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What's New
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Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks |
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The entry into force date for the Nairobi International Convention of Removal of Wrecks (WRC) is 14 April 2015. The WRC requires owners of ships over 300GT to take out insurance or provide other financial security to cover the costs of wreck removal, capped at an amount equal to the limits of liability under the applicable national or international limitation regime. Owners of ships that call at ports of State Parties which mandate the certificate as a port entry requirement, are also required to carry a WRC State certificate to attest that they have obtained adequate insurance coverage.
As of January 2015, there are 16 States that have acceded to the WRC as shown in Table A. The WRC allows State Parties to issue the WRC State certificates to ships belonging to non-Convention States. The State Parties of Germany, The Cook Islands, Malta, Palau will issue WRC State certificates to St. Vincent and the Grenadines flagged ships. We would like to advise owners, managers and masters of St. Vincent and the Grenadines flagged ships calling at ports of State Parties to check with the local agents on whether the WRC State certificate is a port entry requirement. If so, please be advised to approach the State Parties of Germany, The Cook Islands and Malta, Palau for the issuance of the WRC State Certificate to your ships. The contact details to make the applications are appended in Table B. We hereby request that copies of all WRCs are submitted to the Administration for our records
Table A - States Party to the Convention (as at Jan 2015)
| Antigua & Barbuda |
| Bulgaria |
| Cook Islands |
| Congo |
| Denmark |
| Germany |
| India |
| Iran |
| Liberia |
| Malaysia |
| Malta |
| Marsahll Islands |
| Morocco |
| Nigeria |
| Palau |
| United Kingdom |
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Table B - Contact Details
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IMO Company's Number (res. MSC.160(78)) |
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Attention Owners and Managers:
Please be advised that an IMO Unique Company and Registered Owner Identification Number is now required (see below). PLEASE SEE UP-DATED APPLICATION FORM - BOX 2.5 (OWNERS) AND BOX 4.4 (MANAGERS). THESE IMO NUMBERS CAN BE FOUND OR OBTAINED FREE OF CHARGE BY CONSULTING THE WEBSITE :
http://imonumbers.lrfairplay.com
The IMO Unique Company and Registered Owner Identification Number Scheme was introduced in 2004 through the adoption of resolution MSC.160(78). Lloyd's Register-Fairplay (LRF) issues these numbers from its database on behalf of the IMO. The Number is unique to the Company and/or Registered Owner. Only one number is issued to the company whether it undertakes one or both of the following roles:
“Company” (the DOC Company).
“Registered Owner” is the owner specified on the ship’s certificate of registry issued by the Administration.
The Scheme applies to ships of 100GT or above engaged on International voyages. Flag Administrations may also participate in the scheme for ships of 100GT and above not engaged on international voyages.
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The International Code for the Security of Ships and of Port Facilities (I.S.P.S) |
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The International Maritime Organisation (I.M.O) has implemented a comprehensive security regime for international shipping which will come into force on 1st July 2004. The new International Code for the Security of Ships and of Port Facilities (I.S.P.S) which we have signed, in December 2002, encompasses a series of measures to strengthen maritime security and prevent and suppress acts of terrorism against shipping in accordance with SOLAS, 74 as amended. The success of this code is reliant on the proper implementation of the requirements.
The I.S.P.S is applicable to the following types of ships engaged on international voyages as per Regulation 3 of Chapter I of SOLAS:
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Passenger ships
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Cargo ships of 500 gross tonnage and up
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Mobile offshore drilling units
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To Comply with the Requirements of I.S.P.S, every ship by the 1st July, 2004, must:
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Appoint a Company Security Officer.
All managers/owners with Safety Management responsibility must appoint a company security officer, and a deputy, with responsibility for named vessels.
The name and 24 hour contact details of the CSO and deputy CSO should be sent to the administration. The administration has prepared a format for this which all managers/owners (with ISM responsibility) are requested to complete and transmit to the administration.
