Russia's Transport Ministry announced plans to form a new structure - a unified maritime administration - that will be responsible for regulating commercial shipping. This was reported by the ministry's press service.
The corresponding draft law has already been published on the portal of draft regulatory acts. As the Ministry of Transport clarified, the document was prepared in execution of an instruction from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The ministry explained that the draft law aims to centralize the management of maritime activities in the sphere of commercial shipping. It is intended to restore the functions of a maritime administration, which were not previously implemented in Russia but are carried out by other states and ensure proper protection of national vessels during international transportation.
It is proposed to create a new budgetary institution under the authority of the Ministry of Transport on the basis of existing sea port administrations - the Institute of the Maritime Administration of the Russian Federation. The ministry noted that in international maritime law there is a steady trend towards the sovereignization of maritime administrations, which requires strengthening the role of such a structure in Russia.
A key innovation will be the creation of a monitoring system for Russian vessels in the World Ocean, which will track not only their location but also their technical condition, crew manning, and compliance with labor standards.
Also important is interaction with foreign administrations within the framework of state port control, as provided for by international obligations.
The Ministry of Transport emphasized that the proposed measures will increase the efficiency of maritime activity management, reduce administrative costs for shipowners, ensure a transparent system for vessel registration and seafarer certification, and improve interaction between the maritime administration and shipowners.
Source: RIA Novosti