The Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MoU) will launch an inspection campaign to verify compliance with the requirements of the Polar Code starting 13 June.
The first period will run to 1 July 2022, and a second period will run from 1 August to 19 August 2022.
Ships will be subject to only one inspection related to this inspection campaign. Port State Control Officers will use a pre-defined questionnaire to assess whether the information and equipment provided onboard complies with the relevant conventions. Polar Code elements in SOLAS and MARPOL will also be taken into account.
The questions will be:
Is the ships’ Polar Ship Certificate valid? (Part I-A, Regulation 1.3)
Is the Polar Water Operational Manual readily available on board? (Part I-A, Regulation 2.1)
Can exposed sections of the fire main be isolated and are the sections provided with means for draining of the sections? (Part I-A, Regulation 7.3)
Are there means of receiving and displaying current information on ice conditions on board? (Part A-1, regulation 9.3)
Additionally, for ships which are certified and bound for or operating regularly within polar waters:
Are there measures on board to prevent ice accretion? (Part I-A, Regulation 4.3)
Does the vessel carry proper lifesaving equipment onboard? (Part 1-A regulation 8.2.3.1)
Do master, chief mate and other officers in charge of a navigational watch, have the required certificates in accordance with STCW, chapter V and the Polar Code for the polar waters the ship is certified to operate in? (Part I-A, Regulation 12.3)
Is the ship’s crew responsible for garbage management well aware of the additional requirements in the Polar Code that shall be met to prevent pollution by garbage from ships as additional requirements to MARPOL annex V, regulation 4? (Part II-A, Chapter 5, Regulation 5.2)
Is the ship’s crew responsible for sewage discharge well aware of the requirements if discharge of sewage in Polar waters should be considered? (Part II-A, Chapter 4, regulation 4.2)
The Paris MoU notes that polar waters have a unique ecosystem that is vulnerable to human influences such as ship operation and that polar waters impose additional navigational and operational demands beyond those normally encountered in non-polar waters.
The goal of the Polar Code inspection campaign is to determine the level of compliance with the requirements of the Polar Code within the shipping industry, to create awareness amongst ship crews and ship owners with regard to the importance of compliance with the provisions of the Polar Code, and to convey that safety and pollution prevention related requirements are high on the agenda of the Paris MoU member Authorities.
The results of the campaign will be analysed and findings will be presented to the Paris MoU Committee.
