European Maritime Single Window environment

When a ship visits a European port, it must fulfil various reporting obligations, providing information to different authorities on the vessel, its crew, passengers and cargo on board. Such reporting in the EU has historically been fragmented, with each Member State, and often individual ports, having their own requirements and interfaces. This lack of harmonisation has led to increased administrative burdens for ship operators, inconsistent data formats, and different system requirements when visiting multiple EU ports.

The European Maritime Single Window Environment (EMSWe), established by Regulation (EU) 2019/1239 (which repeals Directive 2010/65/EU), aims to change this by harmonising and simplifying reporting requirements for ships arriving at, staying in, and departing from EU ports.

Key facts

Main goals of the the European Maritime Single Window Environment are:

Reducing administrative burdens for shipping operators;
Boosting the competitiveness of EU maritime transport;
Enhancing operational efficiency and promoting sustainability;
Integrating maritime transport into the digital multimodal logistics chain.

EMSWe becomes applicable on 15 August 2025.

How does EMSWe work?

The EMSWe consists of a decentralised network of Maritime National Single Windows (MNSW), which act as a single-entry point for information exchange in each maritime Member State. They are complemented by common software and services provided by the European Commission and communicate with the SafeSeaNet system to facilitate information exchange between the authorities of the Member States.

Key features of EMSWe

The EMSWe Regulation is structured around three key pillars:

A harmonised data set covering all reporting obligations required for the completion of a port call, stemming from international, EU legal acts or from national legislation.
The harmonisation of the interfaces, including a Reporting Interface Module (RIM) for system-to-system communication.
The once-only principle, ensuring data is submitted only once per port call, minimising repetitive data requests.

The EMSWe is aligned with the Guidelines for setting up a maritime single window (FAL.5/Circ.42/Rev.3) issued by the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) for a standardised and harmonised approach to reporting formalities. It follows the principles of the IMO’s Facilitation (FAL) Convention.

Expected benefits for shipping operators

2.2–2.5 million

staff hours saved

€62–72 million

in annual cost savings

Implementation of EMSWe

The European Commission has adopted a multi-annual implementation plan (MIP) for facilitating the implementation of the European Maritime Single Window environment after consultations with Member States’ experts.

While Member States develop and operate their MNSWs, the European Commission, assisted by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), provides common IT components and services.

Common IT components and services

The Reporting Interface Module (RIM)

The Reporting Interface Module (RIM) is a middleware component through which declarants and data service providers can fulfil their reporting obligations in a system-to-system communication with MNSW, ensuring consistent communication protocols, authentication methods and message formats.

The latest version of the RIM and its technical documentation.

The latest version of the Message Implementation Guide.

EMSWe User Registry and Access Management system (URAM)

This system facilitates and unifies user authentication, eliminating the need for multiple registrations across Europe.

Additional technical documentation

Databases

The EMSWe includes:

the EMSWe Ship Database
Common Location Database
Common Hazmat Database

These databases further facilitate the manual digital reporting for declarants. Additional technical information can be found in the System Interface Guide (SIG).