Certificates
IMRS supports the ship and MODU certification scope listed below when authorized by the applicable Administration and instrument. Entries that must be issued by an Administration, financial-security provider, or other competent authority are identified accordingly. Controlled formats are available only after sign-in and are filtered by role.
International instruments and their ship certificates
The directory is organized by IMO convention or mandatory code. It covers statutory certification for ships and Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs), plus class certification and the ILO Maritime Labour Convention where separately identified. Issue remains subject to flag authorization, instrument applicability, and satisfactory survey or verification.
SOLASInternational Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, as amended, including its mandatory SOLAS codes14 entries
SOLAS chapter I and the 1988 Protocol certificate models create the passenger/cargo statutory safety certificates and attached Records of Equipment. Chapters VIII, IX, X, XI-2, XIV and XV, and mandatory codes made applicable through SOLAS, add nuclear-ship certificates, ISM documents, ISPS certificates, high-speed-craft certificates/permit, Polar Ship Certificate and Industrial Personnel Safety Certificate. Chapter VII/mandatory cargo codes add ship fitness certificates, dangerous-goods compliance documentation and the grain authorization. A dedicated MODU Safety Certificate exists under the IMO MODU Codes, but IMO's 2022 carried-document list places MODU certification among non-mandatory instruments; it is not automatically a SOLAS certificate unless the flag/coastal State makes the code applicable. Cargo-shipment papers such as dangerous-goods manifests, transport information and container/vehicle packing certificates are excluded.
Status: As of September 2026, SOLAS 1974 as amended remains the governing IMO safety-certification instrument; the 2025 HSSC Guidelines (resolution A.1207(34)) are the current harmonized survey guidance, and the January 2026 SOLAS Consolidated Edition supplement records amendments effective 1 January 2026. Certificates below mean flag-State statutory certificates/documents, normally issued by the Administration or an authorized RO/RSO; they are not class certificates, builder documents or national/voluntary certificates.
| Code | Certificate or statutory document | Applies to | Requirement & verification cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOLAS EC (no universally standardized IMO acronym) | Exemption Certificate (SOLAS)IMO FAL.2/Circ.133 expressly calls this an Exemption Certificate and cites SOLAS I/12; it is not the International Load Line Exemption Certificate, which belongs to the Load Lines Convention. | Any SOLAS ship, including a MODU only where a SOLAS exemption has actually been granted and the unit is within the relevant SOLAS chapter's application.Possible but not automatic. A MODU's dedicated MODU certificate may carry Code exemptions under the MODU Code, which are distinct from a SOLAS I/12 Exemption Certificate. | Conditional: issued in addition to the underlying SOLAS certificate(s) only when the Administration grants an exemption under SOLAS I/12; it is not a routine certificate.No independent convention-wide period. Validity and conditions are those stated by the Administration and normally track the affected statutory certificate/operation; do not assume a five-year period or a flag-independent interval. |
| PSSC | Passenger Ship Safety CertificateThe 2026 SOLAS supplement continues the statutory model family. Nuclear passenger ships use the Nuclear Passenger Ship Safety Certificate instead of this ordinary PSSC. | Passenger ships to which SOLAS chapter I applies, including passenger high-speed craft only through the applicable HSC/SOLAS arrangement rather than an ordinary cargo certificate.Normally none: a MODU is not thereby a passenger ship. If a unit is separately certified and operated as a passenger ship, the passenger regime is assessed independently; a MODU Safety Certificate does not replace this certificate. | Mandatory for an applicable passenger ship engaged on international voyages; issued after satisfactory statutory survey.SOLAS I/14 framework: normally not more than five years, subject to the applicable initial and renewal surveys, endorsements and any statutory extensions permitted by the Convention. HSSC 2025 identifies initial and renewal surveys for this certificate; do not add flag-dependent annual intervals. |
| Form P | Record of Equipment for Passenger Ship SafetyDo not confuse Form P with crew certificates or passenger manifests. | Passenger Ship Safety Certificate; also the current model supplement for the Nuclear Passenger Ship Safety Certificate.No dedicated MODU Form P. A MODU has no SOLAS Form P unless it is separately in the passenger-ship certification category. | Mandatory attached supplement whenever the PSSC (or nuclear passenger equivalent) is issued; not a stand-alone certificate.No independent validity. It remains attached/current with the parent certificate and is amended or replaced when the statutory equipment particulars change or the certificate is renewed. |
| CSSC-Construction | Cargo Ship Safety Construction CertificateFAL.2/Circ.133 defines this certificate for a 500 GT-and-over cargo ship and distinguishes it from the consolidated Cargo Ship Safety Certificate. | Cargo ships of 500 gross tonnage and over meeting the SOLAS cargo-ship construction regime; not the ordinary certificate for a MODU certified under a MODU Code.A dedicated MODU Safety Certificate is the relevant unit certificate under the applicable MODU Code. A self-propelled MODU may still have separate SOLAS certificates where a SOLAS chapter applies, but a MODU certificate is not a class certificate and is not automatically interchangeable with this cargo construction certificate. | Mandatory for an applicable cargo ship, unless the owner/Administration uses the consolidated Cargo Ship Safety Certificate alternative.Normally up to five years under SOLAS I/14, subject to annual/intermediate/renewal surveys, endorsements and permitted statutory extensions; exact due windows are those in SOLAS/HSSC and are not invented here. |
| CSSEC | Cargo Ship Safety Equipment CertificateThe January 2026 SOLAS supplement (MSC.522(106)) replaced the model form and expressly says it is supplemented by Form E. | Cargo ships of 500 gross tonnage and over complying with SOLAS II-1, II-2, III, V and other applicable SOLAS requirements.No dedicated MODU Form E. A MODU may be subject to selected SOLAS safety-equipment requirements through its applicable statutory regime, but the MODU Code certificate remains distinct. | Mandatory for an applicable cargo ship unless the consolidated Cargo Ship Safety Certificate alternative is used.Normally up to five years under SOLAS I/14, with the HSSC annual/periodical/renewal endorsement pattern and any Convention-permitted extension; no flag-dependent interval is assumed. |
| Form E | Record of Equipment for Cargo Ship SafetyDo not treat Form E as a class equipment list. | Cargo Ship Safety Equipment Certificate.No separate MODU Form E is created by the MODU Code model. | Mandatory permanently attached supplement to the CSSEC; not a stand-alone certificate.No separate validity; remains current with the parent CSSEC and is updated/reissued when equipment particulars change or the certificate is renewed. |
| CSSRC | Cargo Ship Safety Radio CertificateFAL.2/Circ.133 expressly sets the threshold at 300 GT and over and requires Form R. | Cargo ships of 300 gross tonnage and over fitted with a SOLAS radio installation, including applicable radio equipment in life-saving appliances.Important for self-propelled MODUs and other units to the extent the MODU Code/Administration applies cargo-ship SOLAS chapter IV radio requirements; it is separate from and does not replace the MODU Safety Certificate. | Mandatory when the SOLAS cargo-ship/radio thresholds apply; not limited to 500 GT cargo ships.Normally up to five years under SOLAS I/14, subject to the HSSC periodical/renewal survey pattern and endorsements; do not infer an annual interval beyond the Convention/HSSC requirements. |
| Form R | Record of Equipment for Cargo Ship Safety RadioThe Form R model is distinct from the Form E equipment record. | Cargo Ship Safety Radio Certificate.May be relevant to a self-propelled MODU through its cargo-ship radio regime; no separate MODU-specific Form R is prescribed. | Mandatory attached supplement; not an independent certificate.No independent validity; follows the parent CSSRC and must match the radio installation actually surveyed. |
| CSSC-Consolidated (often CSSC; distinguish from CSSC-Construction) | Cargo Ship Safety CertificateFAL.2/Circ.133 says this is an alternative to the three cargo certificates, not a fourth certificate carried in addition to them. | Cargo ships complying with the relevant SOLAS II-1, II-2, III, IV and V requirements as modified by the 1988 SOLAS Protocol.Not the default MODU certificate. A MODU may need selected underlying SOLAS certificates/requirements, but the consolidated cargo certificate should not be presumed equivalent to the MODU Code certificate. | Alternative, not additional: may be issued instead of the separate Cargo Ship Safety Construction, Equipment and Radio Certificates.Normally up to five years under SOLAS I/14, with the component survey/endorsement pattern and permitted extensions; the consolidated certificate does not eliminate the underlying statutory survey obligations. |
| Form C | Record of Equipment for Cargo Ship SafetyCurrent IMO model material uses Form C for nuclear cargo as well; this is not a separate nuclear-only equipment record. | Cargo Ship Safety Certificate; also the current model supplement for the Nuclear Cargo Ship Safety Certificate.No separate MODU Form C under the MODU Code model. | Mandatory attached supplement when the consolidated Cargo Ship Safety Certificate (or nuclear cargo equivalent) is issued.No independent validity; follows the parent consolidated/nuclear cargo certificate and must be kept consistent with surveyed equipment. |
| NPSSC | Nuclear Passenger Ship Safety CertificateThe current model in IMO MSC.338(91) says the certificate is supplemented by Record of Equipment for Passenger Ship Safety (Form P). | Nuclear-powered passenger ships subject to SOLAS chapter VIII.No automatic MODU relevance. A nuclear-powered MODU would require a separate regulatory determination; the ordinary MODU certificate does not become a nuclear passenger certificate. | Mandatory conditional on nuclear propulsion and passenger-ship status; issued instead of the ordinary Passenger Ship Safety Certificate.Follows the relevant passenger-ship SOLAS survey/validity framework under SOLAS I/14 and VIII/9; normally not more than five years, subject to Administration endorsements and nuclear safety surveys. |
| NCSSC | Nuclear Cargo Ship Safety CertificateFAL.2/Circ.133 expressly says a nuclear ship receives the nuclear passenger or nuclear cargo certificate in place of the ordinary certificate as appropriate. | Nuclear-powered cargo ships subject to SOLAS chapter VIII.No automatic MODU relevance; a MODU Safety Certificate is not a nuclear cargo certificate. | Mandatory conditional on nuclear propulsion and cargo-ship status; issued instead of the ordinary Cargo Ship Safety Certificate.Follows the cargo-ship SOLAS I/14/HSSC survey framework as adapted by chapter VIII; normally not more than five years, subject to nuclear and statutory endorsements. |
| DoC-DG (distinct from ISM DOC) | Document of Compliance with the Special Requirements for Ships Carrying Dangerous GoodsThis is a ship construction/equipment compliance document, not the excluded cargo manifest or transport information. | Ships carrying dangerous goods for which SOLAS II-2/19 applies, subject to the regulation's exceptions (including specified classes/limited quantities).Conditional only if an MODU is a ship to which II-2/19 applies and carries the regulated dangerous goods; the MODU Safety Certificate is not this document. | Conditional statutory document: required when the ship's dangerous-goods carriage triggers SOLAS II-2/19; not a universal certificate for all ships.SOLAS II-2/19.4 does not provide one universal five-year/annual validity statement in the FAL description. Use only the period, endorsements and change-control terms stated by the issuing Administration; re-verification is required when the ship/equipment/cargo authorization changes. |
| CSR | Continuous Synopsis RecordIncluded as the principal SOLAS statutory ship record; other onboard plans, manuals, cargo information, logbooks and cargo-shipment documents are outside this certificate/record inventory. | Every ship to which SOLAS chapter I applies; application to an MODU depends on whether it is within that SOLAS ship/certificate scope.Possible for an MODU falling within SOLAS XI-1/5; a dedicated MODU Safety Certificate does not itself replace the CSR. | Mandatory statutory ship record under SOLAS XI-1/5; not a safety certificate and not a class record.No expiry date or five-year survey cycle. It is maintained throughout the ship's life and updated/reissued when the prescribed historical particulars change or the ship changes flag/ownership/company. |
The IMO FAL.2/Circ.133 list is a carried-document inventory, not a substitute for the treaty/regulation and current certificate model. HSSC 2025 applies harmonized survey categories but does not eliminate Administration-specific authority, recognized-organization delegation, exemptions, equivalences, route/cargo thresholds or certificate endorsements. The IMO MODU and SPS entries need especially careful labeling: MODU certification is the dedicated unit certificate but the IMO Code is not universally mandatory absent flag/coastal adoption; SPS is expressly treated as non-mandatory and is excluded from the core SOLAS statutory set except as a clearly marked boundary item. Legacy BCH/GC fitness certificates, MARPOL NLS/IOPP/air-pollution/ballast certificates, Load Line/Tonnage certificates, STCW crew certificates, cargo manifests, transport information, and class certificates are not SOLAS-group certificates and should not be merged into this instrument group.
Official references: www.imo.org 1www.imo.org 2wwwcdn.imo.org 3wwwcdn.imo.org 4wwwcdn.imo.org 5wwwcdn.imo.org 6
SOLAS IX / ISM CodeSOLAS chapter IX — Management for the Safe Operation of Ships, which makes the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (International Safety Management (ISM) Code) mandatory4 entries
For international voyages, the official IMO PSC ISM guidance states that the Code applies to all passenger ships including passenger high-speed craft; oil, chemical and gas tankers, bulk carriers and cargo high-speed craft of 500 GT and above; and other cargo ships and self-propelled mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) of 500 GT and above. The ISM group creates company-level DOC documents and ship-level SMC certificates, with interim versions for specified transitional cases. The ISM Code’s MODU entry is a ship type for DOC/SMC scope; it does not create a separate MODU construction/safety certificate. The 2009 MODU Code’s Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit Safety Certificate is a distinct instrument and is not counted as an SOLAS IX/ISM certificate.
Status: As of September 2026, the operative statutory certificate provisions are ISM Code Part B paragraphs 13–16, including the certificate models, as amended by MSC.104(73) and subsequent ISM amendments listed on IMO’s ISM page. SOLAS IX regulation IX/3 makes the ISM Code mandatory. Administration/flag certification is performed by the Administration, an Administration-recognized organization (RO), or another Contracting Government at the Administration’s request; these are statutory certificates, not class or voluntary certificates. HSSC 2025 (A.1207(34)) is current, but it does not contain an ISM-certification annex or replace the ISM audit/verification cycle.
| Code | Certificate or statutory document | Applies to | Requirement & verification cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| DOC | Document of ComplianceThe DOC is often called a certificate in practice, but its exact ISM model title is Document of Compliance. It is statutory flag/RO certification, not a classification certificate. Withdrawal of the DOC for missed annual verification or major non-conformity also withdraws associated SMCs and Interim SMCs. | Company responsible for operating one or more ships within SOLAS IX/ISM scope, including a MODU type only when that type is explicitly covered by the DOC. It is a company document; a copy must be carried/available on each applicable ship.The official DOC model expressly lists ‘Mobile offshore drilling unit’ as a ship type. For the SOLAS IX applicability stated by IMO, self-propelled MODUs of 500 GT and above on international voyages are within scope. The DOC must explicitly include MODU/type limitations. The separate 2009 MODU Code Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit Safety Certificate is not a DOC and is outside this instrument group. | Mandatory statutory prerequisite for operation of each applicable ship: the ship must be operated by a Company holding a DOC or Interim DOC relevant to that ship. The DOC is conditional on successful company SMS audit and only covers the ship types explicitly indicated; adding another type requires verification of capability for that type.Administration-specified period not exceeding five years. Annual verification is required within the ±3-month anniversary window. Renewal verification is performed before expiry; any exceptional extensions/endorsements are governed by the ISM Code and the Administration, not by a universal flag-independent interval. |
| SMC | Safety Management CertificateThe SMC is the ship-level evidence that the Company and shipboard management operate in accordance with the approved SMS. It remains subject to the DOC remaining valid; if the DOC is withdrawn, associated SMCs are also withdrawn. | Each ship within SOLAS IX/ISM scope, including an applicable self-propelled MODU, after verification that the Company’s DOC/Interim DOC is relevant to that ship type and that the shipboard SMS is implemented.The official SMC model’s permitted ship-type list expressly includes ‘mobile offshore drilling unit’. A self-propelled MODU of 500 GT and above on an international voyage therefore receives an SMC when SOLAS IX/ISM applies and the DOC is relevant. This SMC is separate from the MODU Code’s construction/safety certificate. | Mandatory statutory ship certificate for each applicable ship. Conditional on ship type, tonnage/voyage applicability and a relevant valid DOC/Interim DOC; it is not a substitute for the DOC or for other SOLAS/MARPOL/class certificates.Administration-specified period not exceeding five years. If only one intermediate verification is required for a five-year SMC, it is between the second and third anniversary dates. Renewal is completed before expiry; the ISM Code contains specific renewal/extension provisions that must be applied by the Administration rather than assumed as a flag-independent interval. |
| Interim DOC (IDOC; common shorthand) | Interim Document of ComplianceThe exact IMO model title is Interim Document of Compliance. ‘IDOC’ is common industry shorthand, not a separate instrument. A copy is not required to be authenticated or certified under ISM Code 14.1. | Company responsible for ships within ISM scope, including a company seeking MODU ship-type coverage, in the specific transitional situations in ISM Code paragraph 14.1.The interim DOC can include MODU as an explicitly verified ship type where the Company is newly established or is adding that type. It does not itself create or replace the separate MODU Safety Certificate under the 2009 MODU Code. | Conditional transitional statutory document, not a universally required certificate. It may be issued when a Company is newly established or when new ship types are being added to an existing DOC, after verification that the SMS meets the Code’s objectives and the Company has a plan to implement the full Code within the interim period.Not exceeding 12 months under ISM Code 14.1. The Code does not provide a general DOC-style extension in paragraph 14.1; any later full DOC issuance and any Administration action must follow the Code and flag procedures. |
| Interim SMC (ISMC; common shorthand) | Interim Safety Management CertificateThe exact IMO model title is Interim Safety Management Certificate. ‘ISMC’ is common shorthand. It is statutory flag/RO transitional certification, not class or a national offshore operating permit. | Ship within SOLAS IX/ISM scope, including an applicable MODU, in one of the specific transitional cases in ISM Code paragraph 14.2.An applicable self-propelled MODU may receive an Interim SMC in any paragraph 14.2 case, provided the relevant DOC/Interim DOC covers MODU and all 14.4 conditions are verified. It is separate from the MODU Code’s Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit Safety Certificate. | Conditional transitional statutory certificate. It may be issued to a new ship on delivery, when a Company takes responsibility for a ship new to that Company, or when a ship changes flag; it is not the normal full-term SMC.Not exceeding six months. In special cases the Administration or, at its request, another Contracting Government may extend it for a further period not exceeding six months from expiry. It is superseded by the full SMC after the required verification/audit. |
The IMO source set distinguishes ISM audits/certification from HSSC surveys and from class. HSSC 2025 A.1207(34) covers listed SOLAS/MARPOL/BWM/mandatory-code survey certificates and says its guidelines apply as appropriate to drilling rigs covered by MARPOL Annex I regulation 39 and Annex VI regulation 5; it does not establish the ISM DOC/SMC cycle. MODU applicability above follows the official IMO PSC ISM guidance’s express wording for self-propelled MODUs of 500 GT and above on international voyages. Non-self-propelled units, domestic operations, flag-specific extensions and national/coastal-state offshore requirements require separate legal review; no flag-dependent interval has been inferred.
Official references: www.imo.org 1www.imo.org 2wwwcdn.imo.org 3wwwcdn.imo.org 4wwwcdn.imo.org 5wwwcdn.imo.org 6
SOLAS XI-2; ISPS CodeSOLAS chapter XI-2 / International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code), ship component2 entries
The IMO FAQ states that XI-2 applies to passenger ships and cargo ships of 500 gross tonnage and upwards, including high-speed craft and mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs), engaged on international voyages, and to the port facilities serving them. The ship-side statutory evidence of compliance is the International Ship Security Certificate (ISSC), or, only in defined transitional circumstances, the Interim International Ship Security Certificate. An approved Ship Security Assessment/Ship Security Plan, the SOLAS XI-2 ship security alert system, Declaration(s) of Security, and ISPS security records are implementation/operational documents or equipment requirements, not additional ship certificates. Port Facility Security Plans and port-side approvals are outside this ship/MODU certificate group. Domestic voyages and ships below the stated threshold are outside the international XI-2 baseline unless a flag State applies additional national requirements.
