European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA)

EMSA, the European Maritime Safety Agency, is an EU agency established by Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002 and based in Lisbon, Portugal. It provides technical and operational support to the European Commission and member states on maritime safety, ship-source pollution response, and maritime security. EMSA runs systems including SafeSeaNet (vessel-traffic data exchange), the THETIS Port State Control database, the CleanSeaNet oil-spill satellite service, and a network of stand-by oil-recovery vessels. It also supports member-state accident investigations and inspects classification societies recognized at EU level.