The Erika legislative packages of the European Union are maritime laws intended to improve safety in the shipping industry and thereby reduce environmental damage to the oceans. The packages are named after the oil tanker Erika, which broke apart in a storm in the Bay of Biscay off the coast of France in 1999, spilling over 10,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, polluting of coastline. This incident prompted the EU to pass the first two measures addressing maritime safety. The third package was spurred in part by the 2002 sinking of the oil tanker Prestige off the coasts of Spain and France. That accident, the largest environmental disaster in Spain's history, was caused in part because Spanish authorities denied the distressed vessel entry to a safe harbour. European Council officials claim that the Prestige disaster would not have been possible if the first two Erika packages had been fully implemented and enforced at the time. The Erika packages comprise modifications of the existing legislation (Erika I), innovations in the EU law (Erika II), and integrate international standards with the Community legislation (Erika III). The laws reinforce certification requirements for shipping and establish inspection and verification controls. They also imply greater responsibilities for the shipping companies. Each EU country was required to install appropriate authorities and new or reinforced methods of control. Erika I In March 2000, the European Commission presented three proposals for "immediate actions" to modify the standards in force relating to tankers and ships transporting dangerous or polluting material. These regulations entered into force on 22 July 2003. Port state control The first proposal amended Directive 95/21/EC to control the entry of ships into EU ports. Ships older than 15 years that have been detained more than twice in the previous two years are added to a "blacklist" published by the commission, and are denied entry to any EU port. As ships get older, they are subject to increasing levels of inspection. Inspections must target one of the ballast tanks. Ships are required to communicate certain information before entering ports to facilitate inspection. Classification societies The second proposal, related to Directive 2001/105/EC, more strictly monitors the classification societies that inspect ship quality on behalf of EU member states. It places more stringent criteria on the societies, and gives the commission the right to suspend or withdraw recognition from societies that fail to comply with the Directive using a