Obligations and control of flag states

This study gives an overview of the obligations of flag States and the control of their compliance with such obligations. It outlines the main obligations as to maritime safety and security as well as marine pollution prevention under international as well as European law and shows the still existing enforcement deficits vis-à-vis non-complying flag States as well as substandard ships. Some of the main developments to counter these deficits such as the Voluntary Member State Audit Scheme on the IMO level or the Third Maritime Safety Package on the EU level are taken into account.