Merchant Shipping (Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Reporting Requirements) Regulations 2004 (S.I. No. 2110 of 2004).

These Regulations, give effect to Directive 2002/59/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Community vessel traffic monitoring and information system and repealing Council Directive 93/75/EEC and to similar provisions in the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto and in the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea 1974 relating to the notification of dangerous and polluting goods and the reporting of incidents and accidents at sea. The principal provisions of these Regulations are as follows. Regulation 4 specifies the ships to which the Regulations apply. Provision is made imposing obligations to report the destination of a ship and provide other information, to require ships to participate in, and comply with the rules of, vessel traffic services and to install in ships, and maintain in operation, automatic identification systems (regs. 5 to 9). Provision is made requiring the notification of dangerous or polluting goods carried by ships and for the granting of exemptions from the requirements (regs. 10 and 11). The Regulations contain requirements relating to the reporting of incidents and accidents at sea (the terms "incident" and "accident" are defined in regulation 2(2)) and for measures to be taken in the event of an incident or accident and bad weather or sea conditions (regs. 12 to 15).