MARITIME LAW HSSC, ESP, CAS, CAP HSSC, ESP, CAS & CAP HARMONISED SYSTEM OF SURVEYS & CERTIFICATION (HSSC): © The HSSC came into force in the year 2000. Previously, the ship’s statutory certificates were all issued on different dates which corresponded with the date of completion of each individual initial survey. Also, they had different periods of validity. * When their annual surveys and other surveys became due, preparations had to be done for each individual survey. Often preparations were duplicated as items for inspection under different surveys overlapped. © Thus, ship’s officers were constantly under pressure to prepare the ship for surveys all the time. It also became a problem for the certifying authorities who had to board the ship for survey, several times during the course of the year for carrying out surveys which became due on varying dates. In order to tackle this problem, the IMO has ‘harmonized’ the system to provide ease and uniformity. Salient features of the HSSC are as follows: 1. All certificates that fall under this system will be issued on one date only, so that all annual and other surveys for each certificate will fall on the same dates. . There will be a one-year standard interval between surveys. . All cargo ship safety certificates are designed for s-year validity with annual endorsements. The Passenger ship safety certificate remains valid for one year and there is no change in that. . The first survey which a ship undergoes is always the Initial Survey. The date of completion of ALL the surveys is the date of issue of each certificate. . Annual surveys may be carried out within 3 months before or after the anniversary date of the certificate. The intermediate surveys may be carried out within 6 months of the half-way date of the certificate. That means the intermediate survey will be carried out together with, or in place of, second or third annual survey. ‘COMPILED BY: ROHAN D'SOUZA Page 118 of 233MARITIME LAW HSSC, ESP, CAS, CAP 6. Renewal survey can be carried out upto 3 months prior to the date of expiry of the certificate without loss of validity. A 3-month extension of validity is possible to enable a ship to complete its voyage (one month for ships engaged on short voyages). The date of issue of such certificates will be from the date of expiry of the existing certificate before extension. 7. Atleast two inspections of the ship’s bottom are to be carried out in a period of § years, with maximum interval between the two inspections to not exceed 36 months. CERTIFICATES + YEAR—* | o | ast | 2™ | 3rd | 4th | 5th Passenger Ship Safety Certificate I R R R R R Cargo Ship Safety Equipment Certificate T[aA lap] PALA |R Cargo Ship Safety Radio Certificate 1 [ele P| eplR Cargo Ship Safety Construction Certificate I A_|Ajint.|IntJA| A R lOPP Certificate I A_|Allnt. | Int/A | A R Load Line Certificate I A A A A R COF (Gas, Chemical) 1 A_|Ajlnt. | Int/A|_ A R IAPP Certificate I A_|Alint.| Int.JA| A R Cargo Gear Inspection TfTata[al|fal[R = Initial, A = Annual, R = Renewal, P = Periodical, Int. = Intermediate ENHANCED SURVEY PROGRAMME (ESP): * The ESP has been made mandatory by IMO and SOLAS Chapter XI in order for the ships to maintain the ESP Notation of Class. © Itis mandatory for the following ships:- 4. Oil Tankers. 2. Product tankers and Chemical Tankers 3. Bulk Carriers (including ore-carriers and combination carriers) * The ESP came into force in response to the large number of losses of bulk carriers and pollution caused by accidents on tankers. In order to prevent this, enhanced (more stringent) hull surveys were required, for which the IACS has developed the ESP. COMPILED BY: ROHAN D'SOUZA Page 119 of 233MARITIME LAW HSSC, ESP, CAS, CAP ESP contains unified requirements to be adopted by all Classification Societies while surveying tankers and bulk carriers. The Continuous Hull Survey (CHS) is now replaced by the ESP for ships to which itis applicable, A ‘survey programme’ has to be prepared by the Owner and submitted to the Recognized Organisation (RO), 6 months prior to the survey. The ESP may be commenced at the 4"" Annual Survey and be progressed during the succeeding year with a view to completion by the 5'" Anniversary date. IMO gives guidelines for preparation for the ESP survey in the form of two annexes - one for bulk carrier and one for oil tankers. Some definitions- 1. Close-up examination - is one where details of structural components within the inspection range of the surveyor i.e. normally within reach of hand are closely examined. 2. Overall survey - is intended to report on the overall condition of the tank / hold / hull structure and determine the extent of additional close-up surveys required. 