Status: As of September 2026, SOLAS XI-2 and ISPS Code Part A remain mandatory for ships in scope; Part B remains recommendatory guidance. The current IMO HSSC reference is the 2025 Survey Guidelines (resolution A.1207(34)), but HSSC 2025 does not create an additional ISPS security certificate or replace ISPS Code Part A section 19. No later IMO ship-security certificate type, ISPS equipment record, permit, or convention financial-security certificate was identified.
| Code | Certificate or statutory document | Applies to | Requirement & verification cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISSC | International Ship Security CertificateThe model is ISPS Code Part A Appendix 1. The correct statutory name is International Ship Security Certificate (not a class security certificate). The certificate is evidence of security-system compliance, not a permit and not financial-security evidence. | Every passenger ship or cargo ship of 500 GT and upwards, including high-speed craft and MODUs, to which SOLAS XI-2/ISPS applies and which is engaged on an international voyage. It is a ship certificate; a port facility does not receive an ISSC.A MODU expressly falls within the IMO-stated XI-2 population when it meets the applicable 500-GT/international-voyage criteria; there is no separate MODU ISSC model or MODU-specific ISPS validity period. A MODU on location may interface with fixed/floating platforms or other units outside XI-2; the approved SSP should address those interfaces and additional measures/Declarations of Security as applicable. | Mandatory when the ship falls within XI-2 scope. The Administration should not issue it unless the ship complies with the applicable SOLAS XI-2 and ISPS Part A requirements. This is statutory flag/RSO certification, not class or a voluntary security notation.Maximum validity is five years under ISPS A/19. The intermediate verification is the ISPS-specific endorsement event between the second and third anniversaries. Do not label this as an annual ISPS certificate, and do not infer flag-dependent extensions or windows from other SOLAS certificates. The certificate may be electronic where the IMO electronic-certificate conditions are met. |
| Interim ISSC (often abbreviated I-ISSC) | Interim International Ship Security CertificateThe model is ISPS Code Part A Appendix 2. Historic IMO interim schemes for certain cargo ships and special purpose ships (MSC/Circ.1157 and MSC.1/Circ.1189) ceased to apply on 1 July 2008 and do not create a current extra certificate as of 2026. | A ship otherwise subject to SOLAS XI-2/ISPS, including an in-scope MODU, when one of the limited A/19.4 situations exists, such as delivery or entry/re-entry into service while no full certificate exists, assumption of operation by a new Company, or change of flag.There is no separate MODU interim model. An in-scope MODU uses the same Interim ISSC rules and Appendix 2 model when one of the A/19.4 situations applies; an MODU outside XI-2 scope has no ISPS Interim ISSC obligation unless its flag applies an additional national regime. | Conditional and transitional; it is not an alternative permanent certificate and is not issued merely because an owner wants a shorter certificate. It may be issued by the Administration or an authorized RSO only after the required interim security-system checks, including the relevant security assessment/plan, implementation and designated security arrangements, have been verified.Valid for no more than six months, or until the full certificate required by A/19.2 is issued, whichever occurs first; it may not be extended under the Code. A subsequently and consecutively issued Interim ISSC can be a clear ground for port-State scrutiny where it appears intended to avoid full compliance. Any flag-created ‘short-term ISSC’ or administrative extension should not be treated as a third IMO Code certificate type without checking the issuing Administration’s law. |
The IMO’s publicly accessible ISPS webpages and resolutions confirm the two Part A ship-certificate models and the scope; the commercial ISPS Code publication contains the full A/19 text and forms. This classification deliberately excludes crew/security-officer training certificates, port-facility documents, class or voluntary security notations, national permits, cargo-shipment documents and certificates under other SOLAS/IMO/ILO conventions. The IMO FAL.2/Circ.133 list is a 2022 official list cited by the IMO certification page and may be amended; it is used as a cross-check, not as a source of a third ISPS certificate.
Official references: www.imo.org 1www.imo.org 2www.imo.org 3www.imo.org 4www.imo.org 5wwwcdn.imo.org 6
SOLAS X; 1994 HSC Code; 2000 HSC CodeSOLAS chapter X / International Code of Safety for High-Speed Craft, 1994 and 20006 entries
The HSC Code is a complete statutory safety regime for qualifying high-speed craft engaged on international voyages. It covers passenger craft not proceeding more than four hours at operational speed from a place of refuge and cargo craft of 500 gross tonnage and above not proceeding more than eight hours at operational speed from a place of refuge when fully laden. SOLAS X/HSC is craft- and operation-based, not a general ship-type or MODU regime. A MODU is separately defined by IMO under SOLAS IX/MODU Code; MODU status alone does not trigger an HSC document. The group creates one statutory safety certificate, its mandatory associated Record of Equipment, and a commercial-operation permit; it creates no HSC-specific financial-security certificate.
Status: As of 30 September 2026, SOLAS chapter X makes the HSC Code mandatory for applicable high-speed craft on international voyages. IMO states that the 1994 HSC Code applies to craft built on or after 1 January 1996; the 2000 HSC Code applies to craft whose keels are laid or which reach a similar stage of construction on or after 1 July 2002, while the earlier Code continues for earlier craft. Resolution MSC.573(110), adopted 26 June 2025, amends the 1994 Annex 1 equipment record but is not due to enter into force until 1 January 2028, so its new fields are not treated as current at this cutoff. HSSC 2025 does not create a dedicated HSC survey annex or a new HSC certificate; HSC surveys remain governed directly by HSC Code section 1.5 and certification by sections 1.8 and 1.9.
| Code | Certificate or statutory document | Applies to | Requirement & verification cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSC-SC-1994 (working IMRS code; IMO does not prescribe an acronym) | High Speed Craft Safety CertificateThe Annex 1 model is the ‘Form of High Speed Craft Safety Certificate’ together with its Record of Equipment. This is statutory flag/RO certification, not a class certificate, voluntary notation or national-only operating licence. | Qualifying passenger and cargo high-speed craft on international voyages to which the 1994 HSC Code applies, principally craft built on or after 1 January 1996 and before the 2000 Code construction cutoff. It is not a general certificate for every ship.No MODU-specific applicability. A MODU receives this certificate only if, on the facts and flag-State determination, it is also a qualifying high-speed craft within SOLAS X; being a MODU does not itself qualify it. Ordinary MODU certification is under the separate MODU regime, not this certificate. | Mandatory statutory flag-State certificate for an applicable HSC under SOLAS X. It is conditional on compliance with the complete 1994 HSC Code and successful initial or renewal survey. Although the original 1994 resolution uses some ‘should’ drafting, SOLAS X makes the Code mandatory.Administration-specified period not exceeding five years. The Code provides renewal/extension rules, including limited voyage-to-survey extensions; a periodical survey is tied to the anniversary-date window above. Do not invent a fixed annual or RO interval: the exact renewal interval and any extension depend on the Administration and Code provisions. |
| HSC-SC-2000 (working IMRS code; IMO does not prescribe an acronym) | High-Speed Craft Safety CertificateThe 2000 Code Annex 1 is the ‘Form of High-Speed Craft Safety Certificate and Record of Equipment’; Annex 2 is the Permit model. This is statutory flag/RO certification, not class certification. The 2000 Code is the mandatory successor for new construction from 1 July 2002, not a voluntary alternative for ordinary ships. | Qualifying passenger and cargo high-speed craft on international voyages whose keels are laid or which reach a similar stage of construction on or after 1 July 2002, within 2000 HSC Code 1.3.4 limits.No MODU-specific applicability. A MODU would fall into this HSC certification only if it independently meets the HSC definition/application and the Administration applies SOLAS X; MODU status alone does not create an HSC certificate. | Mandatory statutory flag-State certificate under SOLAS X for an applicable 2000-Code HSC, conditional on complete Code compliance and a satisfactory initial or renewal survey.Issued for an Administration-specified period not exceeding five years. Code 1.8 governs renewal timing, anniversary endorsements and tightly limited extensions; 1.8.4-1.8.12 should be read rather than substituting a presumed class cycle. Permit validity follows these rules through 1.9.5. |
| HSC-ROE-1994 (working IMRS code; often called HSC ROE; no IMO acronym prescribed) | Record of Equipment for High Speed Craft Safety CertificateTreat this as a statutory certificate annex/record, not a second safety certificate, class equipment list or voluntary document. MSC.573(110) will add infant-lifejacket and pilot-ladder/manrope entries to the 1994 model from 1 January 2028; those fields are not current at the September 2026 cutoff. | The equipment record accompanying the Annex 1 1994 High Speed Craft Safety Certificate for an applicable 1994-Code HSC.No standalone MODU record. It is relevant to a MODU only if the unit is actually certified as an applicable 1994 HSC; ordinary MODU equipment lists or MODU Code records are outside this group. | Mandatory associated statutory record when the 1994 HSC Safety Certificate is carried; not a separate certificate or independent authorization. Conditional on the equipment fitted/carried and verified for the relevant HSC service.No separate validity, survey interval or extension. It travels with and supports the associated HSC Safety Certificate and must remain accurate after survey, approved changes or equipment alterations. |
| HSC-ROE-2000 (working IMRS code; often called HSC ROE; no IMO acronym prescribed) | Record of Equipment for High-Speed Craft Safety CertificateThe ROE is part of the Annex 1 statutory form, not class certification. It should not be confused with a class equipment register or a MODU Code equipment document. | The equipment record accompanying the Annex 1 2000 High-Speed Craft Safety Certificate for an applicable 2000-Code HSC.No standalone MODU record. A MODU has this HSC ROE only if it is separately determined and certified to be a 2000-Code HSC; MODU Code records are not created by SOLAS X/HSC. | Mandatory associated statutory record when the 2000 HSC Safety Certificate is carried; not a standalone certificate. It is conditional on the applicable craft type/service and the equipment required by the Code.No independent validity or survey cycle; coextensive with the associated HSC Safety Certificate and its endorsements. It must be updated when approved equipment or arrangements change. |
| HSC-PTO-1994 (working IMRS code; often HSC Permit to Operate) | Permit to Operate High Speed CraftThis is a flag-State operating authorization, not a class certificate and not merely a national commercial licence. The 1994 Annex 2 model is ‘Permit to Operate High Speed Craft’. | An applicable 1994-Code passenger or cargo HSC that is to operate commercially. A transit voyage without passengers or cargo may be undertaken without the permit.No MODU-specific permit. A MODU would need this only if it is an applicable 1994 HSC and is being operated commercially under the HSC regime; a MODU operating under its own MODU framework does not obtain this permit from HSC status alone. | Conditional statutory flag-Administration permit: the craft must not operate commercially unless the permit is issued and valid in addition to the HSC Safety Certificate. It is not required merely for a non-commercial/transit voyage without passengers or cargo.The permit has the same Code-governed validity framework as the Safety Certificate: Administration-specified, not exceeding five years, with renewal/periodical endorsement and limited extensions under section 1.8. No separate fixed permit interval should be assumed. |
| HSC-PTO-2000 (working IMRS code; often HSC Permit to Operate) | Permit to Operate High-Speed CraftThe 2000 Annex 2 model is ‘Permit to Operate High-Speed Craft’. The permit is statutory flag/port-operational documentation, separate from class notation and from crew qualifications. | An applicable 2000-Code passenger or cargo HSC that is to operate commercially. A transit voyage without passengers or cargo may be undertaken without the permit.No MODU-specific permit. It applies to a MODU only if the Administration determines that the unit is also a qualifying 2000-Code HSC and it is commercially operated under that regime; normal MODU operation is outside HSC chapter X certification. | Conditional statutory flag-Administration permit: commercial operation is prohibited without a valid permit in addition to the 2000 HSC Safety Certificate.Same validity framework as section 1.8: Administration-specified period not exceeding five years, with renewal/periodical endorsement and only the Code's limited extensions. It is not correct to assign an automatic one-year or class validity. |
The short codes in this inventory are practical IMRS indexing codes, not acronyms prescribed by IMO. The HSC Code's Administration-dependent renewal interval must not be converted into a blanket class interval. HSSC 2025 is relevant as the current general survey-guideline reference, but its instrument list does not include the HSC Code as a dedicated annex; therefore it does not supersede the HSC Code's own survey and certificate provisions. Class certificates, class notations, equipment/type-approval certificates, crew certificates, route/national licences and cargo-shipment documents are intentionally excluded.
Official references: www.imo.org 1www.imo.org 2wwwcdn.imo.org 3wwwcdn.imo.org 4wwwcdn.imo.org 5wwwcdn.imo.org 6
SOLAS XIV / Polar CodeSOLAS chapter XIV and the MARPOL-linked International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code), including mandatory Part I-A safety provisions and Part II-A pollution-prevention provisions3 entries
For ships certified under SOLAS chapter I, SOLAS XIV makes the safety-related Introduction and Part I-A mandatory; the environmental Introduction and Part II-A are made mandatory through MARPOL Annexes I, II, IV and V. The Polar Code itself creates one principal statutory certificate, the Polar Ship Certificate, and its permanently attached Record of Equipment. Its PWOM is a mandatory onboard manual, not a certificate. The MARPOL provisions do not create a separate Polar pollution certificate: they require compliance to be recorded or reflected in existing MARPOL certificates, record books, manuals and plans. A MODU certified only under a MODU Code is not automatically a SOLAS chapter I ship and does not receive a Polar Ship Certificate merely because it operates in polar waters. No Polar Code permit or Polar-specific financial-security certificate exists.
Status: Current through 21 September 2026. SOLAS chapter XIV and the Polar Code entered into force on 1 January 2017. The 2025 HSSC Guidelines (A.1207(34)) are the current survey guidance. MSC.538(107), effective 1 January 2026, added Polar Code chapters 9-1 and 11-1 for specified non-SOLAS fishing vessels, pleasure yachts and 300-499 GT cargo ships; it did not create a new certificate model.
| Code | Certificate or statutory document | Applies to | Requirement & verification cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSC | Polar Ship CertificateThis is statutory flag/RO certification, not a class certificate and not the same thing as a class society Polar Class notation. The Polar Code's Polar Class definition concerns an ice class assigned by the Administration or its recognized organization based on IACS requirements. The PSC is primarily the safety certificate; environmental compliance is handled through MARPOL certificates and records. | Every ship to which the Polar Code applies, principally a passenger or cargo ship operating in Arctic waters or the Antarctic area and certified in accordance with SOLAS chapter I; the certificate records Category A, B or C, ice class/draught range, low-air-temperature/PST status, rescue time, operational limitations and any approved alternative design or arrangements.Not automatically applicable to a MODU that is certified only under the 1979, 1989 or 2009 MODU Code. The MODU Code records that conventional SOLAS and Load Line conventions cannot apply to MODUs in the ordinary case. A PSC for a MODU would require the unit to be treated as a SOLAS chapter I ship and the Administration to apply the Polar Code; neither follows merely from a MODU Safety Certificate. | Mandatory for a ship within SOLAS XIV and Part I-A scope. It is conditional on intended polar operation and compliance with the applicable Code requirements. For a Category C cargo ship whose operational assessment shows no additional equipment or structural modification is needed, issuance may be based on documented verification, followed by an onboard survey at the next scheduled survey for continuing validity.Validity, survey dates and endorsements are harmonized with the relevant SOLAS certificates under SOLAS I/14; do not assign a universal Polar-specific expiry. In the HSSC framework, cargo-ship certificates have a maximum five-year validity and a one-year standard survey pattern, with annual, intermediate and periodical surveys as applicable; the passenger-ship certificate has a different SOLAS validity regime. The PSC may cease or be reinstated independently of other certificates, subject to Administration action. |
| REPCS (PSC Record) | Record of Equipment for the Polar Ship CertificateExact model title is Record of Equipment for the Polar Ship Certificate. It is the only Polar Code-created record of equipment; ordinary SOLAS Forms P/E/R/C and MODU equipment particulars remain separate statutory documents. | Every ship issued a PSC; the model is the Part I-A Appendix I record permanently attached to the PSC and records required Polar Code life-saving, navigation and communication equipment.No Polar Code REPCS is created for a MODU merely holding a MODU Safety Certificate. If an Administration exceptionally treats the unit as a SOLAS chapter I ship and issues a PSC, the PSC model requires the attached equipment record. | Mandatory as the PSC supplement, not an independent certificate. The IMO 2022 certificates/documents list expressly says the valid PSC must include a supplement recording equipment required by the Code.No separate validity period. It remains attached to and follows the PSC, with changes made when the certificate/equipment particulars change and at the relevant statutory surveys. |
| PWOM | Polar Water Operational ManualDo not label PWOM as a certificate. The IMO 2022 list places it alongside the PSC as a required onboard document. | Every ship to which the Polar Code applies; the manual is ship-specific and covers capabilities, limitations, risk-based normal/emergency procedures, voyage planning, forecasts, equipment functionality and icebreaker assistance where applicable.No automatic Polar Code PWOM obligation for a MODU outside SOLAS chapter I. A flag or coastal State may require a polar operating manual under national, MODU or approval arrangements; that is not a Polar Code certificate. | Mandatory onboard document under Part I-A chapter 2. It is not a certificate, permit or record of equipment, but it is expressly listed by IMO as a required Polar Code document and should be included in an IMRS classification group for completeness.No fixed convention validity or survey interval. It must remain ship-specific and current as operations, limitations, equipment or approved arrangements change; its status follows the ship's ability to retain a valid PSC. |
The inventory deliberately separates IMO statutory certification from class, voluntary, national and coastal-State documents. The 2022 IMO certificates/documents list is used as an official cross-check, while A.1207(34) HSSC 2025 is used for current survey architecture. Crew certificates and cargo-shipment documents are excluded. The Polar Code environmental chapters alter existing MARPOL certificates and record books but do not create new Polar pollution certificates. For MODUs, applicability of MARPOL Annex I/IV/V documents can depend on the exact platform/drilling-rig provision and flag/coastal-State treatment; do not infer a universal MODU PSC, IOPP, ISPP or Polar permit.
Official references: www.imo.org 1www.imo.org 2www.imo.org 3wwwcdn.imo.org 4wwwcdn.imo.org 5wwwcdn.imo.org 6
SOLAS XV / IP CodeSOLAS chapter XV — Safety measures for ships carrying industrial personnel / International Code of Safety for Ships Carrying Industrial Personnel2 entries
SOLAS XV applies, unless otherwise provided, to cargo ships and high-speed cargo craft of 500 GT and above constructed on or after 1 July 2024 that carry more than 12 industrial personnel, with transitional rules for certain pre-1 July 2024 ships and voluntary/Administration-discretionary application to smaller or non-international-voyage ships. The IP Code is additional to the ship's relevant SOLAS certificates, not a replacement for them. It creates one ship-level statutory certificate and its standardized equipment record: the Industrial Personnel Safety Certificate and Record of Equipment Form IP. For high-speed cargo craft, Part V also invokes the HSC Code; the HSC Code's High-Speed Craft Safety Certificate, HSC equipment record and Permit to Operate High-Speed Craft are related mandatory-code documents, not IP-specific substitutes. SOLAS XV/IP Code creates no MODU certificate and no convention financial-security certificate. It also does not create a new class certificate, crew certificate, industrial-personnel licence, or cargo-shipment document.
