1 The Marine Environment Protection Committee, at its seventieth session (24
to 28 October 2016) and the Maritime Safety Committee, at its ninety-seventh session (21
to 25 November 2016), approved a unified interpretation on the expiration date of
statutory certificates, as set out in the annex, with a view to providing more specific
guidance on the application of the relevant requirements of the SOLAS
1974, Load
Lines 1966 and MARPOL Conventions and associated mandatory codes in relation to
assigning the expiration date of statutory certificates, including mandatory documents
of compliance.
2 Member States are invited to use the annexed interpretation when applying
the relevant provisions of the SOLAS
1974, Load
Lines 1966 and MARPOL Conventions and associated mandatory codes, unless
explicitly stipulated otherwise by the Administration, and to bring it to the attention
of all parties concerned.