According to section 6 of the act on safety at sea, safety of navigation in Danish and Greenland waters is the responsibility of the Danish Maritime Authority. What you must do according to the act as regards navigational safety is described in more detail in:
The order on safety of navigation in connection with construction works and other activities, etc. in Danish waters
If your activity or the work will affect safety of navigation, or if you are in doubt, you must fill in:
Form for assessing safety of navigation in connection with construction works at sea
Acquire a permit
- Apply for a permit. In general, you must always acquire a permit from the relevant authority. Send the application well in advance so that any notices in Notices to Mariners can be observed. Click on the specific themes below where it is described which authority to forward applications to.
- The relevant authority forwards the application for comments by other authorities, among these always the Danish Maritime Authority.
- The most important requirements made by the Danish Maritime Authority are the following:
- That a thorough analysis is made of the impact on safety of navigation and freedom of navigation. See the above-mentioned order and the template to be used for an assessment of safety of navigation.
- That the users of the waters, relevant authorities and stakeholders are consulted.
- That the work/activity is published in Notices to Mariners. Proper warning deadlines are established in relation to the impact of the activity or work on safety of navigation and freedom of navigation. Normally, these deadlines vary from three weeks up to six months; for example, the blocking of a major ship's route will require up to six months' notice.
- That temporary and/or permanent aids to navigation are established/approved, if relevant.
- Any additional material and documentation for assessing safety of navigation.
- Any requirements for work and guard vessels.
- Any establishment of areas to be avoided.
- Once the final project permit has been granted, it is important that the construction owner/contractors, etc. observe the terms related to the permit.
Assessment of impact on the environment (VVM)
The Danish Maritime Authority is consulted in connection with VVM examinations because the pollution that may arise due to marine accidents can be considerable. Thus, safety of navigation also concerns the risk of pollution. In this connection, the Danish Maritime Authority focuses on things that can be done to secure navigation during the construction phase and onwards.
The VVM report must include material to be used for assessing the impact of the project on safety of navigation and freedom of navigation.