Status: SOLAS XV and the IP Code entered into force/took effect on 1 July 2024 through MSC.521(106) and MSC.527(106). Resolution A.1207(34), adopted 3 December 2025, is the applicable HSSC 2025 survey guidance by September 2026. The IMO MSC 2026–27 index lists MSC.588(111), amendments to the IP Code, as awaiting certification; those amendments are therefore not treated here as in force as of 21 September 2026.
| Code | Certificate or statutory document | Applies to | Requirement & verification cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| IPSC / IP Safety Certificate; HSSC survey identifier T (the IMO model does not prescribe IPSC as a formal acronym) | Industrial Personnel Safety CertificateOfficial model heading is Industrial Personnel Safety Certificate. The certificate must be supplemented by Form IP. This is statutory flag/RO certification, not a class certificate; class may be used for designs or equipment only where accepted/recognized by the Administration. | Every ship to which the IP Code applies: principally SOLAS cargo ships and high-speed cargo craft carrying more than 12 industrial personnel. For high-speed craft, the certificate covers the Part V regime, including the limit of not more than 60 persons on board. Transitional cases are identified in the certificate model by SOLAS XV/3.2 or XV/3.3; a pre-authorized ship under XV/3.2 or 3.3 is not the same as a newly certified ship under XV/3.1 or 3.4.None by MODU status. SOLAS XV names cargo ships and high-speed cargo craft, not MODUs, and the IP Code does not turn a MODU into an IP-Code ship. A MODU therefore receives no IP Safety Certificate solely because it carries offshore personnel. The separate MODU certificate is addressed below and must not be conflated with this certificate. | Mandatory whenever SOLAS XV/IP Code applies: IP Code I/3.1 requires every such ship to carry a valid certificate. It is conditional on carrying more than 12 IP and on the applicable ship/build/voyage rules. Below 500 GT and for ships not on international voyages, the IMO resolution invites voluntary application; the Administration may issue the certificate with any relaxations stated. It is additional to, not instead of, the SOLAS certificates required by XV/5.1.1.No independent universal IP-only interval is prescribed. IP Code I/3.5 harmonizes validity, survey dates and endorsements with the relevant SOLAS I/14 or X/3.2 certificate. HSSC 2025 provides the harmonized pattern: annual surveys within three months before/after anniversary, intermediate surveys within three months before/after the second or third anniversary where applicable, periodical equipment surveys, and renewal survey; cargo-ship certificates have a maximum validity of five years. For an HSC, the HSC Code's cycle applies and the maximum is five years. These are maxima/windows, not a claim that every flag issues the same term. |
| Form IP / IP Record of Equipment | Record of Equipment for the Industrial Personnel Safety Certificate (Form IP)This is the formal IP Code Record of Equipment, not the onboard operational record of use and maintenance for personnel-transfer arrangements required by IP Code III/2.1.4. That operational record is not a certificate or standardized Record of Equipment and is not listed as a separate instrument-issued document here. | The same IP-Code ships and high-speed cargo craft for which an Industrial Personnel Safety Certificate is issued; it is the standardized companion record, not an independent ship certificate.None. The IP Code provides no Form IP for a MODU, and the 2009 MODU Code appendix contains a MODU Safety Certificate model rather than an IP Form IP. | Mandatory companion where an IP Safety Certificate is issued. IP Code I/3.5 says the certificate includes a supplement recording equipment required by the Code, and I/3.6 requires the certificate and Record of Equipment in addition to the relevant SOLAS certificates. It is not a standalone authorization to carry IP.The Form IP has no separate validity period or independent survey cycle in the Code. It follows the associated IP Safety Certificate and must remain accurate; changes are handled through the flag/RO statutory survey and endorsement process. Do not assign it a separate five-year term. |
The inventory is deliberately limited to formal statutory flag/RO certificates, standardized equipment records and the HSC statutory operating permit. IP Code III/2.1.4 also requires an onboard record of use and maintenance for personnel-transfer arrangements, but that is an operational maintenance record, not a named certificate or Record of Equipment. Medical-fitness/training evidence for industrial personnel, crew certificates, class certificates/notations, plan-approval documents, lifting-appliance certificates and cargo-shipment documents are excluded. The HSC documents are included only as related mandatory-code documents and are clearly distinguished from the IP-created certificate. The 2009 MODU certificate and ILO MLC financial-security evidence are shown as explicit out-of-group negatives so they are not mistaken for SOLAS XV/IP Code outputs.
Official references: wwwcdn.imo.org 1wwwcdn.imo.org 2wwwcdn.imo.org 3wwwcdn.imo.org 4wwwcdn.imo.org 5wwwcdn.imo.org 6
IBC/BCH; IGC/GC; INF; GrainSOLAS/MARPOL specialized bulk-cargo certification codes: IBC/BCH; IGC/GC (including the historical EGC distinction); INF; International Grain Code7 entries
This result is limited to statutory flag-State/Administration or authorized RO documents created by the named IMO instruments and their mandatory code provisions. Class certificates, voluntary/national documents, crew certificates, IMDG cargo-shipment paperwork and general SOLAS certificates are excluded. The group creates fitness certificates for covered chemical and gas carriers, the INF fitness certificate, the Grain document of authorization, and MARPOL Annex II shipboard records/manuals/plans associated with NLS carriage. It creates no separate IBC/IGC/INF/Grain MODU certificate, no code-specific Record of Equipment, no Permit to Operate, and no convention financial-security certificate.
Status: As of 30 September 2026, the statutory framework is SOLAS chapter VII (IBC, IGC, INF), SOLAS chapter VI part C (Grain), and MARPOL Annex II (IBC/BCH chemical-tanker and NLS pollution certification). HSSC 2025 is resolution A.1207(34), adopted 3 December 2025, and expressly contains IBC, BCH and IGC survey guidance. The 1991 Grain Code remains mandatory under SOLAS VI from 1 January 1994; the January 2026 IMO supplement records MSC.552(108), effective 1 January 2026. IBC is mandatory under SOLAS VII and MARPOL Annex II for chemical tankers constructed on/after 1 July 1986; BCH is the predecessor required under MARPOL Annex II for chemical tankers constructed before that date and remains a SOLAS recommendation. IGC is mandatory under SOLAS VII from 1 July 1986 for covered gas carriers; GC is the predecessor for gas carriers constructed before 1 July 1986 but after 31 October 1976.
| Code | Certificate or statutory document | Applies to | Requirement & verification cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| IBC Certificate of Fitness; IBC COF/ICOF | International Certificate of Fitness for the Carriage of Dangerous Chemicals in BulkThe IMO IBC page states that the Code prescribes design, construction and equipment and applies to post-1986 chemical tankers. The current comprehensive IBC text is maintained through later amendments; MSC.16(58) is the official HSSC/survey-and-certificate resolution text and model appendix. | Ships/chemical tankers on international voyages carrying products covered by the IBC Code; generally chemical tankers constructed on or after 1 July 1986. The Code applies to covered ships regardless of size; the certificate model is the IBC appendix model.No IBC certificate is issued merely because a unit is a MODU. The IBC model and IMO carriage rules identify ships/chemical tankers, not a separate MODU category. A MODU would need a specific statutory determination by its Administration if it were also legally a covered ship engaged in the relevant carriage; the ordinary MODU certificate remains separate. | Statutory and conditional on the ship's carriage/trade falling within SOLAS VII and/or MARPOL Annex II. It is not a general certificate for every cargo ship. A chemical tanker satisfying IBC certification is deemed compliant with MARPOL Annex II regulation 7 and its IBC certificate has the same force and recognition as the Annex II NLS Certificate.Administration-specified period not exceeding 5 years. Annual and intermediate endorsements are required on the HSSC/code cycle; renewal is at intervals specified by the Administration but never over 5 years. Code extensions/grace periods are exceptional and flag/Administration-controlled; do not treat them as a standard interval. |
| BCH Certificate of Fitness; BCH COF | Certificate of Fitness for the Carriage of Dangerous Chemicals in BulkIMO's official IBC page expressly distinguishes BCH as the pre-1 July 1986 predecessor and says BCH remains a recommendation under SOLAS. FAL.2/Circ.131 section 5 gives the exact certificate name and initial/periodical-survey basis. | International-voyage chemical tankers constructed before 1 July 1986 and subject to the predecessor BCH Code; the Code is also relevant to existing ships retained under its statutory regime.No BCH certificate is created for a MODU as such. A MODU would only be considered if the flag Administration legally treats it as a covered chemical tanker/ship for the applicable carriage; otherwise the 2009/earlier MODU Safety Certificate is the separate instrument. | Conditional statutory certificate for the applicable pre-1 July 1986 chemical tanker regime. MARPOL Annex II makes BCH compliance mandatory for the applicable older chemical tankers; under SOLAS it remains a recommendation rather than the post-1986 mandatory IBC regime. It is not a general chemical-tanker certificate outside BCH applicability.Administration-specified period not exceeding 5 years; annual/intermediate endorsements and renewal follow the BCH/HSSC harmonized cycle. Exceptional extension rules are Administration-controlled and are not a universal interval. |
| IGC Certificate of Fitness; IGC COF/ICOF | International Certificate of Fitness for the Carriage of Liquefied Gases in BulkIMO's official IGC page confirms application regardless of size and the mandatory date. MSC.370(93) is the current comprehensive IGC text and contains Appendix 2 model certificate and Appendix 3 addendum. | Ships/gas carriers of any size, including under 500 GT, engaged in carriage of liquefied gases with vapour pressure exceeding 2.8 bar absolute at 37.8 degrees C and certain chapter 19 substances. Applies to gas carriers constructed on/after 1 July 1986 under the mandatory IGC regime.The current IGC Code expressly says FPSO facilities designed to handle liquefied gases in bulk do not fall under IGC, although designers may use it as appropriate. It does not create a MODU certificate. A MODU is not automatically an IGC gas carrier; any exceptional carriage status is for the Administration to determine. | Statutory and conditional on covered gas-carrier carriage under SOLAS chapter VII. IGC has been mandatory since 1 July 1986. It is not a general ship certificate; the permitted products and ship type are recorded in the model certificate/addendum.Administration-specified period not exceeding 5 years. Annual/intermediate endorsements and renewal follow the code cycle; the code has narrowly defined exceptional extensions and grace provisions, not a universal flag-independent interval. |
| GC Certificate of Fitness; GC COF | Certificate of Fitness for the Carriage of Liquefied Gases in BulkIMO's official IGC page distinguishes the GC and EGC predecessor regimes. The IMO onboard-certificate list names both GC and IGC certificates separately, preventing the common error of treating every gas carrier as IGC-only. | Gas carriers constructed before 1 July 1986 and after 31 October 1976 under the predecessor GC Code. The earlier Code for Existing Ships Carrying Liquefied Gases in Bulk (EGC) applies to ships trading before the GC Code's application date; no separate group certificate name is listed for EGC in the IMO onboard-certificate list.No GC/EGC certificate is issued merely for MODU status. A MODU is not automatically a gas carrier; any covered carriage would require Administration determination and would not replace the separate MODU Safety Certificate. | Conditional statutory/predecessor-code certificate for the applicable existing gas-carrier regime. FAL.2/Circ.131 section 6 gives the exact GC certificate name and model appendix reference; IGC is the post-1 July 1986 mandatory SOLAS regime.Administration-specified; the applicable Code's certificate period is not to exceed 5 years, with annual/intermediate/renewal endorsements and exceptional extensions governed by the Code/Administration. No flag-independent interval beyond those statutory maxima should be inferred. |
| INF Certificate of Fitness; INF COF | International Certificate of Fitness for the Carriage of INF CargoMSC.88(71) Appendix is the exact model. INF Code also requires an approved shipboard emergency plan for every ship carrying INF cargo, but that plan is not a certificate and INF Code creates no INF Cargo Record Book. | Ships engaged in carriage of INF cargo: packaged irradiated nuclear fuel, plutonium and high-level radioactive wastes carried under IMDG Class 7 schedules. The certificate states INF class 1, 2 or 3; INF 3 cargo is not permitted on passenger ships.No INF certificate is created merely for a MODU. If a MODU were legally a ship engaged in INF carriage, the INF Code's ship wording could be considered by the Administration, but no MODU-specific INF model or automatic applicability is provided. | Mandatory under SOLAS chapter VII regulation 15/INF Code for a ship before it carries INF cargo; MSC.88(71) notes mandatory application on/after 1 January 2001. It is conditional on the special INF cargo and does not apply to ordinary radioactive or dangerous-goods shipments outside INF Code scope.INF Code 1.3.4 does not state a standalone fixed five-year term or independent annual/intermediate cycle. Validity is expressly conditional on SOLAS chapter I surveys, continued compliance and validity of the ship's other required Convention certificate; use the flag Administration's certificate terms rather than inventing an interval. |
| Grain Document of Authorization; Grain DoA | Document of Authorization for the Carriage of GrainIMO's Grain Code page and MSC.23(59) section 3 state the exact issuance rule. The January 2026 supplement records the latest effective amendment MSC.552(108). | Every ship, regardless of size including under 500 GT, to which SOLAS VI part C applies and which is loaded in accordance with the International Grain Code. It is issued by the Administration, an RO, or a Contracting Government on the Administration's behalf.No separate MODU Grain authorization is created. A MODU is not automatically within SOLAS VI part C grain-carrier scope; only an Administration's legal treatment of the unit as a qualifying ship and actual grain carriage could trigger the Code. | Mandatory/conditional: every ship loaded under the Code must have it; a ship without it may not load grain unless the master demonstrates to the Administration/port Contracting Government that the loaded condition complies. It is an authorization/evidence document, not a cargo-shipment document and not normally styled a certificate.No universal fixed validity period or five-year cycle is specified in Grain Code section 3. It remains effective subject to the issuing Administration's authorization, approved stability/loading data and ship arrangements; revisions/withdrawal are Administration-controlled. Do not imply a standard annual or renewal interval. |
| Grain loading manual | Grain loading manualIncluded because the Code expressly makes it the required companion to the authorization. General cargo information and loading/shipping documents are excluded. | Ships holding/using the Grain Document of Authorization and carrying grain under the Grain Code.No MODU-specific manual is created by the Grain Code. | Mandatory companion document: the Document of Authorization must accompany or be incorporated into it; it contains the stability/loading information enabling the master to meet the Code.No standalone fixed validity or HSSC survey cycle stated; it must remain current with the authorization, ship particulars, approved stability data and loading arrangements. |
The IMO 2022 onboard-certificates list is the current list linked from the IMO Survey, Verification and Certification page; the directly readable FAL.2/Circ.131 predecessor gives the same specialized entries and exact wording. Certificate validity is deliberately stated as Code maximums and survey windows rather than a flag-specific promise. HSSC 2025 supplies detailed survey guidance for IBC/BCH/IGC and MARPOL NLS, but it does not turn the Grain authorization or INF certificate into a generic five-year HSSC certificate. EGC, MODU, class, Cargo Ship Safety Form C, IMDG paperwork and liability/financial-security certificates are kept separate because they are not created by this instrument group.
Official references: www.imo.org 1www.imo.org 2www.imo.org 3www.imo.org 4www.imo.org 5wwwcdn.imo.org 6
MODU / SPSCode for the Construction and Equipment of Mobile Offshore Drilling Units, 2009 (2009 MODU Code), and Code of Safety for Special Purpose Ships, 2008 (2008 SPS Code), including effective amendments through September 20264 entries
The group has one principal statutory safety certificate for each code. The MODU Code certificate is for a Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit and is expressly the route used to certify a unit as a MODU; SPS does not apply to a ship meeting the MODU Code. The SPS certificate is for a mechanically self-propelled special purpose ship, normally at least 500 GT and carrying more than 12 special personnel, certified on or after 13 May 2008. Both products are flag-State statutory certificates that may be issued or endorsed by an Administration or its authorized recognized organization; they are not class certificates, voluntary class notations, crew certificates, or cargo-shipment documents. The resolutions use recommendatory wording and invite Governments to give effect, so universal treaty-mandatory status should not be inferred independently of flag-State implementation. No MODU/SPS instrument creates a financial-security certificate or a standalone IMO operating permit.
Status: As at September 2026, the MODU product remains the Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit Safety Certificate (2009) model in A.1023(26), with no separate MODU equipment-record form. The SPS product remains the Special Purpose Ship Safety Certificate with permanently attached Record of Equipment (Form SPS). MSC.503(105) replaced the SPS certificate/Form SPS model effective 1 January 2024, and MSC.543(107) amended the Form SPS effective 1 January 2026. MSC.577(110) was adopted in 2025 but its pilot-transfer Form SPS amendments take effect on 1 January 2028, so they are not current in September 2026. MODU technical amendments in MSC.596(111) were adopted in May 2026 with Governments invited to give effect by 1 January 2027; they do not alter the certificate model by the September 2026 cutoff. HSSC 2025 (A.1207(34)) is current, but it creates no standalone MODU/SPS certificate or form; the code-specific survey clauses and applicable SOLAS cargo-ship survey regime remain controlling.
| Code | Certificate or statutory document | Applies to | Requirement & verification cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| MODU Code Certificate; MODU Safety Certificate; MODU Certificate | Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit Safety Certificate (2009)The appendix to A.1023(26) is a model certificate only; there is no MODU Code Record of Equipment (Form MODU). The Code's section 1.4 novel-feature exemptions are listed on this certificate, not issued as a separate MODU exemption permit. Structural/class-society work required by MODU 2.1.3 and any class notation remain separate from statutory flag/RO certification. | Mobile offshore drilling units as defined in MODU Code 1.3.40. The 2009 Code applies to units whose keels are laid or are at a similar stage of construction on or after 1 January 2012; an existing unit that complies with the Code is eligible for issuance. It is not a conventional-ship SOLAS/Load Lines certificate and is the certificate used to identify a ship as certified as a MODU.This is the core MODU document. The preamble says SPS is not intended to be applied in addition to the MODU Code. The current SOLAS 2024/January 2026 supplement defines ships certified as MODUs as ships subject to the MODU Code carrying a MODU Code Certificate issued by the Administration or an RO. | Conditional statutory flag/RO certification. A.1023(26) describes the Code as recommending design, construction and safety measures and invites Governments to give it effect; once the flag Administration applies the Code, a compliant unit may be issued the certificate after initial or renewal survey. A coastal State may impose additional or different national operating requirements. Do not label it universally treaty-mandatory without checking the flag implementation.Administration specifies the period, not exceeding five years. Renewal is at an Administration interval no longer than five years. Intermediate is within three months before/after the second or third anniversary and replaces one annual survey; annual is within three months before/after each anniversary. At least two dry-dock surveys are required in any five-year period, with no interval over 36 months, unless an accepted underwater equivalent is used. Under current MODU chapter 11, the radio survey is within three months before/after the certificate anniversary. The Code contains its own extension rules, including a possible extension up to three months to reach the survey place and up to five months after completed renewal when the new certificate is not yet onboard; these are not to be replaced by an invented generic flag interval. |
| MODU CSP / survey record | Continuous Survey Programme and Record of Surveys under MODU Code 1.6.4Include as an onboard statutory survey record if the website inventories records, but do not present it as a certificate, permit, class document, or Form SPS. | MODUs only, and only where the Administration approves the owner's requested alternative to the ordinary renewal and intermediate surveys.Relevant only to MODUs as an optional survey arrangement. | Conditional alternative; not a separate certificate and not a Record of Equipment.No independent validity period. It tracks the certificate's survey cycle and must maintain equivalence to the surveys it replaces; exact implementation is Administration controlled. |
| SPS Safety Certificate; SPS Certificate | Special Purpose Ship Safety CertificateThe current model is the form replaced by MSC.503(105) effective 1 January 2024, as amended by MSC.543(107) effective 1 January 2026. The 2008 SPS Code itself uses recommendatory language; distinguish a flag-issued SPS statutory certificate from voluntary class or national special-purpose certification. | A special purpose ship: normally a mechanically self-propelled ship of not less than 500 GT carrying more than 12 special personnel, certified on or after 13 May 2008. The Administration may apply the Code, as reasonable and practicable, to ships below 500 GT or constructed before that date. The Code excludes ships meeting the MODU Code and is not intended for ships transporting/accommodating industrial personnel who are not working onboard.None for a unit meeting the MODU Code: SPS 1.2.2 expressly excludes it. A MODU should not be issued an SPS certificate merely because it carries special personnel. | Conditional statutory flag/RO certification. MSC.266(84) says the certificate should be issued to every qualifying special purpose ship and invites SOLAS Contracting Governments to give effect; therefore the Code's practical mandatory force depends on flag implementation and the ship's qualifying status. Training ships and other non-SOLAS cases can be voluntary or reasonable-and-practicable applications. It is not a MODU certificate.SPS 1.7.3 deliberately makes duration and validity follow the applicable SOLAS cargo-ship provisions. Do not invent an SPS-specific interval or flag-independent date. In the current HSSC/SOLAS cargo-ship pattern, cargo-ship certificates can have a maximum period of validity up to five years, with the relevant annual, intermediate/periodical, renewal and radio survey pattern depending on the SOLAS certificate basis; the exact SPS document and extensions remain Administration/SOLAS controlled. |
| Form SPS; Record of Equipment | Record of Equipment for the Special Purpose Ship Safety Certificate (Form SPS)The 2022/2024 replacement form changed lifesaving entries, and the 2023 amendment effective 1 January 2026 reduces the relevant immersion-suit section to 'Number of immersion suits'. Do not confuse this statutory record with a class inventory or a cargo document. | The qualifying special purpose ship holding the SPS Safety Certificate; it is not for a MODU meeting the MODU Code.No MODU equivalent. MODU equipment is covered by the MODU certificate and surveys rather than Form SPS. | Conditional companion record: the SPS certificate model states that it must be supplemented by this Record, which must be permanently attached to the certificate.No standalone validity. It remains attached to and supports the SPS certificate and is kept current with the certificate/equipment particulars and required survey endorsements. The current Form SPS reflects MSC.503(105) (effective 2024) and MSC.543(107) (effective 2026); MSC.577(110)'s additional pilot-ladder entries are not effective until 1 January 2028. |
This is a statutory flag/RO inventory, not a class-certificate catalogue. MODU and SPS resolutions are recommendatory/invitation instruments unless and until implemented by the flag Administration; qualifying scope, exemptions, recognized-organization authority and exact SOLAS validity/extension rules remain flag-specific. No crew competency certificates, cargo-shipment documents, ISM/ISPS management certificates, national radio licences, coastal-State permits, class certificates or voluntary class notations are products of this group. The current Form SPS at the September 2026 cutoff should not be populated with MSC.577(110) pilot-transfer fields before their 1 January 2028 effective date.
