Ship information database
Article 6a
1. The Commission shall develop, maintain and update a ship information database containing the information referred to in Article 6 and providing services for Member States on issuing and controlling of electronic certificates. That ship information database shall be established by 6 January 2030. Member States may connect to that database. That database may be based on the database referred to in Article 24 of Directive 2009/16/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 5 ) and may have similar functionalities to that database. 2. Without prejudice to national data protection requirements, Member States opting to use the ship information database: (a) may transfer to the ship information database information related to flag State inspections carried out in accordance with this Directive, including information concerning deficiencies and certificates; and (b) may use that database to issue, sign, endorse, extend and withdraw electronic certificates for their ships. Such Member States shall ensure that the information referred to in the first subparagraph is compatible with the requirements of that database and interoperable. 3. The Commission shall ensure that the ship information database makes it possible to retrieve relevant data concerning the implementation of this Directive based on inspection data provided by Member States. 4. Member States that have opted to use the database shall have access to all the information recorded in the ship information database referred to in paragraph 2, point (a) of this Article and in the inspection system provided for in Directive 2009/16/EC. Nothing in this Directive shall prevent the sharing of such information between relevant competent authorities, within and between Member States, with the Commission, or with EMSA. 5. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down the technical functioning of the database referred to in this Article, including conditions for access to the information submitted by Member States in accordance with paragraph 2 of this Article. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 10(2).