Vessel Tracking

Control Regulation

Does the law/regulation require or exempt fishing vessels to report using VMS, or is there no provision?

  • Article 9

    a fishing vessel of 12 metres’ length overall or more shall have installed on board a fully functioning device which allows that vessel to be automatically located and identified through the vessel monitoring system by transmitting position data at regular intervals. It shall also allow the fisheries monitoring centre of the flag Member State to poll the fishing vessel

Does law/regulation require or exempt fishing vessels to report using AIS, or is there no provision?

  • Article 10

    1. In accordance with Article 6a of Directive 2002/59/EC, Union fishing vessels exceeding 15 metres in length overall shall be fitted with and maintain in continuous operation an automatic identification system (AIS) which meets the performance standards referred to in that Directive. OJ L, 20.12.2023 EN

    26/105 ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/2842/oj 2. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, the master of a Union fishing vessel may switch off the AIS in exceptional circumstances when the master considers that the safety or security of the crew is imminently at risk of being compromised. Where the AIS is switched off in accordance with this paragraph, the master shall report that action and the reason for doing so to the competent authorities of its flag Member State and, when relevant, also to the competent authorities of the coastal State. When the situation referred to in this paragraph has elapsed, the master shall restart the AIS as soon as the source of danger has disappeared. 3. Member States shall ensure that data from the AIS are made available to their competent authorities responsible for fisheries control for control purposes, including cross-checks of AIS data with other available data, in accordance with Article 109.’.