Official references: wwwcdn.imo.org 1wwwcdn.imo.org 2wwwcdn.imo.org 3wwwcdn.imo.org 4wwwcdn.imo.org 5wwwcdn.imo.org 6
STP 1971 / STP 71; SPACE STP 1973 / SSTP 73Special Trade Passenger Ships Agreement, 1971, together with the Protocol on Space Requirements for Special Trade Passenger Ships, 19733 entries
This group governs mechanically propelled special-trade passenger ships carrying large numbers of special-trade passengers on specified international voyages/areas. The 1971 Agreement annexes the Special Trade Passenger Ships Rules, 1971, modifying the then-applicable SOLAS passenger-ship requirements; the 1973 Protocol annexes complementary space and health rules. The statutory documents created by this group are the Special Trade Passenger Ship Safety Certificate and the Special Trade Passenger Ship Space Certificate, plus narrowly conditional voyage annexes/exemptions described below. The instruments create no STP-specific Record of Equipment, no STP convention financial-security/insurance certificate, and no MODU certificate. The SOLAS Passenger Ship Safety Certificate, SOLAS Exemption Certificate and its Form P Record of Equipment remain separate SOLAS documents expressly referred to by STP Rule 5 and are not STP-created documents. HSSC 2025 does not list STP 1971 or SPACE STP 1973 among the instruments to which its harmonized survey guidelines apply; therefore no HSSC interval should be imported into these certificates.
Status: Both instruments remain in force as at September 2026. The IMO July 2026 status document reports STP 1971 entry into force on 2 January 1974 with 18 Contracting States, and the 1973 Space Requirements Protocol entry into force on 2 June 1977 with 17 Contracting States.
| Code | Certificate or statutory document | Applies to | Requirement & verification cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| STP 71 Safety Certificate (official IMO shorthand: STP 71; informal Certificate A should not replace the treaty title) | Special Trade Passenger Ship Safety CertificateExact Appendix II form title is SPECIAL TRADE PASSENGER SHIP SAFETY CERTIFICATE, issued under the provisions of the SPECIAL TRADE PASSENGER SHIPS AGREEMENT, 1971. It is a statutory flag/RO certificate, not a class certificate, voluntary certificate or national-only certificate. | Special-trade passenger ships as defined by the 1971 Rules: mechanically propelled passenger ships carrying large numbers of special-trade passengers, new or existing, on applicable special-trade international voyages. It is not for ordinary passenger ships outside the special trade and not for MODUs.None. A MODU is not a special-trade passenger ship under the STP definition. A Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit Safety Certificate under the 2009 MODU Code is a separate instrument/document and is outside this STP group. | Conditional statutory flag/RO certificate. For an applicable ship seeking the privileges of the Agreement or operating as a certificated special-trade passenger ship, a valid certificate is necessary: Rule 9 says the Agreement’s privileges may not be claimed unless the ship holds one. It is in addition to, and does not replace, the SOLAS Passenger Ship Safety Certificate and SOLAS Exemption Certificate prescribed in the Convention.The treaty limit is a period of not more than twelve months (STP Rules, Rule 5). This is the stated maximum validity, not a claim that every flag uses an identical HSSC annual/intermediate/renewal pattern. No flag-independent survey interval beyond the treaty wording is asserted. |
| SSTP 73 / SPACE STP 1973 Space Certificate (official IMO FAL shorthand: SSTP 73; informal Certificate B should not replace the treaty title) | Special Trade Passenger Ship Space CertificateIMO’s certificates-and-documents circular lists this exact document separately from the STP Safety Certificate and cites SSTP 73, Rule 5. Some national implementing rules use a variant such as Space Requirement Certificate for Special Trade Passenger Ships; that is national implementation terminology, while the treaty title is Special Trade Passenger Ship Space Certificate. | New and existing special-trade passenger ships to which the 1973 Protocol and its annexed Rules apply. It is for ships using the Protocol’s space-requirement regime, not for ordinary passenger ships or MODUs.None. The 1973 Protocol applies to special-trade passenger ships and creates no space certificate for a MODU. | Conditional statutory flag/RO certificate. It is required to claim the privileges of the Protocol: Rule 8 provides that the privileges may not be claimed unless the ship holds a valid Special Trade Passenger Ship Space Certificate. It is a distinct certificate from the STP Safety Certificate and from the SOLAS Passenger Ship Safety Certificate.The Protocol Rule 5 limit is a period of not more than twelve months. The source does not establish a universal HSSC five-year/annual pattern; flag/authorized-issuer implementation governs the detailed survey administration subject to that maximum. |
| STP 71 Rule 8 voyage annex; not a standalone certificate | Annex to the Special Trade Passenger Ship Safety Certificate (qualification of certificate)This is the only STP Rule 8 certificate-related annex identified in the treaty text. It should not be entered in an IMRS database as a second full certificate or as a Record of Equipment. | A special-trade passenger ship whose actual persons on a particular voyage are fewer than the total stated in its STP Safety Certificate and which is consequently permitted under the Rules to carry fewer lifeboats or other life-saving appliances. Not for MODUs.None; it is a special-trade passenger-ship voyage document only. | Conditional document that may be issued; it is not an independently mandatory certificate. It is used only where the Rule 8 factual condition exists.Valid only for the particular voyage for which it is issued. It is annexed to the STP Safety Certificate and substituted for that certificate only insofar as life-saving appliances are concerned. |
The official IMO convention and FAL pages identify the two certificates and their rule references; the UN Treaty Series reproduces the STP 1971 Rule 5 and Appendix II model, while the University of Oslo treaty reproduction was used to read the 1973 Protocol Rule 5 wording/model because the public IMO convention page does not reproduce that appendix. The Oslo page is a secondary treaty reproduction, not an IMO issuance. IMO’s July 2026 status PDF is the latest status source used. No ILO convention, crew certificate, cargo-shipment document, class certificate, voluntary certificate, or national-only form was included. No separate STP Record of Equipment or STP financial-security certificate exists; no STP/SPACE STP certificate applies to MODUs. The Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit Safety Certificate under IMO Resolution A.1023(26) (2009 MODU Code) is expressly outside this instrument group.
Official references: www.imo.org 1www.imo.org 2wwwcdn.imo.org 3wwwcdn.imo.org 4www.imo.org 5wwwcdn.imo.org 6
MARPOL I–IIInternational Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the 1978 Protocol (MARPOL 73/78), Annex I (Prevention of Pollution by Oil) and Annex II (Control of Pollution by Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk), including the mandatory BCH and IBC Codes insofar as Annex II recognizes their certificates15 entries
This group covers statutory oil-pollution and noxious-liquid-substance certification, equipment records, operational record books, approved plans/manuals, and the conditional chemical-tanker fitness certificates recognized by Annex II. The ordinary Annex I threshold is an IOPP Certificate for every oil tanker of at least 150 GT and every other ship of at least 400 GT engaged on voyages to ports/offshore terminals under other MARPOL Parties; Annex I regulation 39 separately applies platform controls to fixed/floating platforms including drilling rigs. Annex II applies to ships certified to carry NLS in bulk. A MODU is not automatically a tanker or chemical tanker: it receives an Annex I document only when its ship/platform status and operation meet the relevant Annex I rule, and Annex II documents only if it is actually certified/adapted to carry NLS in bulk. Cargo-shipment papers and crew certificates are excluded.
Status: Annexes I and II entered into force on 2 October 1983 (Annex II substantive provisions took effect 6 April 1987). The HSSC 2025 Guidelines were adopted by resolution A.1207(34) on 3 December 2025 and are the current HSSC reference as of September 2026; they contain MARPOL survey sections O (IOPP), N (NLS) and mandatory-code section D (IBC/BCH fitness certificates). Certificates are statutory flag-State documents, issued by the Administration or an authorized RO/surveyor; they are not class certificates.
| Code | Certificate or statutory document | Applies to | Requirement & verification cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| IOPP Certificate / IOPP | International Oil Pollution Prevention CertificateThe model is in Annex I Appendix II. The IOPP is the statutory certificate—not a class pollution notation. | MARPOL Annex I: every oil tanker of 150 GT and above and every other ship of 400 GT and above engaged in voyages to ports or offshore terminals under the jurisdiction of other MARPOL Parties (Annex I regs. 6–9). Oil tankers include combination carriers and an NLS tanker or gas carrier when carrying oil in bulk.A MODU that is a qualifying ship of 400 GT or more and undertakes the relevant international voyage can require IOPP as a non-oil-tanker ship. A floating drilling rig/platform is also subject to Annex I reg. 39 platform controls; reg. 39 itself does not make an ordinary MODU an oil tanker. A MODU adapted/certified as an oil tanker or carrying oil in bulk follows the tanker branch and Form B rather than Form A. | Mandatory when the Annex I reg. 7 applicability test is met; not a general certificate for every small ship or every stationary unit. The certificate may contain flag-Administration exemptions/equivalents or special-trade entries where Annex I permits them.Administration-specified period not exceeding five years (Annex I reg. 10). The Annex contains detailed rules for renewal timing, endorsement, limited extensions and short-voyage grace; do not convert these into a universal flag-independent interval. Annual and intermediate endorsements are required. |
| IOPP Form A / RCE-A | Record of Construction and Equipment for Ships Other Than Oil Tankers (IOPP Supplement, Form A)Annex I Appendix II expressly says the IOPP is supplemented by a Record of Construction and Equipment. Form A is not a class record. | The statutory equipment/construction supplement to an IOPP for a ship other than an oil tanker; applies to a qualifying non-tanker MODU when an IOPP is required. It records Annex I construction, tanks, oil-filtering and discharge equipment, etc.Relevant to a qualifying non-tanker MODU where the Administration issues an IOPP. For a platform configured as an FPSO/FSU, the special FPSO/FSU record described below is used instead/alongside the ordinary ship form as directed by the IMO guidelines; an ordinary drilling MODU is not an oil-tanker Form B merely because it is offshore. | Mandatory as the supplement to the applicable IOPP; it is not a stand-alone certificate and has no independent voyage validity.Travels with and supports the IOPP; no separate validity period. Its status follows the IOPP and its survey endorsements. |
| IOPP Form B / RCE-B | Record of Construction and Equipment for Oil Tankers (IOPP Supplement, Form B)Form B is the tanker alternative to Form A. The IMO has amended Form B for specific tanker equipment matters; use the current Administration/IMO model rather than a class form. | The statutory IOPP equipment/construction supplement for oil tankers, including a qualifying combination carrier and an NLS/gas carrier when carrying oil in bulk.Only relevant if the MODU has actually been converted/accepted as an oil tanker or carries oil in bulk in the Annex I sense. It does not apply to an ordinary drilling unit operating as a non-tanker platform. | Mandatory as the supplement to an oil-tanker IOPP; conditional on tanker status, not a stand-alone certificate.No separate validity; follows the IOPP, whose Administration-specified validity cannot exceed five years and whose annual/intermediate endorsements are required. |
| ORB Part I | Oil Record Book, Part I — Machinery Space OperationsPart I is required even when the unit is not an oil tanker; Part II is a separate tanker-only book. | Every oil tanker of 150 GT and above and every other ship of 400 GT and above (Annex I reg. 17). Entries cover fuel-tank ballasting/cleaning, oily residues, bilge discharge/disposal, and bunkering.A MODU of 400 GT or more treated as a qualifying ship, including a floating drilling unit subject to reg. 39 operational controls, generally needs the Part I record for machinery-space oil operations. A permanently fixed/offshore platform follows reg. 39's separate approved discharge-operation record requirement; the Administration should determine the document arrangement. | Mandatory record book when the tonnage/type threshold is met; it is an operational record, not a certificate or permit.No validity period. It must be kept on board (except the Annex exception for an unmanned ship under tow) and preserved for three years after the last entry. |
| ORB Part II | Oil Record Book, Part II — Cargo/Ballast OperationsAnnex I also requires the Administration-approved record of platform discharge operations under reg. 39 for fixed/floating platforms, which is distinct from tanker ORB Part II. | Every oil tanker of 150 GT and above. It records oil-cargo loading/transfer/unloading, cargo-tank ballasting/cleaning, discharges and residue disposal (Annex I reg. 36).Applies to a MODU only if it is an oil tanker/combination carrier or otherwise in the Annex I tanker branch for cargo/ballast operations. A drilling MODU platform carrying only fuel for its own machinery does not become an ORB Part II tanker solely for that reason. | Mandatory only for the qualifying oil-tanker branch; not required for an ordinary non-tanker MODU merely because it has fuel oil.No validity period; preserve for three years after the last entry. The book is an operational record, not a permit. |
| SOPEP | Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency PlanIncluded because it is an Annex I statutory onboard document, although it is not one of the requested certificate categories. | Every oil tanker of 150 GT and above and every other ship of 400 GT and above (Annex I reg. 37) that falls within the regulation; the plan is approved by the Administration.A MODU qualifying as a ship of 400 GT or more, or a platform to which the Administration applies the reg. 39 ship-equivalent controls, may need SOPEP. For FPSOs/FSUs, IMO MEPC.311(73) says the SOPEP requirement applies, with a limited possibility of accepting an OPRC contingency plan in the circumstances described there. | Mandatory when the Annex I reg. 37 ship/tonnage test is met; it is an approved plan, not a certificate, permit or class document.No independent convention validity interval stated. It remains an approved onboard plan subject to Administration requirements and change control. |
| Reg. 39 platform oil-discharge record | Record of oil/oily-mixture discharge operations for fixed or floating platformsAnnex I reg. 39 also requires platform discharges to be prohibited except when oil content without dilution does not exceed 15 ppm, subject to the Annex exceptions. | Fixed or floating platforms, including drilling rigs, FPSOs and FSUs, engaged in exploration, exploitation or associated offshore processing/storage (Annex I reg. 39).Directly important for a floating drilling MODU operating as a drilling rig/platform. Reg. 39 requires the record of all operations involving oil or oily-mixture discharges; this is the key distinction from assuming that every MODU automatically carries an oil-tanker ORB Part II. | Mandatory platform record; the form is approved by the Administration. It is not a certificate, equipment record, permit or class record.No validity period; maintained as an operational record in the Administration-approved form and available for inspection. |
| CAS Statement of Compliance / CAS SoC | Statement of Compliance under the Condition Assessment SchemeDo not present CAS SoC as a class certificate or as a routine current certificate for all oil tankers. | Conditional older single-hull oil tankers within the Annex I Condition Assessment Scheme (CAS), historically relevant to eligible Category 2/3 tankers seeking Administration permission for limited continued operation under the applicable phase-out provisions.None for an ordinary MODU, drilling rig, FPSO or FSU; CAS is an Annex I single-hull oil-tanker condition-assessment document. | Conditional statutory document—not a universal tanker certificate. It is issued only when the Administration requires/permits CAS and the ship completes CAS satisfactorily; it is not a MODU document.No universal five-year term. The MEPC.94(46) model leaves an Administration-stated expiry; clause 13.6 makes it valid after CAS until the earlier of the applicable next intermediate/renewal survey date or the applicable tanker phase-out/compliance date, with suspension/withdrawal if CAS is no longer met. The practical population is heavily constrained by the phase-out regime as of 2026. |
| NLS Certificate / IPPC-NLS | International Pollution Prevention Certificate for the Carriage of Noxious Liquid Substances in BulkThe exact model title in Annex II Appendix 3 is 'International Pollution Prevention Certificate for the Carriage of Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk'; common IMO usage shortens it to NLS Certificate. | Any ship intended to carry NLS in bulk and engaged on voyages to ports or terminals under the jurisdiction of other MARPOL Parties (Annex II regs. 8–10).An ordinary MODU has no NLS Certificate. It becomes relevant only if the unit is constructed/adapted and certified to carry NLS in bulk as an NLS tanker/chemical tanker and meets the international-voyage test. | Mandatory when the ship is certified/intended to carry NLS in bulk and the international-voyage condition is met. Annex II reg. 7 gives a qualifying BCH/IBC certificate the same force and recognition as this NLS Certificate for chemical tankers.Administration-specified validity not exceeding five years (Annex II reg. 10), with annual/intermediate endorsements and tightly limited statutory extension/renewal rules; no invented flag-independent interval beyond those Convention maximums/windows. |
| CRB / Cargo Record Book | Cargo Record BookThe 2025 IMO port-State-control procedures list COF or NLS Certificate, P&A Manual and CRB as the core Annex II documentation for unloading/stripping/prewash control. | Every ship to which Annex II applies—i.e., a ship certified to carry NLS in bulk (Annex II reg. 15).Only relevant to a MODU that is actually an Annex II NLS ship; ordinary drilling operations do not trigger it. | Mandatory for an Annex II NLS ship; it may be part of the official logbook, an approved electronic record book, or a separate book in the Appendix 2 form. It is not a certificate or cargo-shipment document.No validity interval; retain on board and preserve for three years after the last entry (except the stated unmanned ship under tow exception). |
| P&A Manual | Procedures and Arrangements ManualThe P&A Manual is expressly referenced in the NLS Certificate model; do not mistake it for a permit to carry a particular cargo. | Every ship certified to carry Category X, Y or Z NLS in bulk (Annex II reg. 14), including the chemical-tanker arrangements recognized through the BCH/IBC certification route.None for an ordinary MODU; relevant only if the MODU is a certified NLS tanker/chemical tanker. | Mandatory approved onboard manual when the ship is certified for Category X/Y/Z; not a certificate, permit or class manual.No standalone Convention validity term. It must remain ship- and cargo-specific and be revised/approved when arrangements, equipment or permitted cargoes change. |
| SMPEP (NLS) / NLS SMPEP | Shipboard Marine Pollution Emergency Plan for Noxious Liquid SubstancesThe plan is distinct from the Annex I SOPEP, although a combined plan may be accepted where it satisfies both applicable regimes and Administration requirements. | Every ship of 150 GT and above certified to carry NLS in bulk (Annex II reg. 17), with an Administration-approved plan.Only a MODU that is a qualifying NLS-certified unit (150 GT or more) needs the NLS SMPEP; an ordinary drilling MODU does not. | Mandatory when both the NLS certification and 150-GT threshold apply; it is an approved emergency plan, not a certificate or permit.No independent Convention validity period; maintain current and revise/approve after relevant ship, cargo, equipment or organizational changes. |
| FPSO/FSU RCE / MEPC.311(73) Annex 2 Record | Record of Construction and Equipment for FPSOs and FSUsMEPC.311(73) Annex 2 expressly states that the record should be permanently attached to the IOPP Certificate and available on board. | FPSOs and FSUs to which MARPOL Annex I regulation 39 applies; it is the special platform equipment/construction record, not a separate certificate.Not an ordinary MODU document. A MODU would be relevant only if it is also configured/accepted as an FPSO/FSU; a drilling-only unit instead follows the reg. 39 drilling-rig/platform record requirement and any applicable IOPP Form A. | Conditional on FPSO/FSU configuration and reg. 39 application. IMO MEPC.311(73) says the form should be used and permanently attached to the IOPP Certificate; it is not a class record.No independent validity; permanently attached to and controlled with the IOPP. The IOPP survey/endorsement cycle governs its continuing status. |
| UNSP IOPP Exemption Certificate | International Oil Pollution Prevention Exemption Certificate for Unmanned Non-Self-Propelled BargesMEPC.330(76) entered into force 1 November 2022. This is the only dedicated Annex I exemption-certificate model found in the reviewed current IMO material. | Only an unmanned non-self-propelled barge meeting every Annex I reg. 1.40 condition: no mechanical propulsion, no oil, no machinery that uses oil/generates sludge, no oil tanks/oily-bilge/sludge tanks, and no persons or living animals.None for a manned or self-propelled MODU. A MODU cannot use this exemption unless it actually meets the statutory UNSP-barge definition, which excludes persons and oil-related machinery/tanks. | Conditional optional exemption granted by the Administration; it is not a normal MODU or ship IOPP. It exempts the qualifying barge from Annex I regs. 6.1 and 7.1 survey/certification requirements.Not exceeding five years, subject to the exemption conditions remaining satisfied; it has an explicit validity-until date and is not a conventional IOPP. |
| NLS/COF exemption endorsement (no standalone certificate) | Annex II regulation 4 exemption/relaxation entryThis entry is included to prevent the website from incorrectly listing a standalone Annex II exemption permit. | A ship subject to Annex II/IBC/BCH amendments where the Administration permits a specified relaxation because an upgraded substance-categorization requirement would be unreasonable or impracticable for an existing ship.Only if a MODU is actually an Annex II NLS/chemical tanker; no ordinary MODU exemption certificate is created. | Conditional Administration decision. Annex II does not create a separately named exemption certificate for this case; the exemption is reflected on the NLS Certificate under reg. 9 or the BCH/IBC certificate under reg. 7.Only for the specified relaxation/period and subject to the certificate/code conditions; no universal validity interval. |
The list deliberately separates statutory flag/RO certification from class, voluntary and national/coastal-State documents. SOPEP, SMPEP, P&A Manual, ORBs and CRB are included because they are mandatory Annex I/II onboard documents/records even though they are not certificates. HSSC 2025 is a survey guideline and does not create additional certificates. The IMO source list reviewed is current through the 2025 resolutions available as of September 2026; Administration implementation, electronic-record acceptance, exemptions, RO authorization, exact certificate dates and any coastal-State/MODU treatment remain flag- and operation-dependent. Do not list the MODU Code Safety Certificate, SOLAS certificates, CLC/Bunkers financial-security certificates, drilling/coastal permits, cargo shipping documents, or class notations in this MARPOL I–II group.