3. Suspect areas - are the locations which are considered prone to rapid wastage or which show excessive corrosion. Planning and Preparation- Proper planning and co-operation between the Owner and the Class will ensure quality of the survey. For this, a specific ‘Survey Programme’ is worked out in advance and submitted to the Classification Society for approval. Proper preparations must be carried out by way of cleaning, descaling and rigging proper means of access acceptable to the surveyor. For example, scaffoldings, cherry pickers, boats or rafts, etc. together with proper illumination. The Survey Planning Document must identify critical areas which are high risk and stipulate its location, extent and means of close-up examination. The Survey Planning document must also contain ship particulars, plans of tanks / holds, its mean of corrosion protection, tanks and areas nominated for close-up examinations and thickness measurement. ‘COMPILED BY: ROHAN D'SQUZA Page 120 of 233MARITIME LAW HSSC, ESP, CAS, CAP Documentation - © Apart from ‘Survey Programme’, the vessel must have onboard all the documents as required by the surveyor. These usually include - 1, Main structural plans of holds and tanks. 2. Previous repair history. 3. Cargo and ballast history. 4. Records of inspection of these spaces by ship’s personnel. During the Survey- The Owner must provide all necessary facilities for safe execution of the survey. Spaces to be inspected must be clean, well illuminated and safe for entry. Communication systems should be arranged between the survey party in the tank and responsible officer on deck. Gas-meters, oxygen monitors, breathing apparatus, lifelines, whistles, etc. should be at hand during the survey. A safety checklist should be provided and all necessary precautions must be taken and procedures must be followed. Following will be checked in a Bulk Carrier — 1. All holds, ballast tanks, pipe tunnel, cofferdams, hold void spaces, deck and outer hull, supplemented by thickness measurement where required. . Checks for substantial corrosion, significant deformation, fractures, damages, etc. . Piping and cargo gear condition. Hatch covers and their operation, securing in open position, weather tightness, other components, etc. Hatch coaming, girders, stiffeners, etc. . Pressure testing of ballast and FW tanks. Following will be checked ona Tanker — 1, Hull structure, piping system, pump-rooms, cofferdams, pipe tunnel, void spaces, ballast tanks, etc. supplemented by thickness measurements where required. Checks for substantial corrosion, structural defects and damages, etc. . Pressure testing of cargo, ballast and FW tanks. . Documentation, PMS, etc. COMPILED BY: ROHAN D'SOUZA Page 121 of 233MARITIME LAW HSSC, ESP, CAS, CAP Evaluation = ¢ The data and information collected during the survey is evaluated and if accepted, then it is endorsed by the Administration. The conclusions of the analysis will form part of the ‘Condition Evaluation report’ which will be issued to the Owner and placed onboard the ship for reference at future surveys. The Condition Evaluation report must be in English (or translation in English) and must be kept on board for the lifetime of the ship. A ‘survey report file’ should be made by the Master and preserved onboard which must contain, 1. Condition Evaluation Report 2. Thickness measurement reports 3. Reports of structural surveys 4. Survey planning document The file must also be available at the Owner’s and Administration’s offices. The reports are valid for a period of 5 years and next survey must be carried out between the next 4-5 years. CONDITION ASSESSMENT SCHEME (CAS): Condition Assessment scheme (CAS) entered into force on sth April, 2005. The CAS is a mandatory survey scheme which imposes certain pollution prevention measures for single hulled oil tankers. It is somewhat similar to the ESP but it is applicable only to single hulled oil tankers, in particular to those that are 15 years or older. These tankers are subjected to mandatory CAS, adopted by the MEPC. In addition to the mandatory requirement, some Flag States or Port States may require compliance with these requirements even if the ship is not over 15 years old. In order to permit further trading under the flag / port state, such local regulations must be complied with. To readily identify the ships required to comply with CAS, a ‘Memo’ is added to the ship’s survey status, further emphasizing the requirements. Classification societies undertake CAS surveys on behalf of Administration. CAS is intended to complement the requirements of ESP and should be undertaken in conjunction with the ESP, concurrent with the Intermediate or Renewal Survey. COMPILED BY: ROHAN D’SOUZA Page 122 of 233MARITIME LAW HSSC, FSP, CAS, CAP * The first such assessment must be done concurrent with the first intermediate or special survey of Class due after 5" April 2005 or when ship completes 15 years of age, whichever occurs later. There is a requirement for proper preparatory measures to be