Swedish Maritime Clearance SMC
Merchant ships arriving to a Swedish port from a foreign state have an obligation to provide information about the ship and persons on board to the Coast Guard. In addition to the personal data of crew members, the estimated time for entry and departure is specified.
The Swedish Coast Guard performs a screening of the pre-arrival documents that involves a check of the public record of the Schengen Information System (SIS). The results are then communicated to the Coast Guard control and command center and to the police authorities in charge in the concerned region.
A stricter procedure when changing crews within commercial shipping will be adopted
All travelling into the European Union must pass a border control point. The consequences for crew from countries outside the EU is that signing on/off a vessel is only possible in Swedish ports with a border control point, and only during the hours this border control point is open.
As of the 19th of August 2024 the Swedish Coast Guard and the Swedish Police will be most restrictive with permission to sign on/off crew from a vessel in an alternative port or time. Exceptions can only be made for illness, or other circumstances out of the ordinary.
Maritime security
The regulations of shipping protection aim to protect the shipping sector against crimes of violence including terrorism. The framework provides a requirement that all vessels with a gross tonnage of 500 ton or more that intend to enter a Swedish port must supply an established system with their security information prior to the arrival.
The regulations we apply in Sweden apply to ports all over the world. The aim is to create secure transport between ports for vessels and their crews, passengers and cargo.
Certificate of Decontamination
In paragraphs 22 and 23 of the law (2006:1570) concerning protection of international threats against people’s health, it is clearly stated that a Master of a ship shall, when initially entering a Swedish port/harbour, supply the Swedish Coast Guard and the Swedish Customs with a certificate. The certificate should prove that an extermination of insects, rats and other animals that can carry infectious diseases and thus be a risk for humans, has been performed, alternatively that an extermination of this kind is not necessary on this vessel (the certificate of decontamination).
In the Public Health Agency’s (Folkhälsomyndigheten) Instructions and General Advice on protection of people’s health, HSLF-FS 2015:8, the situations where the certificate of decontamination is not needed is clearly stated. The Master of such a vessel as described in Chapter 4 paragraph 21-24 of the Custom’s Instructions and General Advice (TFS 2000:20), concerning The Custom’s general procedures etc., and the exceptions to the rule of producing the certificate of decontamination does not have to demonstrate the actual certificate if the Swedish Customs and the Swedish Coast Guard accepts the Master’s statement that the certificate exists.
The Swedish Coast Guard is the recipient of all information concerning the certificate of decontamination entered in the Maritime Single Window, according to an agreement between The Swedish Customs and The Swedish Coast Guard. If the case of a certificate, or statement from the Master, not being supplied the Swedish Coast guard is to immediately inform the municipality involved. The municipality will then be responsible of inspecting the vessel, and if needed take action to exterminate the vermin.