Official references: www.imo.org 1www.imo.org 2www.imo.org 3www.imo.org 4wwwcdn.imo.org 5wwwcdn.imo.org 6
MARPOL IV–VInternational Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the 1978 Protocol (MARPOL 73/78), Annexes IV and V7 entries
Annex IV controls sewage and creates one ship statutory certificate, the International Sewage Pollution Prevention Certificate (ISPP), plus conditional Administration equipment approval and a conditional sewage-discharge-rate approval. Annex V creates no ship statutory pollution-prevention certificate; it creates operational documents/records (Garbage Management Plan and Garbage Record Book) and placards. Annex V expressly applies to all ships and to fixed or floating platforms, so a floating MODU normally has Annex V plan, record-book and placard duties. Annex IV's ship certificate applies to a ship subject to Annex IV (generally an international-voyage ship of 400 GT and above or certified to carry more than 15 persons) when engaged in voyages to another Party's port/offshore terminal; a fixed platform that is not legally a ship does not thereby acquire an ISPP Certificate. All are statutory Administration/authorized-RO outputs where applicable, not class certificates. Annexes IV and V are optional MARPOL annexes under the Convention's Article 14 mechanism, so flag acceptance and the ship/unit's legal status must be checked.
Status: Position researched through 21 September 2026. The operative Annex V garbage-record amendment is MEPC.360(79), effective 1 May 2024; it extends the Garbage Record Book threshold to ships of 100 GT and above. HSSC 2025 (A.1207(34)) is the current survey guidance: its MARPOL Annex IV section covers only initial and renewal surveys for the ISPP Certificate. No later in-force Annex IV/V amendment identified in the official IMO material changes the outputs below. IMO work on lifetime sewage-treatment-plant performance was still described as ongoing, not as an in-force new certificate requirement.
| Code | Certificate or statutory document | Applies to | Requirement & verification cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISPP Certificate / ISPP | International Sewage Pollution Prevention CertificateThe certificate's model form records the selected sewage-control arrangement and, where a treatment plant is fitted, whether it meets the MEPC.227(64) effluent standards including or excluding the section 4.2 enhanced standards. A failed survey or material mismatch can require corrective action and withdrawal. There is no separately named Annex IV 'Record of Construction and Equipment' supplement analogous to MARPOL Annex I Forms A/B or the Annex VI supplement. | A ship required to comply with MARPOL Annex IV and engaged in voyages to ports or offshore terminals under the jurisdiction of another MARPOL Party. IMO describes the revised Annex IV threshold as ships engaged in international voyages of 400 GT and above or certified to carry more than 15 persons. It is not automatically a certificate for a fixed platform that is not a ship.A self-propelled or otherwise legally ship-status MODU subject to Annex IV can require ISPP on the same threshold and foreign-voyage basis. A fixed/floating drilling platform that is not a ship is not made an ISPP ship by Annex V; determine any Annex IV application from the unit's flag/status and operation. | Mandatory statutory certificate when the flag has accepted Annex IV and the ship is within Annex IV scope and makes the qualifying international/foreign-port voyage; otherwise conditional/not issued. Issued by the flag Administration or an RO/nominated surveyor authorized by it.Annex IV regulation 8 sets a period specified by the Administration not exceeding five years. HSSC 2025 provides initial and renewal survey guidance for Annex IV, not a universal annual/intermediate endorsement cycle. Exact extensions, endorsements and early-renewal treatment remain flag/Administration rules; no flag-dependent interval is assumed here. |
| STP Type Approval Certificate (no universal IMO acronym) | Certificate of Type Approval for Sewage Treatment PlantsThe exact model title is 'CERTIFICATE OF TYPE APPROVAL FOR SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS.' It is evidence for Administration/RO statutory verification and may be carried or referenced in ship records, but it is not a ship statutory pollution certificate and not a class certificate. | A sewage treatment plant approved by the Administration under MARPOL Annex IV regulations 9.1.1 and 9.2.1 and the applicable IMO effluent/performance guidelines. It is equipment/type approval, not a certificate issued to every ship. MEPC.227(64) section 1.2 applies its ordinary standards to plants installed on or after 1 January 2016 on non-passenger ships in all areas and passenger ships outside Annex IV special areas; section 4.2 adds standards for qualifying passenger ships intending to discharge treated effluent in a special area.Relevant to a MODU only if it is a ship subject to Annex IV and chooses a sewage-treatment plant. Annex V platform status alone does not create this Annex IV equipment certificate. For a passenger MODU/ship seeking the Baltic Sea special-area discharge exception, the enhanced section 4.2 standards matter when applicable. | Conditional: required evidence when the Annex IV ship chooses a sewage treatment plant; not required when it uses an approved comminuting/disinfecting system or holding tank instead. Administration-issued approval/testing, not a class type-approval certificate.No universal IMO expiry period for the type-approval certificate is prescribed in MEPC.227(64); Administration terms and any applicable renewal/additional testing govern. Do not substitute the ISPP Certificate's maximum five-year validity for equipment type approval validity. |
| Sewage Discharge Rate Approval / no universal IMO code | Document of approval for the rate of sewage dischargeThe official IMO onboard-document list calls this exact item 'Document of approval for the rate of sewage discharge.' It is an Administration approval, not class certification and not a convention financial-security certificate. | Untreated sewage stored in holding tanks from ships other than passenger ships in all areas, and from passenger ships outside special areas, when discharged at the moderate rate approved by the Administration under Annex IV regulation 11.1.1 and MEPC.157(55).Can apply to a non-passenger MODU that is legally a ship subject to Annex IV, has sewage stored in a holding tank and relies on the permitted untreated-sewage discharge regime. A fixed platform outside Annex IV ship scope has no MARPOL Annex IV rate-approval document by virtue of being a platform. | Conditional approval/permit-like document: needed for the specified permitted moderate-rate discharge; not needed where that discharge scenario does not exist. It is not a general permission to discharge sewage contrary to Annex IV distances, treatment or special-area rules.MARPOL/IMO does not prescribe a universal expiry date or survey interval for this approval document. Its continued use depends on the Administration's approval and unchanged applicable ship/system conditions; do not invent a five-year period. |
| GMP | Garbage Management PlanThe operative development guidance is resolution MEPC.220(63). Class or an RO may review a plan under a contract or ISM arrangement, but that review must not be represented as a MARPOL statutory certificate. | Every ship of 100 GT and above; every ship certified to carry 15 persons or more; and every fixed or floating platform. The plan contains written procedures for minimizing, collecting, storing, processing and disposing of garbage, designates the responsible person and is in the crew's working language.Directly relevant: every fixed or floating platform is covered, so a floating MODU must carry and implement a GMP regardless of whether it is 100 GT or whether it makes international voyages. A MODU that is also a ship is additionally covered by the ship thresholds. | Mandatory operational document under MARPOL Annex V regulation 10.2 when any listed threshold/status applies. It is not a certificate and has no IMO requirement for a separate approval certificate.No fixed IMO validity or five-year cycle. Maintain and revise it when the ship/unit, equipment, procedures or applicable operations change; Administration/ISM document-control practices may add requirements but are not an IMO Annex V certificate interval. |
| GRB | Garbage Record BookThe old 2022 FAL list used the pre-MEPC.360 400-GT threshold; do not use that stale threshold for a September 2026 classification website. MEPC.360(79) and the official IMO MEPC-79 summary establish the current 100-GT rule effective 1 May 2024. | Current regulation 10.3 (as amended by MEPC.360(79), effective 1 May 2024): every ship of 100 GT and above; every ship certified to carry 15 or more persons engaged in voyages to another Party's port/offshore terminal; and every fixed or floating platform. Entries cover reception-facility or ship-to-ship disposal, permitted discharges, incineration, and accidental/exceptional loss or discharge.Directly relevant: every fixed or floating platform is expressly covered, so a floating MODU must have a GRB even if below 100 GT and regardless of the ship-voyage threshold. A MODU that is also a ship may meet multiple applicability limbs. | Mandatory operational record when the current threshold/status applies; it is not a certificate. A ship below 100 GT that is not otherwise covered does not carry the GRB solely by GT, but must make the required exceptional discharge/loss entry in the official logbook under regulation 10.3.6.The book is retained for at least two years after the date of the last entry. This is a record-retention period, not certificate validity or a survey cycle. |
| Garbage placard (not a certificate or record) | MARPOL Annex V garbage placardsIncluded for completeness because it is a mandatory Annex V output often shown in vessel-document inventories, but it must not be classified as a statutory certificate. | Every ship 12 m or more in length and every fixed or floating platform; international ships also require the working language plus English, French or Spanish as prescribed.Directly relevant to a fixed or floating MODU/platform; a unit 12 m or more also satisfies the ship-size limb where applicable. | Mandatory operational posting when the size/platform condition applies. Not a certificate, permit, equipment record or financial-security instrument.No fixed cycle. Replace when damage or wear makes the declaration unreadable and update for applicable regulatory/operational changes. |
| Annex V logbook entry / no separate certificate code | Official logbook entry for Annex V discharge or accidental loss (fallback record)This is a record, not a certificate, and is listed to avoid omitting the lower-tonnage fallback introduced/confirmed by MEPC.360(79). | A ship of less than 100 GT when an Annex V regulation 7 discharge or accidental loss occurs and the ship is not otherwise required to carry a Garbage Record Book. The entry contains the date/time, port or position, reason, details/categories and estimated amounts, precautions and remarks.Usually not the MODU route: every fixed or floating platform is required to have a GRB, including a small floating MODU. It can matter only if a unit is not legally a fixed/floating platform and falls into the sub-100-GT ship case. | Conditional recordkeeping obligation triggered by the event and the sub-100-GT/no-GRB case; not a separate certificate. It does not displace the GRB requirement for a fixed/floating platform, which is independently covered.No Annex V certificate validity. Retention of the official logbook is governed by applicable flag rules; the Annex V two-year GRB retention rule should not be silently transplanted to every official logbook. |
The output deliberately separates statutory flag/RO certification from class, voluntary and national documents. Annex V has no HSSC ship certificate; GMP/GRB/placards are operational compliance documents/records. The 2022 FAL list still displays the pre-2024 400-GT GRB wording, so the later MEPC.360(79) amendment and May 2024 MARPOL supplement control the September 2026 answer (100 GT). Applicability to a MODU turns on whether it is legally a ship, a fixed/floating platform, its flag's acceptance of the optional Annex IV/V, and the voyage/port context; coastal-State/national offshore rules may impose additional documents that are not IMO MARPOL IV–V outputs. The 2009 MODU Code Safety Certificate is shown only as a boundary item and must be catalogued under its separate safety-code authority.
Official references: www.imo.org 1www.imo.org 2www.imo.org 3www.imo.org 4wwwcdn.imo.org 5wwwcdn.imo.org 6
MARPOL VI (Annex VI); NTC 2008 for NOxInternational Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the 1978 Protocol and 1997 Protocol — MARPOL 73/78 Annex VI (Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships), including the mandatory NOx Technical Code 200819 entries
This is a statutory flag-State/Administration instrument; an Administration may delegate to a recognized organization (RO), but the Administration remains responsible. Annex VI regulation 5 expressly covers every ship of 400 GT and above and every fixed or floating drilling rig or other platform for Chapter 3 air-pollution surveys. Ships below 400 GT may be controlled by Administration measures rather than an IAPP Certificate. Chapter 4 energy-efficiency requirements generally apply to ships of 400 GT and above, with separate ship-type, tonnage and construction-date limits for EEDI/EEXI, DCS and CII. The inventory below includes statutory certificates, mandatory-code engine/equipment approvals, required records, approved plans and the Annex VI trial permit. It excludes crew certificates, bunker delivery notes/fuel samples and other cargo-shipment documents, voluntary/class/national certificates, and class notations.
Status: As of 21 September 2026, the operative baseline is MARPOL Annex VI as amended through the 1 March 2026 MEPC.392(82) supplement, NTC 2008 as amended by MEPC.398(83) effective 1 September 2026, and HSSC 2025 (A.1207(34), adopted 3 December 2025). The 2025 draft-revised Annex VI and amendments not yet in force by the cutoff are not treated as operative requirements.