undertaken prior to conducting the survey. These requirements are as follows: 1, Initial Notification from the Company to the Administration must be sent 8 months prior to the planned commencement date of the survey. . The Administration shall consider the notification and review the vessel’s history, detention records, casualty history, major NC’s, safety inspection reports, etc. If all found satisfactory, the Administration will authorize the RO to commence the CAS process on that ship. . Upon receipt of authorization, the RO shall issue to the Company the ‘survey planning questionnaire’, not later than 7 months prior the planned commencement date of the survey. . The Company shall complete and return the questionnaire to the Class and sent a copy to the Administration, not less than 5 months prior the planned commencement of the survey. . In co-operation with the RO, the company shall prepare and complete a “Survey Plan’ for CAS and submit the same to the Class Office (copy to Administration) not less than 2 months prior the planned commencement of the survey. . The Administration shall review the plan to confirm compliance with the CAS requirements. After the plan is agreed and approved, the survey may commence. Prior to commencement of CAS survey, the Company shall inform the Administration of the final arrangements, including a CAS survey location, commencement date, duration and date of pre-survey meeting. The Administration may decide to take part or monitor the survey progress. During the inspection, the hull structure in way of cargo tanks, pump rooms, cofferdams, pipe tunnels, void spaces, cargo and ballast tanks, etc. will be inspected and may require additional thickness measurements and close-up surveys than that required by ESP. On completion of the survey, the attending surveyor will issue an Interim Statement of Compliance valid for a period of 5 months. After completion of ‘the CAS final report, and verification by Administration, the final CAS Statement of Compliance will be issued by the Administration. COMPILED BY: ROHAN D’SOUZA Page 123 of 233MARITIME LAW HSSC, ESP, CAS, CAP * Further CAS surveys will then be carried out at intervals of 5 years, following the same procedures. (Different Classification societies may have different requirements) CONDITION ASSESSEMENT PROGRAM (CAP): CAP is a voluntary program, initially developed by the oil industry, to assess the continued fitness of older ships to carry their cargoes safely. The commercial opportunities of an old tanker, bulk carrier or container vessel is severely limited without a satisfactory CAP rating. Cargo owners and major charterers require or prefer either CAP 1 or CAP 2 rating for all older vessels fixed to carry their cargo. This is why, CAP is adopted. Statistics show that ships over the age of 20 years are four times more likely to be involved in an accident. CAP is a recognized method for a ship owner to demonstrate the quality and suitability of a vessel for the charterer and his cargo. CAP involves a detailed survey including, 1. Thickness Gauging of the vessel’s structure 2. Sophisticated strength and fatigue engineering analysis 3. Testing of vessel’s machinery, equipment and cargo systems In the CAP survey, two experienced surveyors will be informed of the specific areas of fatigue concerns, and will conduct a close-up visual inspection, supported by an extensive photographic record, of all cargo and ballast spaces to determine the degree of structural deterioration. ‘An approved gauging (thickness measurement) firm will conduct a comprehensive ultrasonic gauging of the hull subject to maximum bending moments. With the results and coupled with past repair history and original scantling, the engineers conduct an evaluation of the vessel’s structural strength. The surveyors will also carry out function tests on Main engine, aux. engines, steering gear, electric power supply, cargo pumps, ballast pumps, venting systems, etc. The results of these tests, together with strength and fatigue assessment records are evaluated by Classification society experts and a final CAP rating is assigned to the ship. COMPILED BY: ROHAN D’SOUZA Page 124 of 233,(MARITIME LAW HSSC, ESP, CAS, CAP © CAP 1 means very good and CAP 2 means good, which is required by most charterers. Both these ratings suggest that the vessel has been maintained to a standard in excess of the Classification minimums. The survey takes about 10 days, hence to avoid operational disturbance, it is recommended that the survey is undertaken while vessel is in ballast condition at sea. It is also recommended that CAP survey is co-ordinated with vessel’s special or intermediate Class survey whenever possible. Even for CAP, a survey plan must be worked out in advance with the Class, a survey planning meeting must be held and documented. COMPILED BY: ROHAN D'SOUZA Page 125 of 233