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MARITIME

Regulations And Standards

REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS
Flexibility While Ensuring Top-Quality Safety Standards

Regulations and Standards

The Regulations and Standards Department provides technical evaluation, interpretation, and implementation of IMO conventions and other instruments; oversight of Recognized Organizations; and interpretation and implementation of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) regulations and the International Labour Organization (ILO) regulations.

The Regulations and Standards Department Manages:

  • Ensuring that all ships are in compliance with IMO Conventions
  • Evaluating applications for exemptions, equivalencies, and alternate arrangements under IMO and ILO Conventions
  • Approving service providers such as those for annual and 5-year inspection of lifeboats and launching appliances and IHM Expert Companies
  • Approving Electronic Record Books and Ballast Water Treatment Systems
  • Issuing IMO and ILO dispensations and exemptions
  • Issuing Load Line Alteration Books
  • Administering the Extended Dry Dock Program
  • Reviewing and approving plans, including but not limited to: Shipboard Oil Pollution Prevention Plan (SOPEP), Shipboard Marine Pollution Emergency Plan (SMPEP), Ballast Water Management (BWM) Plans, Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Management Plans, Ship to Ship (STS) Operations Plans, Oil Discharge Monitoring and Control Systems (ODMCS) Operational Manuals, Ship Structure Access Manuals, Liquified Gas Carrier Cargo Operations Manuals, Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plans(SEEMP)
  • Reviewing fuel oil consumption data and annual operational carbon intensity

MARPOL Annex VI

The Regulations and Standards Department issues Confirmation of Compliance for the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) and Statement of Compliance related to fuel oil consumption reporting  and operational carbon intensity rating after reviewing data received from authorized verifiers listed in Appendix 1. Appendix 2 provides a timeline for implementation of the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) Part III and operational carbon intensity indicator (CII).

Document Name Download
APPENDIX 1 - LIST OF AUTHORIZED EU MRV and IMO SCD VERIFIERS

Recognized Organizations

The Liberian Registry recognizes the following classification societies for conducting surveys and issuing statutory certificates on behalf of Liberia:
  • American Bureau of Shipping
  • Bureau Veritas
  • China Classification Society
  • Croatian Register of Shipping
  • DNV
  • Korean Register
  • Indian Register of Shipping
  • Lloyd’s Register
  • Nippon Kaiji Kyokai
  • Phoenix Register of Shipping
  • Polski Rejestr Statkow
  • RINA S.p.A
The Liberian Registry maintains continuous contact and oversight of these recognized class societies.

Extended Dry Dock Program

The Extended Dry Dock Program offers owners and operators the option to extend the dry-docking period from five to seven and a half years. This option provides maximum scheduling flexibility while maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety. The Extended Dry Dock Program will reduce off-hire times and improve ship energy efficiency. All Liberian Registry ships 10 years old or less, except oil tankers and bulkers, are eligible for enrollment in the Extended Dry Dock Program.  Special consideration, on a case-by-case basis, may be given to ships, other than oil tankers and bulkers, between 10 years and 15 years of age with regard to enrollment in the Extended Dry Dock Program.

Requirements for Ships in the Extended Dry Dock Program

  • The scheme is to start from when the ship is new or at the latest the ship's 10-year dry-docking survey.
  • The ship must comply with the in-water survey provisions in accordance with the Administration and the Classification Society rule requirements.

Administration’s Initial and Subsequent Review/Approval Process

  • Vessel owner/operator must submit an Extended Dry Dock survey questionnaire and an in-water survey plan;
  • Administration’s review of vessel’s class and statutory survey and inspection history;
  • Administration’s review of vessel’s history regarding ISM Code requirements, including safety management system non-conformities relating to hull maintenance and the associated corrective action(s); and
  • Administration’s review of vessel’s flag safety inspections and non-conformities, including Port State Control reports of inspections containing hull-related deficiencies.

Management of the In-Water Surveys for the Extended Dry Dock Program

  • An application and planning document must be prepared in advance of the survey and agreed with the Classification Society.
  • A copy of the agreed upon plan will be submitted to the Flag Administration for review and comment.
  • The plan should include details of internal structural examinations and cargo tank internal surveys and all incidents and defects affecting underwater parts.
For additional information, please contact RegsandStandards
 Clients with WayPoint accounts can start this process and upload the plan via WayPoint.

Service Providers

Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) Expert Companies

Lifeboat Service Providers

Electronic Record Books (ERBs)

Ballast Water Treatment System

Authorized Private Maritime Security Companies