European Maritime Safety Agency

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) is the EU body that supports maritime safety, security, and pollution prevention, set up by Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002 and based in Lisbon. It is technical and advisory: it does not legislate but gives the European Commission and member states data, inspections, and operational tools. EMSA runs the SafeSeaNet vessel-traffic monitoring system, the CleanSeaNet satellite oil-spill surveillance service, and the THETIS database that supports Paris MOU port state control. It also inspects recognized classification societies on the Commission’s behalf and operates standby pollution-response vessels.