European delegations and MEPs reached an agreement to further acceleration of the phase-out scheme for the single-hull tankers than previously agreed upon to minimise the risk of oil pollution. At the same they introduced a new set of rules to limit the transport of oil in single-hull tankers to and from ports in the Member States.

The Council and the European Parliament have reached an agreement about technical modifications to the regulation from 2002 on double-hull oil tankers. This new regulation ensures, according to the Danish presidency that all changes to the original regulation from 2002 are gathered. This creates transparency in the community laws and increases the ease at which the rules can be understood.

The EU regulation from 2002 has ensured an accelerated phase-out of single-hull tankers and stems from a set of rules adopted by UN’s maritime organisation, IMO. In particular, the regulation covered tankers with a single-hull design are characterized by that in such vessels oil in the cargo tanks is separated from the seawater only by a bottom and a side plate. An effective way of avoiding risks is to surround the cargo tanks with a second internal plate at a sufficient distance from the external plate. This design, known as a double-hull, protects cargo tanks against damage and thus reduces the risk of pollution.

In 2005 a stricter set of global rules for single-hull tankers and transportation of oil came into force. The regulation in the EU has covered only vessels calling into port in the EU, while the international rules apply to all vessels in transit along the coasts as well. In 2009, EU concluded the Additional Protocol related to Lisbon Agreement on maritime pollution. Agreement between the regulation in the EU and the international set of rules in the area ensures competition on equal terms, as it was proposed by the Commission in 2011.