| Code | Certificate or statutory document | Applies to | Requirement & verification cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| IAPP Certificate; IAPP Record | International Air Pollution Prevention Certificate, with Supplement/Record of Construction and EquipmentThe IAPP Record is the Annex VI equipment record, not a separate independent certificate. HSSC 2025 specifically includes survey guidance for the IAPP and NOx Technical Code; it says the guidelines apply as appropriate to drilling rigs and platforms covered by Annex VI regulation 5. | Every ship of 400 GT and above and every fixed or floating drilling rig or other platform under Annex VI regulation 5; below 400 GT the Administration may use alternative compliance measures. The record’s equipment sections are conditional on installed ODS, NOx engines, SOx/PM controls, VOC arrangements, incinerators and equivalent methods.Core MODU/platform statutory document: a fixed or floating drilling rig is expressly included by regulation 5, regardless of whether it is conventionally called a ship. | Mandatory statutory certificate when regulation 5 applies; conditional equipment entries. Issued under Annex VI regulation 6 in the Appendix I model. The attached Record of Construction and Equipment is not a class record and is permanently attached to the certificate.Administration-specified period not exceeding 5 years. Annual survey is within 3 months before/after each anniversary; intermediate is within 3 months of the second or third anniversary as applicable; renewal is within 3 months before expiry; the certificate ceases to be valid if required surveys/endorsements are missed, or on flag transfer. Do not substitute a flag-dependent interval. |
| IAPP Exemption Certificate; UNSP Exemption Certificate | International Air Pollution Prevention Exemption Certificate for Unmanned Non-self-propelled BargesDo not label this a generic MODU exemption. It is a narrowly defined statutory barge exemption. | Only an unmanned non-self-propelled (UNSP) barge meeting the conditions in Annex VI regulations 2.1.32.1–2.1.32.3; not a normal MODU certificate.Normally none. A unit would have to meet the exact UNSP-barge definition; a self-propelled or manned MODU does not qualify merely because it is offshore. | Conditional Administration exemption under regulation 3.4/8.4 from regulations 5.1 and 6.1; it is not a general waiver for ships or MODUs.Not exceeding 5 years. Annex VI does not prescribe the ordinary IAPP annual/intermediate cycle for this exemption document; re-survey/reissue is governed by the exemption and Administration. |
| EIAPP Certificate | Engine International Air Pollution Prevention CertificateIMO’s official NOx page says the EIAPP route is mandatory under regulations 13.8 and 5.3.2 and that the onboard Technical File and Record Book of Engine Parameters are central to in-service compliance. | Each installed marine diesel engine over 130 kW, other than an engine used solely for emergency purposes, irrespective of the tonnage of the ship on which it is installed; includes qualifying engines installed on ships, MODUs and other platforms.Directly relevant to qualifying MODU main, auxiliary and other installed marine diesel engines; emergency-only engines are excluded from the Annex VI NOx requirement. | Mandatory engine certification under Annex VI regulation 13 and NTC 2008; conditional only because the engine must exceed 130 kW and not be solely emergency-use. It is an engine certificate, not a ship certificate.NTC 2008 does not prescribe a normal fixed expiry like a ship convention certificate; it remains tied to the certified engine/configuration. Re-certification or approved amendment documentation is needed after major conversion, replacement, uprating, a Tier change or changes to NOx-critical components/settings. In-service checks occur during the applicable ship/MODU surveys. |
| NOx Technical File | Approved NOx Technical FileTreat as an engine record/technical file, not as an additional ship certificate. | Every marine diesel engine for which EIAPP/NTC certification is required, including qualifying MODU engines.Required for every qualifying MODU marine diesel engine, not merely for the MODU’s IAPP file. | Mandatory onboard engine document under NTC 2008; conditional on the engine being within regulation 13. It is not a ship certificate and has no separate IMO certificate form.No independent fixed validity. It follows the certified engine for its service life, subject to approved changes, replacement, major conversion and the in-service NTC survey regime. |
| Record Book of Engine Parameters; NOx parameter record | Record Book of Engine Parameters (paper or approved electronic form)This is a mandatory technical record, not an EIAPP replacement and not a class machinery log. | Each NTC-certified marine diesel engine, including a qualifying MODU engine.Directly relevant to qualifying engines on MODUs and platforms. | Mandatory NTC 2008 record associated with the Technical File; conditional on the engine being subject to NOx certification.Continuous engine-life record; no standalone expiry or five-year certificate period. It must be kept current and supported by approved amendments. |
| Approved Method; AM File | Approved Method certification and Approved Method FileA Party’s approval/notification and the engine’s Approved Method File are distinct from EIAPP. This route is not a class notation. | Conditional older marine diesel engines over 5,000 kW with per-cylinder displacement of at least 90 litres, installed on ships constructed 1 January 1990–31 December 1999, where a Party has certified and notified an Approved Method under regulation 13.7.Possible for a MODU’s qualifying large legacy engine; do not assume every MODU is affected. | Conditional statutory route. If a notified Approved Method exists, it must be installed by the applicable deadline unless the owner demonstrates commercial unavailability; alternatively the engine may be certified conventionally under NTC. The Approved Method itself is not a general ship certificate.No universal certificate expiry or routine interval. For an affected engine, installation is no later than the first renewal survey occurring more than 12 months after IMO notification, or the next annual survey after commercial availability; the file remains with the engine while the method is fitted. |
| IEE Certificate | International Energy Efficiency CertificateThe IEE Certificate is statutory. EEDI/EEXI verification by a class society may be performed as an authorized RO function, but the resulting IEE is not a class certificate. | Ships to which Annex VI Chapter 4 applies, generally ships of 400 GT and above, subject to the detailed Chapter 4 ship-type, construction-date and exemption rules; includes applicable MODUs/platforms only to the extent Chapter 4 applies.Potentially applicable to MODUs of 400 GT and above as ships under Chapter 4, but the EEDI/EEXI calculation and category coverage must be checked against the exact rig/ship type; do not automatically treat every MODU as an EEDI/EEXI ship type. | Mandatory statutory certificate for a Chapter 4 ship. The Appendix VIII model includes the energy-construction record and references EEDI/EEXI technical files and SEEMP. EEDI is primarily new-ship/design scope; EEXI is existing-ship scope; neither should be inferred for a rig outside the relevant ship-type rules.Valid throughout the life of the ship, subject to withdrawal from service, a new certificate after major conversion, flag transfer, or unapproved changes to surveyed equipment/systems/arrangements/material. It has no ordinary annual endorsement cycle like IAPP. |
| EEDI TF; EEXI TF | EEDI Technical File and EEXI Technical File (accompanying IEE Certificate where applicable)The technical files are certification-support documents, not voluntary energy audits. | EEDI Technical File: new ships/designs within the applicable Chapter 4 ship types and phases. EEXI Technical File: existing ships within the applicable regulation 23/25 scope. MODU relevance follows the Chapter 4 ship-type scope, not the word MODU alone.Conditional for MODUs; a rig outside the listed EEDI/EEXI ship categories should not be assigned a made-up EEDI/EEXI certificate or interval. | Mandatory technical documentation when the corresponding EEDI/EEXI requirement applies; not separate certificates. The IEE model records the relevant identification/verification number and date.No independent expiry; remains valid with the verified ship design/arrangement until major conversion, approved change or new verified calculation. Keep onboard with the IEE documentation. |
| SEEMP (Parts I, II and, where applicable, III) | Ship Energy Efficiency Management PlanThe SEEMP is statutory, unlike the voluntary EEOI. Do not report it as a class or ISM certificate. | Each ship must keep a ship-specific SEEMP onboard. Part II (fuel-oil-consumption data methodology/reporting) applies to ships of 5,000 GT and above. Part III (operational CII methodology, targets, implementation and self-evaluation) applies to 5,000 GT-and-above ships in the specific regulation 28 ship categories.A MODU treated as a ship under Annex VI keeps the ship-specific SEEMP; Part II applies at 5,000 GT and Part III only if the unit falls into a regulation 28 listed category. | Mandatory onboard statutory plan under regulation 26; Part II and Part III are conditional by tonnage/category. It is not itself a certificate. A corrective-action plan must be incorporated for a CII ship rated D for three consecutive years or E.No prescribed certificate expiry. Keep current onboard; review/update with methodology, operational, company or corrective-action changes. The DCS/CII Statement of Compliance depends on the SEEMP that was in effect for the reporting period. |
| SEEMP CoC; Confirmation of Compliance | Confirmation of Compliance for SEEMP Part II and Part IIIUse the IMO sample format in force at the reporting date; do not confuse this confirmation with the annual Statement of Compliance under regulation 6.6/6.7. | Part II: each 5,000 GT-and-above ship subject to regulation 27. Part III: each 5,000 GT-and-above ship to which regulation 28 applies. MODU coverage follows those thresholds/categories.Potentially required on a MODU at 5,000 GT and above for Part II; Part III only when the MODU is in a regulation 28 listed ship category. | Mandatory confirmation supplied to and retained onboard under regulation 6.5/6.6; conditional by the relevant part’s scope. It is a statutory confirmation/document, not a convention certificate with a prescribed five-year term.No single universal validity period in Annex VI; it remains evidence of compliance for the current plan/version and must be reissued or updated when required by Administration/RO, data methodology or CII corrective action changes. |
| SOC; DCS/CII Statement of Compliance | Statement of Compliance — Fuel Oil Consumption Reporting and Operational Carbon Intensity RatingThis is not an emissions certificate and does not replace IAPP or IEE. It is an annual/transfer reporting-performance statement. | Regulation 6.6: ships subject to regulation 27 (normally each ship of 5,000 GT and above) after verified fuel-oil data; regulation 6.7: ships transferring flag under regulation 27. The CII rating fields apply only where regulation 28 applies.A MODU of 5,000 GT and above is potentially subject to DCS if it is a ship to which regulation 27 applies; CII/SOC rating is not automatic because regulation 28 lists particular ship categories and usually does not list MODUs as such. | Mandatory statutory statement after Administration/authorized-RO verification; conditional on regulation 27 reporting and, for the rating portion, regulation 28. Issued in Appendix X model. A ship rated D three consecutive years or E cannot receive the statement until the required corrective plan is developed, included in SEEMP and verified.Normal regulation 6.6 statement: calendar year of issue plus the first five months of the following calendar year. Transfer regulation 6.7 statement: calendar year of issue, following calendar year and first five months of the subsequent year. All statements are kept onboard at least five years. |
| SECC; SOx ECC; EGCS Certificate | SOx Emission Compliance Certificate — Certificate of Approval for Exhaust Gas Cleaning SystemsOlder EGCS guidance used different certificate wording, including Certificate of Unit Approval. For the 2026 status point, use the current MEPC.340(77) 2021-guideline form and do not conflate it with class type approval. | A ship, MODU or platform fitted with an EGCS using the Annex VI regulation 4 equivalent-compliance route, specifically the Scheme A approval/certification route in the 2021 EGCS Guidelines; not required where the unit simply burns compliant fuel and has no EGCS.Relevant if a MODU/platform uses an EGCS as its approved equivalent to regulation 14; not a blanket MODU document. | Conditional statutory equipment certificate. MEPC.340(77) Appendix 1 gives the form and says it is valid only for the listed EGCS. Scheme A uses a SECC; Scheme B uses a SECP/monitoring route and does not use the Scheme A SECC in the document table.No universal Annex VI five-year validity should be invented. The certificate is system-specific and remains subject to Administration approval, approved configuration, in-service verification and IAPP/EGCS surveys; changes or major repairs require Administration/RO treatment. |
| SECP | SOx Emissions Compliance PlanSECP is an approved compliance document, not a class plan approval or a fuel certificate. | Ships/MODUs/platforms using an EGCS under the regulation 4 equivalent route; required for both Scheme A and Scheme B in the 2021 EGCS Guidelines document table.Same conditional relevance for an EGCS-fitted MODU/platform. | Conditional mandatory approved plan/document when EGCS is fitted and used for Annex VI compliance; no standalone MARPOL certificate model.No fixed convention expiry; remains current for the approved EGCS configuration and must be revised after changes, major repairs or altered operating parameters. |
| ETM-A/ETM-B; OMM | EGCS Technical Manual and Onboard Monitoring ManualMEPC.340(77) expressly lists ETM-A/ETM-B, OMM and SECP as the relevant Scheme A/B documents. | EGCS-fitted ships, MODUs and platforms. ETM-A is for Scheme A; ETM-B is for Scheme B; an OMM is required for the applicable scheme.Relevant only if the MODU/platform has an EGCS used for Annex VI compliance. | Conditional mandatory equipment manuals/documents supporting regulation 4 equivalent compliance; no separate ship convention certificate.No fixed statutory expiry; update when the EGCS, monitoring equipment, operating limits or approved arrangement changes. |
| EGCS Record Book; ERB | EGCS Record Book or approved Electronic Record BookDo not confuse this with the MARPOL fuel-sample record or cargo documents. | Every ship/MODU/platform fitted with an EGCS, including Scheme A and Scheme B installations.Relevant to an EGCS-fitted MODU/platform. | Conditional mandatory record under the 2021 EGCS Guidelines; no separate certificate.Continuous operational record; no fixed expiry. Retain and produce onboard for the period required by Administration/port-State practice. |
| ODS Record Book | Ozone-depleting Substances Record BookThe IAPP form’s ODS section and the ODS Record Book are distinct: the former is certificate-attached equipment information, the latter is the operational event record. | Ships subject to Annex VI regulation 5, including applicable MODUs/platforms, when ODS installations/equipment or servicing events exist; entries concern recharge, repair, discharge and supply/handling.Relevant to a MODU/platform with ODS-containing installations or service events; not a universal second certificate for every rig. | Mandatory record when regulation 12 applies; it may form part of an existing logbook or approved electronic record book. ODS particulars also appear in the IAPP Record of Construction and Equipment.Continuous onboard record; no separate certificate expiry or HSSC interval. It follows the equipment and service life of the ship/MODU. |
| VOC Management Plan; VOCMP | Approved VOC Management PlanThis is a statutory approved plan, not a voluntary environmental plan or class notation. | A tanker carrying crude oil must have an approved ship-specific plan; more generally, regulation 15 applies when a Party regulates VOC emissions from tankers at notified ports/terminals and requires approved vapour-collection arrangements.Normally none: a MODU is not a crude-oil tanker merely because it undertakes drilling or offshore operations. Only a unit actually within the tanker/regulated-port scope would be covered. | Conditional mandatory approved plan under regulation 15.6; no standalone IMO convention certificate model. A vapour-emission collection system also requires Administration approval when regulation 15.5 applies.No Annex VI universal expiry. Keep the plan current for the ship and cargo/operational arrangement; revise after relevant changes and maintain it through the IAPP survey cycle. |
| Incinerator Type Approval Certificate | Type Approval Certificate for each shipboard incineratorThis is equipment approval under the statutory instrument, not a voluntary class type-approval notation. | Each shipboard incinerator installed on or after 1 January 2000 on a ship/MODU/platform, where fitted; older units are subject to the applicable Annex VI provisions.Relevant if a MODU/platform has a shipboard incinerator; not required if none is installed. | Conditional equipment type approval under Annex VI regulation 16 and the IMO incinerator approval requirements; not a ship certificate. HSSC checks the approved arrangement and operation.Approval is type/equipment-specific with no ordinary ship-certificate expiry stated by Annex VI; in-service condition is checked through IAPP surveys and after material changes/repairs. |
| Annex VI regulation 3.2 trial permit | Administration permit for trials of emission-reduction technologies or programmesDo not confuse this permit with a national air-emissions permit or a class approval. Annex VI regulation 3 also contains safety/life-saving and seabed-mineral-emission exclusions; those are exclusions, not certificates. | A ship engaged in an Administration-approved trial/development programme for technologies to reduce/control ship emissions; only relevant to a MODU if it is within the statutory ship/trial scope.Possible only for a MODU/platform participating in a qualifying emissions-technology trial; not a standard MODU document. | Conditional permit/exemption mechanism, not a routine certificate. It is granted by the Administration for the specific trial and provisions from which the ship is exempted/allowed to depart.The initial permit period is not more than 5 years; where additional time is needed to conduct the test, it may be renewed for an additional period not exceeding 5 years. This is a maximum, not an automatic term. |
This is a conservative statutory inventory as at September 2026. Annex VI/NTC creates no crew certificate, no cargo-shipment certificate and no convention financial-security certificate. Bunker Delivery Notes, MARPOL fuel samples, logbook entries and port/national permits were excluded as cargo/operational or non-Annex-VI documents unless specifically identified above. Class certificates, class notations, voluntary EEOI documentation, national environmental permits and commercial insurance are not substitutes for IAPP, IEE, EIAPP or the Annex VI statements. For MODUs, distinguish the express regulation 5 IAPP scope (fixed/floating drilling rigs and platforms) from Chapter 4 energy-efficiency and regulation 28 CII category scope; where a MODU is not one of the listed EEDI/EEXI/CII ship types, do not invent a certificate or survey interval—record the applicable Administration/RO determination instead. The IMO/ILO reference does not add an ILO certificate to this group: ILO maritime-labour and financial-security instruments are separate conventions and outside MARPOL VI.
Official references: wwwcdn.imo.org 1wwwcdn.imo.org 2wwwcdn.imo.org 3www.imo.org 4wwwcdn.imo.org 5wwwcdn.imo.org 6
LL 1966/88; TONNAGE 1969International Convention on Load Lines 1966 as modified by the Protocol of 1988, and International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships 19694 entries
This is a statutory flag-State/Administration instrument group. The Administration may authorize an RO, nominated surveyor or other recognized organization, but an RO certificate is statutory only when issued on the Administration's behalf. Class certificates, voluntary notations, national permits, crew certificates and cargo-shipment documents are excluded. LL 1966/88 addresses assigned freeboard, load-line marking, hull strength, stability and watertight/weathertight integrity. TONNAGE 1969 determines gross and net tonnage. A MODU is not automatically a conventional ship for LL certification: the 2009 MODU Code expressly recognizes that LL 1966 cannot apply to MODUs in respect of their distinctive design and provides a separate MODU Safety Certificate route.
Status: Current for the requested September 2026 snapshot: IMO's Survey Guidelines under HSSC 2025 (resolution A.1207(34)) contain the current LL 1966/88 initial, annual and renewal survey guidance; the current PSC procedures are resolution A.1206(34) (2025). HSSC 2025 does not create a recurring TONNAGE 1969 survey cycle. The 2009 MODU Code remains the current IMO MODU code for units whose keel was laid or which were at a similar stage of construction on or after 1 January 2012, subject to its implementation by the flag/coastal State; it is not itself a universally directly mandatory convention solely because LL 1966/88 or TONNAGE 1969 applies.
| Code | Certificate or statutory document | Applies to | Requirement & verification cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Load Line Certificate; ILLC/LL Certificate (no single IMO acronym is prescribed) | International Load Line CertificateThe certificate model and marking verification are in LL Annex III and the Protocol amendments. It is a statutory load-line certificate, not a class certificate. The 2025 PSC list separately checks it from the TONNAGE certificate. | Ships to which LL 1966 or the 1988 Load Line Protocol applies and which have been surveyed and marked in accordance with the Convention. The current PSC list identifies it as International Load Line Certificate (1966), LL 1966/LL PROT 1988 article 16.1. It is not automatically a certificate for a MODU operating under a MODU Code.The MODU Code preamble states that LL 1966 cannot apply to MODUs in respect of their distinctive design. A MODU therefore normally uses the applicable MODU Safety Certificate, not an ILLC, unless the Administration has a separate lawful ship/LL treatment; any national or class equivalent is not an LL 1966/88 certificate. | Mandatory for an applicable ship after satisfactory statutory survey and assignment/verification of load lines. It is conditional on the ship falling within the Convention and on the required survey and marking; exemptions use the separate International Load Line Exemption Certificate.The harmonized LL 1988 system normally permits a period of validity up to five years, with annual surveys in the HSSC six-month window centered on each anniversary (three months before or after), and renewal within the applicable window. Extensions and exact dates are governed by LL 1966/88 article 19 and the Administration; do not treat the five-year maximum or survey window as a flag-independent guarantee. |
| International Load Line Exemption Certificate; ILL Exemption Certificate (no single IMO acronym is prescribed) | International Load Line Exemption CertificateCurrent IMO PSC wording is exact: International Load Line Exemption Certificate, LL 1966/LL PROT 1988 article 16.2. Do not merge it with a SOLAS Exemption Certificate or a class/national exemption letter. | Any ship otherwise within LL 1966/88 for which the Administration has granted an exemption under LL article 6, as applicable under the 1988 Protocol. It is not a general MODU certificate.The 2009 MODU Code has its own exemption provision and records MODU exemptions on the MODU Safety Certificate. That is not an International Load Line Exemption Certificate. A MODU's national/coastal exemption or equivalent is outside LL 1966/88 unless the flag Administration expressly applies LL provisions. | Conditional: issued only when a Convention exemption has actually been granted. It is the LL instrument's exemption document and is distinct from the SOLAS Exemption Certificate, which is issued under SOLAS regulation I/12 for a SOLAS exemption.Normally follows the harmonized LL certificate period and survey cycle, subject to the exemption terms, LL article 19, Administration action and permitted extensions. No independent universal interval should be inferred from the exemption alone. |
| Record of Conditions of Assignment; RCA/COA record (industry abbreviations, not an IMO certificate code) | Record of Conditions of Assignment of Load LinesDo not present this supporting record as a separate international certificate or class document. It is distinct from SOLAS Records of Equipment (Forms E, C or R). | Applicable LL ships for which the Administration's freeboard assignment depends on detailed conditions of assignment. It supports the assigned freeboard and load-line certificate; it is not a MODU Code certificate.No equivalent MODU 'record of conditions of assignment' is created by the 2009 MODU Code. A MODU may have code-approved plans, operating manuals and national records, but those are not this LL record. | Statutory supporting record associated with the load-line assignment, rather than a separately named Convention certificate. IMO HSSC 2025 refers to 'records, such as ... conditions of assignment for load line' in transfer-of-flag documentation, and the LL survey guidance requires determining and considering conditions of assignment. Whether a separately formatted record must be carried is implemented through the Administration's statutory procedures; the 2025 PSC Part A list names the certificates, not this record as a separate certificate.No standalone Convention expiry date or independent survey interval is prescribed in the sources reviewed. It remains supporting documentation for the current assignment and should be kept current with approved alterations and the valid LL certificate. |
| International Tonnage Certificate (1969); ITC 1969/ITC(69) | International Tonnage Certificate (1969)Gross and net tonnage figures can be used by other statutory regimes, but this certificate is not a safety-class certificate. Historical existing-ship tonnage arrangements and remarks under IMO resolution A.791(19) do not create a second TONNAGE certificate. | Every ship engaged on an international voyage to which TONNAGE 1969 applies and whose gross and net tonnages have been determined under the Convention. TONNAGE article 3 covers ships registered in Contracting Governments, certain unregistered ships flying a Contracting-Government flag and existing ships as phased in; article 4 excludes warships, ships under 24 m length and specified inland waters. The current PSC list identifies it as International Tonnage Certificate (TONNAGE 1969 article 7).TONNAGE 1969 creates no MODU-specific certificate. A MODU may receive an ITC 1969 only if the Administration treats it as a ship within TONNAGE 1969's application and the Convention's size/voyage conditions are met; the MODU Safety Certificate does not replace the ITC. The 2009 MODU Code itself does not prescribe a separate tonnage certificate. | Mandatory for an applicable ship after TONNAGE 1969 tonnage determination. The Administration assumes responsibility even where it authorizes a person or organization to determine tonnage or issue the certificate. A non-Party-flag ship cannot receive the Convention certificate under article 8(4).TONNAGE 1969 sets no routine annual, intermediate or five-year renewal cycle. The certificate ceases to be valid and is cancelled if alterations to arrangement, construction, capacity, use of spaces, passenger capacity, assigned load line or permitted draught require increased GT or NT. On flag transfer to another Contracting Government it remains valid for no more than three months or until replacement, whichever is earlier. Do not invent a periodic survey interval. |
The requested date is September 2026. IMO's official pages and resolutions available for this research establish the current 2025 HSSC/PSC framework and the 2009 MODU Code; they do not make the MODU Code a universally self-executing mandatory code. Historical MODU certificates remain dependent on the applicable construction date and flag/coastal-State transition law. No flag-dependent interval has been invented. The 2022 FAL certificate-list PDF is linked as the official current-list URL but its PDF text endpoint was inaccessible during extraction; the same exact LL/TONNAGE/MODU entries were read directly in the official 2017 FAL.2/Circ.131 and current 2025 PSC resolution A.1206(34).
