2.1 In general
The rules for regulation, certification and control of shipping can be found at international, regional and national level. What is somewhat unusual in comparison with other industries is, however, that the shipping industry is primarily regulated through international conventions. The high degree of international regulation is due to an understanding by both flag and coastal States that safety at sea cannot be effectively ensured by national regulations alone. If you want to gain a level of control over sub-standard shipping and thereby improve safety and reduce the environmental impact of shipping, internationally uniform legislation is necessary with relatively high minimum standards.(1) Falkanger, Bull, Overby; ibid., p. 22. This has led to a high degree of international administrative co-operation, including co-operation on regulatory issues at the UN level.(2) See below regarding the SOLAS-, MARPOL-, CLC- and Fund Convention. On
At a regional level probably the most important are the rules on port state control(3) See particularly regarding the European area, Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control, https://www.parismou.org/system/files/Paris%20MoU%2C%20including%2039th%20amendment%20_rev%20final_.pdf. and environmental regulations, such as e.g. the EU rules on marine pollution or the EU rules on the use of classification societies etc.(4) See below, section 2.3. These rules are complementary to the international conventions and the national Danish rules are largely regarded as an implementation of the finely tuned treaties. However, the international conventions and resolutions issued on this basis of this do not comprehensively cover all relevant regulations, so there is room for special rules to be applied by each individual flag State. It is partly within these special flag State rules, and with regard to the flag State’s administration of the international rules, that the differences between flag States manifest themselves.