COVID-19 Contingency Plan and Guidelines Revision 6
For the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate, the main focus is that ships registered under the flag of the Netherlands are able to continue to operate under the condition that it has been proven that it is not possible to complete (part of) the required surveys / services / audits for subject vessel caused by the current measures for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.
The basic premise is that ships are regularly surveyed and certified in accordance with the applicable requirements (HSSC, as amended). Ship owners must make the necessary arrangements in such a manner that surveys are planned / attempted as soon as the window opens, thus preventing unnecessary postponement.
When it is proved impossible to complete the required surveys / services / audits in time the following applies:
Statutory ship certificates requiring an extended validity
The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate has decided that all ships’ statutory certificates which expire before or on September 30th, 2021 and which have not initially been extended yet by an earlier version of this Contingency Plan will remain valid with a general initial extension of 3 months provided that:
- it is approved by the RO
- the shipowner shall demonstrate that sufficient attempts have been made in order to arrange for necessary audits and/or surveys without success. Furthermore the confirmed dates and locations for the required audits and/or surveys in order to fully comply with the requirements are available. This information shall be kept on board for local authorities, together with the acceptance of the RO.
The above also applies in relation to expiration of the validity of certificates due to the fact that required annual / periodical / intermediate /renewal and additional surveys cannot be held within the expiry of the window by September 30th, 2021.