08 June 2020
Applicability: shipowners, ship operators, ship managers, ship masters and ship builders covering all ship types.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has issued guidance for flag States regarding surveys and renewals of certificates during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
During this ongoing situation, it is inevitable that flag States will have to extend the validity of statutory certificates beyond the three-month period usually allowed by many IMO instruments. Flag States also have the responsibility to issue clear statutory instructions and decisions to owners and recognised organisations (ROs).
The IMO has therefore provided step-by-step guiding principles for an evidence-based assessment of certificate extensions to be made on a case-by-case basis. Click here to view the guidance.
For each extension, flag States need to consider:
- Whether all the options for completing the survey and renewal of certificates have been exhausted
- Whether alternative evidence can be considered in order to establish the condition of the ship in lieu of completing the survey
- Whether the requirements of the convention and classification rules can be met in the interim
- How long any alternative to survey and certification can be considered valid before revalidation is required
- The overall documented evidence on which any extension can be based.
Many flag Administrations have issued clear instructions in this respect to LR when we act on their behalf. These can be found on our website here.