Official references: www.imo.org 1www.imo.org 2www.imo.org 3www.imo.org 4wwwcdn.imo.org 5wwwcdn.imo.org 6
AFS 2001 / AFS ConventionInternational Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships, 20013 entries
AFS 2001 creates one statutory Administration/flag-State certificate, its permanently attached record, and a signed owner declaration for smaller qualifying ships. Surveys may be performed by the Administration, a nominated surveyor, or an Administration-recognized organization/RO; this is statutory flag/RO certification, not class certification. The 2025 HSSC resolution does not create an AFS annual/intermediate/renewal cycle: AFS is not one of the HSSC 2025 instruments listed in its scope, so HSSC's general one-year/maximum-five-year cargo-certificate framework must not be imported into AFS. No AFS-created permit, equipment-record certificate, or convention financial-security certificate exists. The 2009 MODU Code only says that, if anti-fouling systems are installed, they should conform to AFS 2001; it creates no additional AFS certificate.
Status: In force since 17 September 2008. The 2021 amendments in IMO resolution MEPC.331(76), controlling cybutryne and revising the IAFS certificate model, entered into force on 1 January 2023. The IMO treaty-status compilation current to July 2026 lists AFS 2001 and MEPC.331(76) as in force; this result is current for September 2026.
| Code | Certificate or statutory document | Applies to | Requirement & verification cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| IAFS Certificate (IAFS; IMO PSC also uses the full name) | International Anti-fouling System CertificateThe current model was amended by MEPC.331(76) to add organotin and cybutryne compliance choices. This is not the Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit Safety Certificate: that separate MODU Code certificate belongs to the MODU statutory group, not AFS. | Ships of 400 gross tonnage and above engaged in international voyages, under AFS 2001 Annex 4 regulation 1(1), excluding fixed or floating platforms, floating storage units (FSUs), and floating production storage and offloading units (FPSOs). It is the certificate regime, not a general certificate for every ship to which the pollution controls apply.No MODU-specific IAFS form exists. The IMO 2009 MODU Code defines a MODU as a vessel capable of drilling for seabed resources and section 2.11 says that installed anti-fouling systems should conform to AFS 2001. A mobile unit may therefore require the IAFS Certificate if it is legally treated as a qualifying ship and meets the 400-GT/international-voyage tests, but the Annex 4 rule expressly excludes fixed/floating platforms, FSUs and FPSOs; do not assume every MODU is automatically in or out. The flag/coastal Administration must determine the unit's statutory status and voyage. | Mandatory for every ship meeting the tonnage, voyage and scope tests when the flag Administration is a Party; a certificate issued by one Party is accepted by other Parties. A non-Party flag cannot receive an AFS certificate under Annex 4 regulation 3(4), although port-State controls still seek no more favourable treatment.No fixed five-year, annual, intermediate or renewal interval is prescribed by AFS 2001; do not apply the HSSC cargo-ship cycle. The certificate ceases to be valid if the system is changed/replaced without the required endorsement or on transfer to another flag; a new certificate then requires the new Party's satisfaction of compliance. For a system bearing a substance controlled after it was applied, MEPC.331(76) requires issuance within two years after the control enters into force (for cybutryne, effectively by 1 January 2025), which is an implementation deadline, not a validity period. |
| AFS Record / Record of AFS (no separate universally standardized IMO acronym) | Record of Anti-fouling SystemsThis is the AFS Convention's record associated with the certificate, not a generic Record of Equipment. The exact model appears in Appendix 1 to Annex 4; the 2022 IMO guidelines refer to it as the Record of Anti-fouling Systems. | Ships holding an IAFS Certificate. The model calls it a record and states that it shall be permanently attached to the International Anti-fouling System Certificate; it is not a standalone certificate. It is not the document required instead of the IAFS Certificate for 24-metre-to-under-400-GT ships, which carry the Declaration on AFS.Only relevant to a MODU that falls within the IAFS Certificate regime. The MODU Code's anti-fouling paragraph does not create a separate MODU record. A unit outside Annex 4 certification scope may still need to demonstrate AFS compliance under applicable flag/coastal law, but this Record is not automatically created by the MODU Code. | Mandatory as the supplement to the IAFS Certificate for the qualifying 400-GT-and-above international-voyage ship. It is a statutory certificate attachment/record, not a class record or a separate equipment certificate.No independent validity or survey interval. It remains attached and current with the IAFS Certificate; it must be updated/endorsed when the anti-fouling system changes or is replaced. It has no HSSC annual or five-year cycle. |
| Declaration on AFS (no formal IMO acronym; sometimes informally called AFS Declaration) | Declaration on Anti-fouling SystemThe Declaration is distinct from the IAFS Certificate and from the attached Record of Anti-fouling Systems. It is signed by the owner/authorized agent, not issued by class. | Ships of 24 metres or more in length but less than 400 gross tonnage engaged in international voyages and within AFS Article 3(1), excluding fixed or floating platforms, FSUs and FPSOs. The ship carries the owner/owner's authorized-agent declaration, accompanied by appropriate compliance documentation such as a paint receipt or contractor invoice, or containing appropriate endorsement.A MODU has no automatic Declaration exemption or automatic entitlement. If it is legally within the Annex 4 ship category, is 24 m or longer, under 400 GT and on international voyages, the declaration rule can apply; a MODU that is a fixed/floating platform or otherwise outside the stated Annex 4 category is excluded. The 2009 MODU Code creates no alternative declaration or MODU-specific AFS document. | Mandatory within the stated length, GT, voyage and scope conditions; it is not an Administration-issued certificate. The exact model is Appendix 2 to Annex 4. For ships below 24 metres, non-international-voyage ships, or excluded platform/FSU/FPSO categories, AFS 2001 does not create this Annex 4 declaration requirement, although substantive AFS controls or national requirements can still apply.No fixed expiry, annual, intermediate or renewal cycle is set by Annex 4 regulation 5. The declaration and its endorsements/documentation must remain accurate and be updated when the anti-fouling system is applied or changed; do not invent a five-year validity. |
The IMO public pages and resolutions were read directly. The Irish Statute Book link is an official government reproduction of AFS Annex 4, including regulations 1-5 and the model appendices, used to verify exact model wording where the IMO Convention text is distributed through the IMO publication rather than a freely extractable web page. No ILO instrument is implicated. MODU treatment is intentionally conservative: AFS defines ship broadly and the MODU Code says installed AFS should conform, but Annex 4 certification expressly excludes fixed/floating platforms, FSUs and FPSOs; classification of a particular MODU and whether its operations constitute an international voyage must be confirmed by the responsible flag/coastal Administration. Voluntary class notations, paint-manufacturer declarations, national permits and non-AFS financial-security certificates are not counted as AFS statutory certificates.
Official references: www.imo.org 1www.imo.org 2wwwcdn.imo.org 3wwwcdn.imo.org 4wwwcdn.imo.org 5www.imo.org 6
BWM / BWMS CodeInternational Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004, as amended, together with the mandatory Code for Approval of Ballast Water Management Systems9 entries
The BWM Convention applies, subject to its express application provisions and exemptions, to ships entitled to fly the flag of a Party and taking up/using ballast water in international traffic; non-Party ships are not to receive more favourable treatment in Party ports. Every ship must have and implement an Administration-approved ship-specific Ballast Water Management Plan and keep a Ballast Water Record Book. The International Ballast Water Management Certificate is issued after the required survey to ships of 400 gross tonnage and above to which the Convention applies, with the IMO certificate/document lists expressly excluding floating platforms, FSUs and FPSOs. There is no separate BWM certificate title for a MODU. A MODU may be operationally within the Convention’s broad ship concept when it takes/uses ballast water, but a unit treated as a floating platform is not to be assumed eligible for the E-2 certificate merely because it exceeds 400 GT; confirm the unit’s statutory classification and flag-State treatment. The BWMS Code creates an equipment type-approval certificate, not a ship certificate. No BWM financial-security convention certificate is created.
Status: In force globally since 8 September 2017. As of September 2026, the mandatory BWMS Code (MEPC.300(72), made mandatory by MEPC.296(72)) applies to BWMS installed on or after 28 October 2020; earlier installations may be approved under the applicable earlier IMO Guidelines or the Code. The 2020 commissioning-testing amendments (MEPC.325(75)) entered into force 1 June 2022; the current Appendix II Ballast Water Record Book form (MEPC.369(80)) entered into force 1 February 2025; and electronic-record-book amendments (MEPC.383(81)) entered into force 1 October 2025. HSSC 2025 is the current IMO survey guidance adopted by A.1207(34) on 3 December 2025. These are statutory flag-State instruments, issued or surveyed by the Administration or its authorized recognized organization/nominated surveyor; they are not class certificates.
| Code | Certificate or statutory document | Applies to | Requirement & verification cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| IBWMC / BWM Certificate (IMO does not prescribe a unique acronym) | International Ballast Water Management CertificateThis is the principal ship statutory certificate. The 2020 amendments changed the certificate model to identify method, installation date and manufacturer, and to show D-1/D-2/D-4/other approach. It is distinct from class notation, class certification and any national port permit. | Ships of 400 GT and above to which BWM 2004 applies, after the E-1 survey; the official IMO certificate list expressly excludes floating platforms, FSUs and FPSOs. The certificate records the applicable management method/standard, including D-1, D-2, D-4 or another approved approach, and the expiry date.No separate MODU IBWMC exists. The statutory IMO list says the E-2 certificate is for covered ships of 400 GT and above excluding floating platforms, FSUs and FPSOs. A MODU that is treated as a floating platform therefore should not be presented as automatically entitled to this certificate; its ballast-water obligations and any certificate treatment must be confirmed with the Administration. A self-propelled/mobile unit that is not within that exclusion still has to be assessed under the Convention’s application provisions. | Mandatory for a covered ship in the statutory size/application category. It is conditional on the Convention applying, the ship meeting the E-1 survey requirements and, where applicable, having an approved BWMP and compliant BWMS. Ships of non-Parties may not be issued the relevant Convention certificate, although port States expect no more favourable treatment.A certificate is normally issued for no more than five years under E-5, subject to the applicable annual surveys within three months before or after each certificate anniversary, an intermediate survey where E-1 requires it (the HSSC framework places such surveys around the second or third anniversary), renewal before expiry, and additional surveys when triggered. The exact endorsement, extension and short-voyage rules are those of E-5 and the flag Administration; no flag-dependent interval is invented here. |
| BWMP | Ballast Water Management PlanA plan is a statutory controlled document, not a class document and not a record of equipment. IMO’s 2026 BWM guidance page identifies the current G4 plan-development guidance, while the HSSC 2025 survey guideline checks the plan during statutory surveys. | Each ship to which the Convention’s management requirements apply, including a ballast-water-carrying MODU where the Administration treats it as a covered ship. The plan is ship-specific and describes actions and supplemental practices for compliance.Potentially relevant to a ballast-water-carrying MODU covered by the Convention. There is no MODU-specific BWMP form or separate MODU certificate. A floating-platform exclusion from E-2 certification does not, by itself, justify assuming that all operational BWM requirements disappear; apply the Convention’s exact application provisions and flag/port-State treatment. | Mandatory onboard document under regulation B-1, but subject to the Convention’s application/exemption provisions. It must be approved by the Administration, taking IMO guidance into account; it is not itself a certificate.No standalone Convention expiry period is prescribed. The plan remains ship-specific and approved, and must be amended/re-approved when the ship’s arrangements, equipment, operating method or applicable requirements change; the associated certificate survey cycle does not turn the plan into a five-year certificate. |
| BWRB / Ballast Water Record Book | Ballast Water Record BookThe record book is a statutory operational record, not an equipment certificate. The 2025 form expressly includes the ship’s IBWMC number and the tank diagram corresponding to the BWMP. | Each ship subject to regulation B-2, including a covered MODU if it takes up, treats, exchanges, discharges or otherwise handles ballast water. It may be a paper book, an approved electronic record system, or integrated into another record book/system.No separate MODU book is created. A MODU that is a covered ship and conducts ballast-water operations uses the same BWRB requirements; the exact application must be checked where the unit is a floating platform or otherwise falls within a Convention exclusion. | Mandatory record under regulation B-2, subject to the Convention’s application provisions. It is a record, not a certificate and does not require a separate class endorsement.Not a periodically renewed certificate. Entries are kept onboard for at least two years after the last entry and then in the Company’s control for at least three more years. The current Appendix II form entered into force 1 February 2025; electronic-record-book amendments entered into force 1 October 2025. |
| BWMS Type Approval Certificate / BWMS TA Certificate / TA Certificate | Type Approval Certificate of Ballast Water Management SystemDo not confuse this Administration equipment approval with an IMO ship certificate, a class type-approval service, a manufacturer’s commercial certificate, or U.S. Coast Guard approval. HSSC treats the TA Certificate as supporting evidence during the ship’s statutory survey. | The particular ballast water management system (BWMS), identified by manufacturer, model, drawings, rated capacity and operating limitations, that is fitted to a ship to meet the D-2 standard. A copy is carried onboard each fitted ship for inspection; the certificate is issued to the system by the Administration, not to the ship as the ship’s Convention certificate.Conditional for a covered MODU only if it uses a BWMS to meet D-2. There is no MODU-specific BWMS TA Certificate; the same equipment approval applies if the unit is within the statutory BWM regime. A TA Certificate does not cure an E-2 floating-platform certificate exclusion. | Conditional but mandatory whenever a BWMS is used to comply with the Convention: regulation D-3 requires Administration approval, and systems installed on or after 28 October 2020 must be approved under the mandatory BWMS Code. An active-substance BWMS additionally requires IMO Basic/Final Approval under G9 before the Administration can issue its Type Approval Certificate.The model certificate has an issued-date and ‘Valid until’ field, but the BWMS Code does not prescribe one universal certificate duration or periodic ship survey cycle. Validity, limitations, modifications and withdrawal are controlled by the issuing Administration. The certificate is system/application-specific and includes validated System Design Limitations and any limiting operating conditions; it is not automatically valid for every ship or operating condition. |
| G9 Basic Approval / BA | Basic Approval of an Active Substance or PreparationBasic Approval is an IMO approval decision/listing, not a certificate carried as the ship’s statutory credential and not a financial-security instrument. | An Active Substance or preparation proposed for use in a BWMS; it is technology/material approval, not a ship certificate. It can support prototype or type-approval testing.No MODU-specific Basic Approval exists. It is relevant only if a BWMS installed on a covered MODU uses the Active Substance/preparation. | Conditional: required in the G9 pathway where an Active Substance or preparation is used for a Convention-compliant BWMS. It does not apply to non-active-substance systems.G9 sets no universal five-year validity or survey cycle. IMO records and circulates approvals; approvals can be modified or withdrawn under the G9 procedure. The later Administration Type Approval Certificate remains a separate document. |
| G9 Final Approval / FA | Final Approval of a ballast water management system that makes use of Active Substances or PreparationsThe distinction is important: IMO G9 Final Approval is not the same document as the Administration’s BWMS Code Type Approval Certificate, even though both may be needed. | A specific Active-Substance BWMS after the required type-approval testing and residual-toxicity confirmation. It is a system approval by IMO, not the ship’s E-2 certificate.No separate MODU Final Approval. It follows the BWMS technology and is relevant only when an applicable MODU uses that Active-Substance system. | Conditional and mandatory in addition to Administration type approval where the BWMS uses an Active Substance or preparation to comply with the Convention. It is not required for a system that does not use Active Substances.No universal validity interval is specified by G9. IMO maintains an approval list and may modify or withdraw approval if the conditions or evidence change. It does not replace the ship installation survey, commissioning test or IBWMC. |
| D-4 Statement of Compliance / SoC | Statement of Compliance for a Prototype Ballast Water Treatment TechnologyThis is a statutory Administration statement of compliance under D-4/G10, not a class certificate, ordinary BWMS Type Approval Certificate or voluntary manufacturer statement. | A ship participating in an Administration-approved prototype ballast water treatment technology programme under regulation D-4 and G10. It is ship-specific and identifies the prototype technology and programme.Potentially available to a covered ballast-water-carrying MODU if its Administration approves a D-4 programme. There is no MODU-specific form. A floating-platform exclusion from E-2 should not be treated as an automatic D-4 entitlement. | Conditional, not a normal certificate. It is issued only when the Administration approves the prototype programme and an installation survey confirms adherence to the approved programme and conditions.The G10 model contains a date-specific ‘This Statement is valid until’ field. Regulation D-4 relief is a limited prototype regime—up to five years from the date on which the ship would otherwise be required to comply with D-2—not a general five-year certificate validity rule; the exact date and conditions are set by the Administration. |
| BWM A-4 exemption / A-4 authorization | Exemption authorization under regulation A-4 (no prescribed IMO certificate title/model)The convention creates the exemption power, while G7 supplies the risk-assessment procedure. The authorization should be treated as a Party/Administration statutory permit or approval, not as a class document. | A ship or ships on specified voyages/routes between specified ports or locations, granted by a Party in waters under that Party’s jurisdiction; it is not a general fleet exemption.A-4 can theoretically be granted to a MODU only if the Party’s jurisdictional and risk-assessment conditions are met; there is no special MODU exemption certificate. Do not confuse an A-4 authorization with a class waiver, national operating licence or E-2 IBWMC. | Conditional and discretionary. A Party may grant it only after the required risk assessment and only within the A-4 conditions, including no mixing of ballast water/sediments outside the specified locations. It exempts application of specified B-3 or C-1 requirements; it does not create a new normal ship certificate.No more than five years from grant, subject to intermediate review; the approval may contain seasonal, route, time or other restrictions. There is no IMO-wide prescribed form or universal certificate number. |
| B-3.7 Other-Method approval in principle / OMA | Approval in principle of an Other Method of ballast water management under regulation B-3.7Include this in a complete inventory of BWM permissions, but label it clearly as an approval-in-principle/technology pathway rather than a certificate carried by every ship. | A proposed alternative ballast-water management method that provides at least the protection of B-3.1–B-3.5 methods; it is technology/method approval rather than a ship certificate.No MODU-specific approval exists. It could be relevant to a covered MODU only if the method and unit are separately approved by the competent bodies. | Conditional and exceptional. The MEPC must approve the Other Method in principle before the Administration approves it for shipboard use. A shipboard system may still need BWMS Type Approval or prototype approval as appropriate.No universal validity or survey interval is stated. It is method-specific and subject to the MEPC/Administration approval conditions and later review; it is not an E-2 certificate or an automatic D-2 compliance document. |
The IMO Convention page and official certificate lists are authoritative for statutory scope, but the public IMO pages do not provide a standalone MODU-specific BWM certificate model. The conservative classification is therefore: no separate MODU BWM certificate; E-2 expressly excludes floating platforms/FSUs/FPSOs, while other BWM operational requirements may still apply depending on the unit’s legal/statutory status, ballast-water capability, flag and port-State treatment. The 2022 FAL certificate circular could not be read directly in this run, so current BWM document scope was cross-checked against its official predecessor FAL.2/Circ.131 and the adopted 2025 HSSC/PSC resolutions. The Bunkers 2001 ‘Certificate of insurance or other financial security in respect of civil liability for bunker oil pollution damage’ is not created by BWM 2004 and must not be listed in this instrument group; BWM creates no convention financial-security certificate.
