These regulations first and foremost arise from the Act of 16 February 2007 No. 09 relating to Ship Safety and Security (The Ship Safety and Security Act). The purpose of the Act is to safeguard life, health, property and the environment by facilitating a high level of ship safety and safety management, including preventing pollution from ships, ensuring a good working environment and safe working conditions on board ships as well as appropriate public supervision of ships.
These goals must be ensured when the ship is designed and built and maintained in the operational phase. The act regulates technical and operational safety, personal safety and protective security measures. An important basis for the safe operation of ships is that safety and environmental work is done in a systematic way, and requirements toward safety management systems is a cornerstone of the Ship Safety and Security Act. Under the Act, it is the shipping company's obligation to establish a safety system.
Personal safety is also the purpose of the Act. A good working environment and safe working conditions must be ensured on board in order safeguard the life and health of the occupants.
An important purpose of the Act is also that it should prevent pollution of the external environment from ships. The Act prohibits pollution from ships to air, water and land.
It is also emphasized that there must be thorough and timely inspections to comply with the Act's intents. There must also be a good strategic maritime safety work nationally and internationally. Inspection has an important function in work with safety at sea. It is nevertheless important to emphasize that the responsibility for achieving sufficient and necessary safety is primarily with the shipping company.
Good compliance with the Act will in all likelihood prevent accidents from occurring and thus safeguard law, health, the external environment and material assets such as ships and cargo.