European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA)

Overview

• Role: Offers technical expertise and operational assistance in maritime safety, security and pollution
• Director: Maja Markovčić Kostelac
• Set up: 2002
• Staff: 250
• Location: Lisbon (Portugal)
• Website: EMSA

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) provides technical expertise and operational assistance to improve maritime safety, pollution preparedness and response and maritime security.

Most of the Agency’s tasks are preventive, such as monitoring how certain laws are being applied and evaluating their overall effectiveness, but some tasks are reactive, such as providing EU countries with oil recovery ships in the event of a major spill at sea and detecting marine pollution through satellite surveillance. 

What it does

EMSA provides governments and authorities with detailed, reliable knowledge about what happens at sea, in real time, to help them implement maritime policies effectively. EMSA also offers maritime services which respond to the changing needs of diverse maritime users across Europe:

• vessel reporting
• earth observation
• integrated maritime information
• pollution response
• port state control.

EMSA plays a pivotal role in promoting best practice. Experience dealing with a variety of both safety and security-related concerns from legal and operational perspectives has given EMSA extensive knowledge about many of the issues which arise, and about the practical realities of addressing them.

EMSA conducts many different kinds of technical inspection:

• inspecting classification societies listed as ‘Recognised Organisations’ by EU countries
• inspecting maritime education and certification systems in non-EU countries
• checking that ships calling at EU ports are adequately inspected
• checking national vessel traffic monitoring systems.

EMSA also:

• ensures the consistent investigation of marine accidents throughout the EU
• shares best practices on maritime safety, security and environmental issues.

Who benefits

EMSA’s main target groups are:

• EU institutions
• EU national maritime administrations
• EFTA coastal state maritime administrations.

Internationally, EMSA supports:

• the International Maritime Organisation
• countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and Caspian Sea as part of the European Neighbourhood Policy.

Further information

List of publications

Monthly newsletter

Career opportunities