Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Reporting Requirements

L.N. 298 of 2007

TERRITORIAL WATERS AND CONTIGUOUS ZONE ACT

(CAP. 226)

MALTA MARITIME AUTHORITY ACT

(CAP. 352)

Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Reporting Requirements

(Amendment) Regulations, 2007

IN exercise of the powers conferred by article 7 of the Territorial

Waters and Contiguous Zone Act and, by article 28 of the Malta

Maritime Authority Act, the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

and the Minister for Competitiveness and Communications, after

consultation with the Malta Maritime Authority, have made the

following regulations>-

These regulations may be cited as the Vessel Traffic Citation.

Monitoring and Reporting Requirements (Amendment) Regulations,

2007 and shall be read and construed as one with the Vessel Traffic

Regulations, 2004 hereinafter referred to as “the principal regulations”. L.N. 458 of 2004.

Regulation 9 of the principal regulations shall be substituted Substitutes

regulation 9

as follows>

of the principal

regulations.

(a) Any ship calling at a port in Malta shall be

“Automatic

identification

fitted

with an automated identification system (AIS) which

system and

voyage data meets the performance standards drawn up by the International

recorder

Maritime Organisation (IMO)>

system.

Provided that this regulation shall not apply to>

(i) passenger ships below 300 gross tonnage

engaged only in domestic voyages< and

(ii) all other ships below 300 gross tonnage.

(b) Ships fitted with an AIS shall maintain it in

operation at all times except where international agreements,

rules or standards provide for the protection of navigational

information.

(c) Any ship calling at a port in Malta shall be

fitted with a voyage data recorder (VDR) system meeting the

performance standards of IMO Resolution A.861(20) and the

testing standards set by Standard No 61996 of the International

Electronics Commission (IEC)>

Provided that>

(i) passenger ships engaged only in domestic

voyages in sea areas other than those covered by Class

A, as referred to in Article 4 of Council Directive

98#18#EC of 17 March 1998 on safety rules and Standards

for passenger ships and other ships of less than 3,000

gross tonnage are exempted from being fitted with the

VDR<

(ii) cargo ships of 3,000 gross tonnage and

upwards, constructed before 1 July 2002, shall be fitted

with a VDR not later than the dates established in terms

of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at

Sea (SOLAS) 1974, as amended.

(d) Data which has been collected from a VDR

system shall be made available to the competent authority to

be properly analysed as part of an investigation following a

casualty within the territorial waters of Malta. The findings

of such an investigation shall be published as soon as possible

after its conclusion.”.

Mitbug[ fl-Istamperija tal-Gvern — Printed at the Government Printing Press

Lm0.08 (€0.19)