Annex - Guidance on completing the certificate of fitness under the IBC, BCH, IGC, GC and EGC Codes
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Annex - Guidance on completing the certificate of fitness under the IBC, BCH, IGC, GC and EGC Codes

 Introduction

1 The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), at its sixty-sixth session (31 March to 4 April 2014), adopted amendments to MARPOL Annex I, the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (IBC Code) and the Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (BCH Code) by resolutions MEPC.248(66), MEPC.250(66) and MEPC.249(66), respectively. The aforementioned amendments introduced, inter alia, changes to the Form of IOPP Certificate and Supplements, the Model form of International Certificate of Fitness of the Carriage of Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk and the Model form of Certificate of Fitness for the Carriage of Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk, to reflect the requirements for a stability instrument capable of verifying compliance with intact and damage stability requirements.

2 The Maritime Safety Committee, at its ninety-third session (14 to 23 May 2014), adopted the same amendments to the IBC and BCH Codes as above (see resolutions MSC.369(93) and MSC.376(93), respectively), together with corresponding amendments to the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (IGC Code), the Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (GC Code) and the Code for Existing Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (EGC Code) (see resolutions MSC.370(93) and MSC.377(93) and annex 13 to document MSC 93/22/Add.1, respectively).

 Requirement for loading and stability information manual/booklet

3 The requirement for a ship to be supplied with an approved loading and stability information manual/bookletfootnote also holds when the ship has been fitted with an approved stability instrument.

 Certificates issued to ships that need not yet comply with the requirement to be fitted with an approved stability instrument

4 There are circumstances in which a ship constructed before 1 January 2016 may need to have its Certificate of Fitness reissued on or after 1 January 2016 but before 1 January 2021 and before the ship's first scheduled renewal survey in the aforementioned five-year period (e.g. at a change of flag or when the cargoes to be carried are changed). Given that the date of compliance with the requirement for having been fitted with an approved stability instrument will not have been reached yet for that particular ship, the ship may not be fitted with an approved stability instrument. Consequently, the Certificate of Fitness under the IBC, BCH, IGC, GC and EGC Codes, as applicable, should be issued with certain lines struck through, as shown below, in addition to striking through the options that do not apply (taking into account that Notes could be added to the certificate to facilitate clarification):

 References to amending resolutions

5 For gas carriers to which the IGC Code applies and for chemical tankers to which the IBC Code applies, the Certificate of Fitness must refer to all the resolutions by which amendments to the Codes were adopted and with which the ship fully complies. The three subparagraphs below contain recommendations on how the relevant resolutions can be comprehensively referenced in the Certificate of Fitness without explicitly listing all of the resolutions:

  • .1 for chemical tankers to which the IBC Code applies: by stating "All up to and including [the latest resolution]", where "[the latest resolution]" is replaced with the identifier of the applicable resolution;

  • .2 for gas carriers to which the IGC Code applies that comply with resolution MSC.5(48), as amended by resolutions MSC.17(58), MSC.30(61), MSC.32(63), MSC.59(67), MSC.103(73), MSC.177(79) and MSC.220(82) and with the stability instruments provisions provided in resolution MSC.370(93): by stating "All applicable requirements contained in resolutions up to and including resolution MSC.220(82) and the requirements in paragraph 2.2.6 or 2.2.7 of the IGC Code, as amended by resolution MSC.370(93)"; and

  • .3 for gas carriers to which the IGC Code applies that comply voluntarily with all the requirements of the IGC Code, as amended by resolution MSC.370(93): by only stating "resolution MSC.370(93)", since the voluntary compliance can be identified by the keel-laying date on the certificate.

Parent topic: MSC-MEPC.5/Circular.14 - Guidance on completing the certificate of fitness under the IBC, BCH, IGC, GC and EGC Codes – (1 August 2017)
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