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Appoint a Ship’s Security Officer
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Implement an approved Security Plan. Any changes made to a security plan, or to equipment specified in the plan, must be documented and approved by the CSO. Evidence of this approval must be kept with the plan, and the changes must be implemented on board.
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Be provided with a Ship Alert System not later than the first survey of the radio installation after July 1st 2004 (Other Cargo Ships after July 1st 2006)
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Ships other than tankers or passengers ships of 300 GT and more, but less than 50,000 GT, be provided with an Automatic Identification System (AIS) not later than the first annual survey, the first periodical survey, or the first renewal survey for safety equipment, whichever is due first after the 1st July 2004, or by 31st December 2004.
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Be marked with IMO Number
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Have records and certificates confirming compliance with applicable security requirements
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It is highly suggested that the Ship Security Plan, once developed, be submitted to one of the Recognised Security Organisations (RSO) for approval well in advance of the July 2004 deadline.
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> Additional informations / Operation of ISPS code < |
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| *Additional information will be posted on the website at an ulterior date |
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CSR's |
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Continuous Synopsis Records are under preparation for each affected vessel, and will be sent by mail to each management office during the month of May. Any manager who wishes to receive a CSR earlier may do so. Apply by fax or e-mail.
For good orders sake state :
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Name of vessel
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Body which issued DOC
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Body which carried out SMC audit on board
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Classification of the ship
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Annual Tax Renewal |
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This Administration would like to take this opportunity of reminding you that if the tax is not paid by the 31st December, a fine may be assigned and an encumbrance may be registered on the vessel for non-payment of taxes. Long overdue taxes may lead to the deletion of the vessel from the Registry of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
In order to avoid such administrative proceedings, it is strongly recommended that the Annual Tax Renewal be settled on the due date for the full calendar year in accordance with the Law.
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Paris Mou annouces Concentrated Inspection Campaign on Oil Tanker Safety |
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Oil tankers which are more than 3000 GT and over 15 years old will be inspected for structural safety.
In the wake of the Erika disaster, the Paris MOU Port State Control Committee, during its 33rd meeting in Southampton last month, agreed to mount a Concentrated Inspection Campaign aimed at the inspection of structural safety of oil tankers which are more than 3000 GT and more than 15 years old. Operational safety will also be included during the campaign, which will run from 1 September - 30 November 2000.
Paris MOU Authorities will inspect as many tankers as possible meeting the above criteria. In addition to the regular port State control inspection, specific items to be checked include the cargo deck area, ballast tanks, cargo tanks, pump rooms, inert gas system, PV valves and the engine room. There are, however, limitations on the number of spaces which can be inspected safely and the detail to which some areas within spaces can be examined. As with all port State control inspections only a sample of areas of the ship can be covered.
The Port State Control Committee adopted special inspection guidelines for this purpose, including an itemised inspection report giving an indication of the condition of the ship. In June 2000 Port State Control Officers from the 19 participating authorities attended a PSC seminar in London in preparation for this inspection campaign.
If excessive cracks, wastage or other damage is discovered the inspection will be extended as deemed appropriate and the classification society will be requested to attend the vessel. When deficiencies are found, sanctions by the port State may vary from recording the deficiency and instructing the master to rectify within 14 days to the detention of the ship until all deficiencies have been rectified. In case of detention, the ship could face the risk of follow-up inspections in other Paris MOU ports and publication in the monthly list of detentions issued by the Secretariat of the Paris MOU. Severe cases may even end up to be published on the website as a "Rustbucket of the Month".
Ship owners will also face the financial consequences if their ships are found to be in sub-standard condition and detained. The Paris MOU provides for all costs related to the inspection to be charged to the owner or operator of the ship.
The detention will not be lifted until full payment has been made or a sufficient guarantee for reimbursement has been given.
All inspections will be inserted in the SIRENAC database of the Paris MOU. The results of the campaign will be analysed at the end of this year and submitted to the Committee of the Paris MOU.
