caspian Sea. The project achieves this by promoting exchanges in best practices between the partners and with the EU in its regional training activities.

- Component 2- Flag State Implementation: One consequence of ratification of international instruments is the creation of obligations to be dealt with by the contracting parties. These obligations relate directly to the objectives of the project in terms of safety of navigation and protection of the marine environment from pollution emanating from ships.

- Component 3 – Traffic monitoring: The purpose of this component is to support the project's partners in complying with international regulations related to traffic monitoring instruments: Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), Vessel Traffic Monitoring Systems (VTMS), Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT). 

- Component 4 – Protection of the marine environment: The purpose in relation to the protection of the marine environment is to facilitate the implementation of the international, European and regional regulations in preventing marine pollution from ships caused by oil and other noxious substances. The project will also provide assistance on places of refuge, the Anti-Fouling Systems Convention, ballast water management, the handling of dangerous goods and offshore units regulations.

- Component 5 – The Human Element: in maritime transport, the human element is an essential component for the safety of navigation, and the project acknowledges this by focusing on the enforcement of the International Safety Management Code (ISM Code), the obligations of Contracting Parties to the Standards, Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) Convention, and the promotion of ratification and effective implementation of the International Labour Organization Convention on Maritime Labour 2006 (ILO MLC 2006).

Target groups: The beneficiary countries are countries of the ENPI East region and Central Asia, participating in the TRACECA programme. Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey will be indirect beneficiary countries. The project's main stakeholders will be the Ministries of Transport, maritime administrations and authorities, port authorities and maritime academies. Regional organisations such as the Black Sea Commission and the Black Sea Memorandum of Understanding on port state control should also be integrated into the implementation of the project. Indirectly, the shipping companies in the region could also benefit from the project.