Significant changes are being made to the institutional framework around maritime law following the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union. More specifically:
ï UK shipowners and UK flag vessels (according to the list in the Annex to the 2004 Community guidelines on State aid to maritime transport) will not be treated as Community shipowners or vessels (for the purposes of Council Regulation (EEC) No 3577/92 of 7 December 1992 applying the principle of freedom to provide services to maritime transport within Member States (maritime cabotage), so they will not be able to carry out cabotage traffics in Europe, without a waiver for a specific exceptional service in the absence of a suitable and available Community ship, in the same way as any ship from a third country.
ï UK flag vessels will be treated as non-Community vessels for the purposes of calculating the percentages of Community and foreign vessels allowed by the European member's tonnage tax legislation.
ï All scheduled shipping services falling within the scope of article 6 of Regulation EU No 725/2004 on enhancing ship security (ferries linking a UK and a Community port) must provide the required information concerning security before entering a Community port.
ï The inspection system set up by Directive 16/2009 on port state control will cease to apply in the UK.
ï Enrolled UK seafarers on Community vessels will be treated as foreign rather than Community seafarers for the purposes of the allowed percentages of Community and foreign crew members on European vessels, and for the purposes of claiming tax and social security incentives (Law 19/1994 on the Canary Islands Financial and Tax Regime) for vessels registered on the Canary Islands Special Register of Vessels and Shipping Companies (REBECA).
ï UK seafarers will not be able to serve as masters or first deck officers on European vessels because they will not be from the EU or the European Economic Area, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Certificates issued to seafarers by the UK will not be accepted or endorsed in Europe. However, any certificates endorsed before the end of December 31, 2020 will remain valid until the endorsement expires. The UK will therefore come to be treated as a third country and the recognition by endorsement of its certificates will be governed by article 19 of Directive 106/2008.
Any UK flag craft that is in Europe before December 31, 2020, and therefore has Union good status, will continue to be treated as Union goods after that date. However, after December 31, 2020, and accordingly on what has been ultimately agreed, any new UK flag craft entering EU waters will be placed under the temporary admission procedure and will only be allowed to stay in the customs territory of the Union for up to 18 months without paying customs duty and VAT.