The documents submitted, taken together, provide for the United Kingdom's approach to implementation of Directive (EU) 2016/1629 - Laying Down Technical Technical Requirements for Inland Waterway Vesseels.

The documents consist of the legislation itself which implements the Directive, together with three associated Merchant Shipping Notices (MSN) which are referred to in the legislation.

Also attached for information, is The Merchant Shipping (Technical Requirements for Inland Waterway Vessels) Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/1075) ('the 2010 Regulations') which are amended by the 2019 Regulations.

The Merchant Shipping (Technical Requirements for Inland Waterway Vessels) (Amendment) Regulations 2019 ('the 2019 Regulations').

The 2019 Regulations amend the 2010 Regulations and apply to vessels as defined which are operating on any waterway in the United Kingdom classified as Zone 1, 2, 3 and 4, other than vessels for which exemptions have been granted.

Vessels operating on Zone 1-4 waterways in the United Kingdom must carry a valid Union inland navigation certificate or Rhine Navigation certificate. In addition, vessels operating on Zone 1 and 2 waterways and passenger vessels operating on Zone 3 waterways must carry a valid supplementary Union inland navigation certificate which attests compliance with the relevant additional United Kingdom technical requirements specified in Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1879.

Under the derogation contained in Article 24 of Directive 2016/1629, the United Kingdom has granted exemptions to vessels only operating on inland waterways in the United Kingdom not linked by inland waterway to the waterways of another member and to vessels on limited journeys of local interest or in harbour areas.

Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1879 contains policy details of the implementation of Directive 2016/1629 in the United Kingdom; Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1880 publishes ES-TRIN-2017/1, which will be the technical standard underpinning the Directive as at 7 October 2018 and Merchant Shipping Notice MSN 1881 publishes Annex V of the Directive. All 3 documents are referenced in the Regulations. See Box 10.