The Concept of a Single Window in e-Navigation and According to the EU Regulations

Term single window can mean the point of contact for communication in relation: ship – shore and shore – ship. In this sense, it is mentioned for example in the IMO Resolution A.950(23) “Maritime Assistance Service (MAS)” adopted on 5 December 2003. It can also mean a service or institution on land that collects all information related to safety of navigation before sending them on ships, as defined in the IMO documents on e-navigation. Directive 2010/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 October 2010 on reporting formalities for ships arriving in and/or departing from ports of the Member States and repealing Directive 2002/6/EC requires that vessels shall transmit reports mentioned in the IMO conventions and codes and European Union (EU) and national legislations only once through the national single window established in each EU member state not later than on 1 June 2015. The question is whether these different functions of above-mentioned contact points can be implemented by one shore based institution or service. The article contains an analysis of these issues and tries to answer the set question.