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ISM Code |
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The ISM Code is mandatory for passenger ships, high speed craft, oil tankers, chemical tankers, gas carriers and bulk carriers as from 1st July 1998. It will become mandatory for other cargo ships and mobile offshore drilling units of 500 gross tonnage and upwards by 1st July 2002.
In view of the complexity of the ISM Code implementation, this Administration urges all Operators/Owners to make provision for timely certification of their shipping companies and ships as no extension or postponement will be permitted beyond the stated date of compliance. This Administration’s policy is as follows :
The vessel’s operator (the Company) is solely responsible for documented procedures, internal auditing, verification, etc. The Company should comply with the ISM Code requirements and be provided with a Document of Compliance (DOC) issued by an organisation recognised by the Government of the country of residence. This Administration has given authorisation to the following organisations.
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American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)
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Bureau Veritas (BV)
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China Classification Society (CCS)
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Det Norske Veritas (DNV)
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Germanischer Lloyd (GL)
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Hellenic Register of Shipping (HRS)
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Hrvatski Registar Brodova-Croatian Register of Shipping (CRS)
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International Naval Surveys Bureau (INSB)
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Korean Register of Shipping (KR)
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Lloyd’s Register of Shipping (LR)
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Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (NKK)
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Polish Register of Shipping (PRS)
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Registro Italiano Navale (RINa)
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Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS)
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Organisations acting on behalf of this Administration should perform audits on board the vessels concerned and issue interim SMCs subject to successful completion of shipboard audits. The full term SMCs are issued by this Administration on receipt of provisional SMCs and successfully completed audit reports.
With effect from 1 July 2001 some Classification Societies will refuse to issue Safety Management Certificates to vessels which are not classed with them unless the Owner/Operator contractually agree to annual audits.
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Global and Uniform Implementation of the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (HSSC) |
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St. Vincent and the Grenadines Maritime Administration is in process of ratifying both the 1988 SOLAS and Load Line Protocols and will implement the harmonized system of survey and certification as from 03 February 2000.
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Annual Flag State Inspection |
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Owners and Operators are certainly well aware of this Administration’s policy to improve vessels’ safety and enforce the application of International Conventions. This Administration has therefore decided to adopt the Annual Flag State Inspection (FSI) Policy.
The main purposes of this policy are:
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To improve safety and environmental protection
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To help Owners by improving maintenance of their vessels
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To reduce the number of inspections performed by Port State Control and thus avoid detentions.
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The flag inspections take place annually or upon vessels detention by Port State Control. The inspections are performed by qualified surveyors to this Administration at the Owner’s expense (average cost abt US$ 600.- to US$ 800.-).
This Administration is aware that these additional costs may not be welcomed by the Owners and/or vessel’s Operators. However vessels with no record of detentions, with a good reliable maintenance policy, will seldom be inspected.
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Other - Halon Systems |
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by 1 January 2002
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Existing portable Halon fire extinguishers are to be replaced by CO2 or other suitable fire extinguishers.
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Existing fixed Halon systems are to be phased out by or prior to that date if a major refit has been undertaken and Alternative Arrangements for Halon Fire Extinguishing Systems in Machinery Spaces and Pump Rooms MSC/Circular 668 are to be fitted.
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Halon systems will not be accepted as fire extinguishing means on board any ship applying for registration under the St Vincent and the Grenadines Flag.
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Other - Control of Emission of Nitrogen Oxydes |
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by 1 January 2002
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As per MARPOL 73/78, Annex VI, Reg. 13, all engines
installed on ships constructed on or after 1 January 2000 or engines which undergo a major conversion on or after 1 January 2000 should meet the requirements of the Technical Code on Control of Emission of Nitrogen Oxides from Marine Diesel Engines (NOx Technical Code) prior to the date of entry into force of MARPOL Annex VI.
SVG Maritime Administration may grant an exemption if the manufacturers of the engines (intended to be installed) confirm that the engines in question technically cannot be retrofitted in order to comply with the relevant limits for emission values of NOx as specified in the Technical Code.
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