Part 1 – Inspection of Certificate (COF or NLS Certificate), Ship and Equipment

  1.1 On boarding and after introducing oneself to the master or responsible ship's officer, the PSCO should examine the Certificate of Fitness or NLS Certificate and Cargo Record Book.

  1.2 The Certificate includes information on the type of ship, the dates of surveys and a list of the products which the ship is certified to carry.

  1.3 As a preliminary check, the Certificate's validity should be confirmed by verifying that the Certificate is properly completed and signed and that required surveys have been performed. In reviewing the Certificate particular attention should be given to verifying that only those noxious liquid substances which are listed on the Certificate are carried and that these substances are in tanks approved for their carriage.

  1.4 The Cargo Record Book should be inspected to ensure that the records are up to date. The PSCO should check whether the ship left the previous port(s) with residues of noxious liquid substances on board which could not be discharged into the sea. The book could also have relevant entries from the appropriate authorities in the previous ports. If the examination reveals that the ship was permitted to sail from its last unloading port under certain conditions, the PSCO should ascertain that such conditions have been or will be adhered to. If the PSCO discovers an operational violation in this respect, the flag State should be informed by means of a deficiency report.

  1.5 If the Certificate is valid and the PSCO's general impressions and visual observations on board confirm a good standard of maintenance, the PSCO should, provided that the Cargo Record Book entries do not show any operational violations, confine the inspection to reported deficiencies, if any.

  1.6 If, however, the PSCO's general impressions or observations on board show clear grounds for believing that the condition of the ship, its equipment, or its cargo and slops handling operations do not correspond substantially with the particulars of the Certificate, the PSCO should proceed to a more detailed inspection:

• .1 initially this requires an examination of the ship's approved Procedures and Arrangements Manual (P and A Manual);

• .2 the more detailed inspection should include the cargo and pump-room areas of the ship and should begin with forming a general impression of the layout of the tanks, the cargoes carried, pumping and stripping conditions and cargo;

• .3 next a closer examination of the ship's equipment as shown in the P and A Manual may take place. This examination should also confirm that no unapproved modifications have been made to the ship and its equipment; and

• .4 should any doubt arise as to the maintenance or the condition of the ship or its equipment then further examination and testing may be conducted as may be necessary. In this respect reference is made to the Survey Guidelines under the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (resolution A. 1053(27)), as appropriate.

  1.7 The PSCO should bear in mind that a ship may be equipped over and above the requirements of Annex II of MARPOL. If such equipment is malfunctioning the flag State should be informed. This alone, however, should not cause a ship to be detained unless the malfunction presents an unreasonable threat of harm to the marine environment.

  2.1 As this category of ship is not provided with a COF or NLS Certificate as required by Annex II of MARPOL, the PSCO should be satisfied with regard to the construction and equipment standards relevant to the ship on the basis of the requirements set out in Annex II of MARPOL and the Standards for Procedures and Arrangements.

  2.2 In all other respects the PSCO should be guided by the procedures for ships referred to in section 1 above (i.e. ships required to hold a Certificate).

  2.3 If the ship has some form of certification other than the required Certificate, the PSCO may take the form and content of this document into account in the evaluation of that ship. Such a form of certification, however, is only of value to the PSCO if the ship has been provided with a P and A Manual.

 In exercising the control functions, the PSCO should use professional judgement to determine whether to detain the ship until any noted deficiencies are rectified or to allow it to sail with certain deficiencies which do not pose an unreasonable threat of harm to the marine environment. In doing this, the PSCO should be guided by the principle that the requirements contained in Annex II of MARPOL, in respect of construction and equipment and the operation of ships, are essential for the protection of the marine environment and that departure from these requirements could constitute an unreasonable threat of harm to the marine environment.