Official references: www.imo.org 1www.imo.org 2www.imo.org 3www.imo.org 4www.imo.org 5www.imo.org 6
HKCHong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009 (Hong Kong Convention)3 entries
The Convention applies to ships entitled to fly a Party flag or operating under a Party’s authority and to Ship Recycling Facilities under a Party’s jurisdiction. ‘Ship’ is deliberately broad and includes vessels of any type operating or having operated in the marine environment, including floating craft, floating platforms and self-elevating platforms; therefore many floating or self-elevating MODUs fall within the definition, but there is no separate MODU certificate. The normal statutory threshold is 500 GT and above; ships below 500 GT, ships operating throughout life only in flag-State waters, and warships/naval auxiliaries/government non-commercial ships are excluded subject to the Convention’s practicability provisions. Statutory certificates are issued by the Administration or its authorized RO/person; class certificates, voluntary statements of compliance and national permits are not HKC statutory certificates. The mandatory ship-specific Ship Recycling Plan is an accompanying plan, not a certificate, equipment record or permit. HKC creates no mandatory-code certificate beyond the instruments listed below.
Status: In force since 26 June 2025. Status stated as of 21 September 2026. IMO’s current publication listing includes the Hong Kong Convention, 2025 Edition (IA683E). The Convention’s ship-side certification is governed by Annex regulations 5 and 10–14; current HSSC 2025 is relevant as general survey guidance/harmonization context but does not create an additional HKC certificate or replace the HKC-specific survey-and-certification guidance in MEPC.222(64).
| Code | Certificate or statutory document | Applies to | Requirement & verification cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| IHM (record; not a certificate) | Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM), Parts I, II and IIIThis is the Convention’s ship-specific hazardous-materials record, not a class inventory, class notation or national environmental permit. It is the only HKC-created ship equipment/contents record; HKC does not create an additional ‘record of equipment’ book. | Ships, including in-scope MODUs, subject to the Convention. Part I covers hazardous materials in ship structure/equipment; Part II operationally generated wastes; Part III stores.No MODU-specific form or code. A floating or self-elevating MODU normally fits the broad HKC ship definition if it meets the applicability conditions, including GT and flag/authority scope; a MODU below 500 GT or otherwise excluded is outside mandatory application. | Mandatory ship record. Each new ship must carry a ship-specific IHM; existing ships must comply as far as practicable no later than five years after entry into force (26 June 2030) or before going for recycling if earlier. The Part I record must be maintained and updated throughout the ship’s life; Parts II and III are completed for the recycling stage.The IHM itself has no independent certificate expiry; it must remain accurate and current. Its failure to be properly maintained can invalidate the associated ICIHM. Do not treat the record as a five-year document independently of the certificate/survey regime. |
| ICIHM (common industry/RO shorthand; the IMO model uses the full title and does not assign an official code) | International Certificate on Inventory of Hazardous MaterialsThis is statutory flag/RO certification, not class certification. A pre-entry voluntary statement of compliance or class-issued IHM declaration may support later processing but is not the HKC ICIHM itself. | Ships to which HKC regulation 10 applies, including in-scope MODUs, flying a Party flag or operating under Party authority. It is not issued to an excluded ship merely because it is classed.If the MODU is a qualifying floating/self-elevating platform and otherwise within HKC scope, it receives the same ICIHM as any other ship; there is no ‘MODU IHM certificate’. The certificate concerns hazardous-material inventory and HKC compliance, not the separate SOLAS/MODU Code safety certification of the unit. | Mandatory for new in-scope ships after the Convention applies. For existing ships, mandatory by 26 June 2030 or earlier if the ship goes for recycling. It is not a normal certificate for ships outside HKC scope. An existing ship receiving initial and final surveys simultaneously before recycling receives only the IRRC rather than a separate ICIHM under the survey guidance.Administration-specified period not exceeding five years. Renewal interval is Administration-specified and must not exceed five years; do not invent a universal annual/intermediate interval. Regulation 11 contains limited endorsement/extension mechanics, including up to five months in the stated renewal-document-delay case, up to three months to reach a survey port, and up to one month for short voyages, subject to the regulation’s conditions. The certificate ceases on substantial mismatch/poorly maintained IHM, flag transfer, missed renewal requirements or missing endorsement. |
| IRRC (common industry/RO shorthand; the IMO model uses the full title and does not assign an official code) | International Ready for Recycling CertificateThe final survey may result in IRRC without a separate ICIHM where an existing ship’s initial and final surveys are conducted together. The IRRC is not a recycling-yard permit and not proof of class status. | Any ship to which HKC regulation 10 applies, including an in-scope MODU, when it is destined for recycling. It is a recycling-stage certificate, not a life-of-ship operational certificate.A qualifying MODU being recycled needs an IRRC on exactly the same basis as another HKC ship. There is no MODU-specific ready-for-recycling certificate and no substitution by a MODU Code certificate. | Mandatory condition before any recycling activity for every in-scope ship going for recycling, whether new or existing. Existing-ship transition does not remove this requirement. The certificate is conditional on the selected facility/facilities holding valid DASR authorization and on the required Ship Recycling Plan being approved explicitly or tacitly as applicable.Administration-specified period not exceeding three months. It may be extended only for a single point-to-point voyage to the Ship Recycling Facility under regulation 14.5; it ceases to be valid if the ship’s condition no longer substantially matches the certificate particulars. |
The IMO webpages and resolutions were opened and read. The IMO site’s current Convention page provides the instrument overview and the IMO current-publications page lists the 2025 edition, while MEPC.222(64) and MEPC.379(80) provide the survey/certification and IHM guidance. The free IMO pages do not expose the complete treaty text/model appendices directly; exact Appendix 3 (ICIHM), Appendix 4 (IRRC), Appendix 5 (DASR), Appendix 6 and Appendix 7 wording and regulations 5, 10–14, 24 and 25 were cross-checked against the Convention conference-text reproduction at the Basel URL above. ICIHM and IRRC are widely used industry/RO abbreviations rather than codes assigned on the IMO model forms. HSSC 2025 should not be used to invent an annual survey interval for HKC: the HKC itself says Administration-specified renewal intervals capped at five years, and MEPC.222(64) is the HKC-specific survey guidance.
Official references: www.imo.org 1www.imo.org 2www.imo.org 3www.imo.org 4wwwcdn.imo.org 5wwwcdn.imo.org 6
CLC / BUNKERS / PAL / HNS / WRCIMO liability and compensation conventions requiring ship insurance or other financial security: CLC; BUNKERS; PAL; HNS; Nairobi WRC6 entries
The group creates only statutory State-issued or State-certified insurance/other-financial-security certificates. It creates no Record of Equipment, permit to operate, MODU Code Certificate, or HSSC survey certificate. HNS uses IMO convention/code substance lists to determine what is HNS cargo, but does not create an IBC/IGC/BCH/IMDG/IMSBC cargo certificate; those separate statutory documents are outside this instrument group. These certificates are not class certificates, P&I Club certificates, or voluntary/national class documents: insurer/guarantor evidence supports the competent authority's determination, while the convention certificate is issued or certified by the flag State/another State Party as the convention permits.
Status: As at 21 September 2026, the 1992 CLC regime is the intended successor to CLC 1969, although some 1969-CLC States remain; BUNKERS 2001, PAL 2002 and Nairobi WRC 2007 are in force for their respective Parties. The 2010 HNS Protocol satisfied its entry-into-force conditions on 29 May 2026 and is scheduled to enter into force on 29 November 2027, so its certificate is not yet an internationally operative convention obligation in September 2026. HSSC 2025 (A.1207(34)) does not cover these liability/financial-security certificates and does not prescribe their survey cycles.
| Code | Certificate or statutory document | Applies to | Requirement & verification cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLC 1969 Certificate / CLC-69 | Certificate of Insurance or Other Financial Security in Respect of Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (CLC 1969)CLC is for persistent oil carried as cargo, not the general bunker-spill regime for ordinary ships. CLC 1969 and CLC 1992 have similarly named certificates but are different treaty regimes; do not collapse them in a register where the flag/port State still distinguishes them. | A ship registered in a 1969 CLC Party and carrying more than 2,000 tonnes of oil in bulk as cargo. The CLC ship concept is a seagoing vessel/seaborne craft constructed or adapted to carry persistent oil in bulk as cargo; a ship capable of carrying oil and other cargoes is treated as a CLC ship when actually carrying oil in bulk as cargo and on the following voyage unless no residue remains. Government-owned ships used only for non-commercial service are excluded; commercial State ships are subject to the liability regime but have the special State-coverage treatment noted below.A drilling MODU does not receive a CLC certificate merely because it is a MODU, stores drilling fluids, or uses fuel. It could qualify only if it is a qualifying seagoing oil-carrying ship actually carrying >2,000 tonnes of persistent oil in bulk as cargo (for example, an oil-carrying conversion). A fixed/on-location drilling platform is not thereby an oil-cargo ship. | Mandatory only where the 1969 CLC applies and the >2,000-tonne oil-in-bulk-cargo trigger is met. CLC 1969 is a legacy regime being replaced by CLC 1992; it remains relevant for States that have not joined the 1992 regime. For commercial State ships, the IMO CLC page says insurance is not required but the ship must carry a certificate from the appropriate registry authority stating that liability is covered.No IMO annual, intermediate, renewal or five-year HSSC cycle. The model certificate states a period of validity; the registry State determines issue/validity conditions, and the certificate cannot run longer than the underlying security. CLC Article VII also protects against termination/modification taking effect before three months' notice to the registry authority unless the certificate is surrendered or replaced. Reissue follows expiry, cancellation, material change, flag change or replacement of security under the issuing State's process. |
| CLC 1992 Certificate / CLC-92 | Certificate of Insurance or Other Financial Security in Respect of Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (1992 CLC)The IMO CLC page states that the 1992 Protocol is replacing 1969 CLC and allows a 1992 Party to issue certificates to non-1992-Party flags. Do not treat a P&I evidence-of-cover letter as the statutory certificate itself. | Each ship carrying more than 2,000 tonnes of oil in bulk as cargo after the Article VII insurance/security test is met. The current 1992 CLC scope covers seagoing oil-carrying ships/tankers, including the 1992 regime's treatment of laden/unladen tankers and specified bunker oil from such ships; the certificate trigger remains the Article VII >2,000-tonnes-in-bulk-cargo rule. Warships and State ships used only for non-commercial service are excluded.No certificate for an ordinary drilling MODU simply because it is mobile, offshore, or carries operational oil. A MODU is relevant only if it meets the CLC ship/oil-cargo definitions and actually carries >2,000 tonnes of persistent oil in bulk as cargo; that is exceptional and fact-specific. | Mandatory for a ship to which the 1992 CLC applies and which meets the >2,000-tonnes oil-in-bulk-cargo threshold. A Contracting State may issue/certify the certificate for a ship registered in a non-1992-Party State, so flag-party status and the receiving State's regime must be checked. Commercial State ships have the statutory registry-authority coverage certificate rather than ordinary compulsory insurance.No IMO-fixed survey interval. The certificate records validity and cannot exceed the insurance/financial-security period; the registry State sets issue and validity conditions. Article VII's three-month notice protection applies to early termination or disqualifying modification, subject to surrender/replacement of the certificate. Treat expiry/change of cover or flag as the practical reissuance events, not an assumed annual or five-year cycle. |
| BUNKERS 2001 Certificate / BUNKER Certificate | Certificate of Insurance or Other Financial Security in Respect of Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution DamageBUNKERS is a free-standing bunker-pollution regime, separate from CLC cargo-oil pollution. The statutory certificate is issued/certified by a State Party (flag State for a Party flag, or another Party for a non-Party flag), not by class or the P&I Club alone. | Each ship having gross tonnage greater than 1,000, where BUNKERS 2001 applies. The Convention/IMO Claims Manual describe the covered craft broadly as any seagoing vessel or seaborne craft of any type whatsoever; the regime concerns hydrocarbon mineral oil used or intended for operation/propulsion, including lubricating oil and residues.A mobile/seagoing MODU can fall within the broad BUNKERS ship wording if it is a qualifying seagoing vessel/seaborne craft and exceeds 1,000 GT; a non-seagoing fixed unit should not be assumed covered solely from the MODU label. The certificate is for hydrocarbon-mineral bunker oil, not every future fuel: IMO's Claims Manual specifically distinguishes methanol, ammonia, hydrogen and LNG as outside its hydrocarbon-mineral-oil scope. | Mandatory for the registered owner of a ship over 1,000 GT. Ships under 1,000 GT remain strictly liable for bunker pollution but do not have the compulsory-certificate requirement. The certificate is required even where the ship also holds a CLC certificate; IMO Assembly material expressly distinguishes the two.No IMO annual/renewal/periodical interval. The certificate's period cannot exceed the underlying cover; the flag/issuing State sets issue and validity conditions. Article 7's three-month notice protection applies if cover is terminated or modified before stated expiry unless the certificate is surrendered/replaced. Reissue is driven by cover/ownership/flag changes and State practice, not HSSC. |
| PAL 2002 Certificate / Athens 2002 Certificate | Certificate of Insurance or Other Financial Security in Respect of Liability for the Death of and Personal Injury to PassengersThe IMO/FAL list names this as the PAL 1974 Convention as modified by PAL Protocol 2002, Article 4bis, and points to the model in the Protocol annex. PAL is passenger-liability insurance, not a safety survey certificate. | A ship registered in a PAL 2002/2002 Protocol State, licensed to carry more than 12 passengers, when the Athens Convention as amended applies. A ship is not made a PAL passenger ship merely by having accommodation; the PAL passenger/contract-of-carriage definitions and the applicable national implementation determine whether persons onboard are passengers rather than crew or other persons excluded by the Convention.A MODU needs this certificate only if it is a ship to which PAL applies and is licensed to carry more than 12 passengers. Crew and ordinary offshore workers/industrial personnel are not automatically PAL passengers; do not infer a PAL certificate from berthing capacity, a MODU Code certificate, or a national offshore-personnel permit. | Mandatory only for the Article 4bis case: the ship is licensed to carry >12 passengers and PAL applies. The compulsory cover is for death/personal injury to passengers, with a minimum of 250,000 SDR per passenger on each distinct occasion. It is not a general crew, seafarer-abandonment, workers' compensation or offshore-personnel certificate.No Convention-wide annual, intermediate, renewal or five-year cycle. The certificate states its validity, cannot exceed the insurance/security period, and PAL Article 4bis contains the three-month notice protection for early termination/disqualifying modification unless surrendered/replaced. The flag State determines issue/validity conditions. |
| HNS 2010 Certificate / HNS Certificate | Certificate of Insurance or Other Financial Security in Respect of Liability for Damage Caused by Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS)IMO announced on 1 June 2026 that entry-into-force conditions were met and that approximately 65,000 ships will require HNS certificates once operative. The certificate title and Annex I model are in the treaty-hosted consolidated 2010 text; HNS is not a currently effective HSSC certificate as of September 2026. | Under Article 12 of the 2010 HNS Convention, each ship registered in a State Party and actually carrying HNS. HNS includes categories defined by reference to IMO instruments/codes (including oils, bulk chemicals, liquefied gases, certain flashpoint liquids, packaged dangerous materials and chemically hazardous solid bulk materials); the ship-size/cargo exclusions in Article 5 can be declared by a State, including ships not exceeding 200 GT and certain packaged-form domestic voyages.A mobile/seagoing MODU could qualify if it is a ship actually carrying HNS as cargo and is registered in a State Party once the Convention is operative. Operational chemicals, drilling mud, stores or propulsion fuel do not automatically equal HNS cargo; classification under the Convention's cargo definitions and national implementation is needed. The HNS text has no WRC-style express on-location MODU exception, so do not make a blanket inclusion/exclusion without the unit's ship status and activity facts. | Future/conditional as of September 2026: the 2010 HNS Protocol is scheduled to enter into force on 29 November 2027, so Article 12 is not yet an operative universal treaty certificate requirement on 21 September 2026. Once in force for the relevant State, the owner of a qualifying ship must maintain security and the certificate is mandatory; there is no general Article 12 >200 GT threshold, but Article 5 optional State exclusions apply.No HSSC or IMO-fixed survey interval. Article 12 requires the certificate period not to exceed the underlying security period; the registry State determines issue/validity conditions. Security cannot cease for a reason other than expiry before three months after termination notice to the relevant authority unless the certificate is surrendered or replaced. The certificate is future-effective only when the treaty's entry-into-force and State-Party conditions are met. |
| Nairobi WRC 2007 Certificate / WRC Certificate | Certificate of Insurance or Other Financial Security in Respect of Liability for the Removal of WrecksWRC financial security covers locating, marking and removing hazardous wrecks and gives the coastal State direct action against the insurer. It is not a class wreck-removal notation or a MODU operational permit. | Each ship of 300 GT and above registered in a Nairobi WRC Party. The Convention applies to wreck removal beyond the territorial sea; a State may opt to extend provisions to its territory/territorial sea. The WRC ship definition is unusually important for MODUs: it includes seagoing vessels, seaborne craft and floating platforms, except platforms when on location and engaged in exploration, exploitation or production of seabed mineral resources.This is the clearest MODU distinction in the group. A mobile MODU/floating platform underway or relocating may be a WRC ship and, if 300 GT+, require the certificate. A floating platform on location and engaged in seabed mineral exploration, exploitation or production is expressly outside the WRC ship definition; an on-location drilling MODU therefore does not receive a WRC certificate solely under the Convention. Confirm the unit's status/activity at the relevant time and any coastal-State extension. | Mandatory for a qualifying 300 GT+ ship registered in a WRC Party, subject to the Convention's scope and any State declarations. It is not conditional on carrying oil, passengers or hazardous cargo. The FAL/PSC list identifies the certificate under Nairobi WRC Article 12.No IMO-fixed annual, intermediate, renewal or five-year cycle. The certificate states validity, which cannot exceed the underlying security period; the registry State sets issue/validity conditions. Article 12 includes the three-month termination/modification notice protection unless the certificate is surrendered/replaced. Reissue follows security, flag or particulars changes under the issuing State's process. |
This is a convention/statutory inventory, not a flag-specific compliance determination. Party status, domestic implementing law, registry authority practice and any authorized RO/delegate must be checked for the ship's flag and voyage. HSSC 2025 applies to SOLAS, Load Lines, MARPOL, BWM and specified mandatory codes, and its drilling-rig/platform reference is for MARPOL certificates—not these liability certificates. No ILO crew/seafarer financial-security certificate is included because the requested group is IMO liability/compensation instruments and crew certificates were expressly excluded.
Official references: www.imo.org 1www.imo.org 2www.imo.org 3www.imo.org 4www.imo.org 5www.imo.org 6
MLC, 2006Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, as amended (ILO; non-IMO)8 entries
The MLC generally covers ships, including potentially offshore units, except vessels navigating exclusively in inland waters, sheltered waters or areas where port regulations apply. Regulation 5.1.3 certification is mandatory for ships of 500 GT or more on international voyages or operating from/between ports in another country; a flag State may also certify another flag ship at the shipowner's request. The MLC FAQ says whether a MODU is a 'ship' depends on applicable national law/practice and whether its activity/location falls within the Convention's scope; there is no universal MLC MODU rule. MLC certificates are statutory flag-State documents: an RO may issue/inspect only when expressly authorized by the flag State. They are not class certificates. The MLC creates no record of equipment and no MLC-specific MODU certificate; IMO MODU Code certificates, class certificates, minimum-safe-manning documents and national accommodation certificates are outside this group.
Status: In force since 20 August 2013. The 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2022 Code amendments are in force; the 2025 amendments had been adopted but were not yet in force as of September 2026 (ILO indicates expected entry into force 23 December 2027), so they are not treated as current requirements here. This is an ILO flag-State labour convention, not an IMO convention. IMO HSSC 2025 (resolution A.1207(34)) covers SOLAS, Load Lines, MARPOL, BWM, IBC/IGC/BCH, Polar and IP instruments, and does not include the MLC.
| Code | Certificate or statutory document | Applies to | Requirement & verification cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| MLC Certificate (MLC Cert.) | Maritime Labour CertificateExact Appendix A5-II model title is 'Maritime Labour Certificate'. It must have the DMLC attached and be carried and posted onboard. Issuance by class alone is not statutory MLC certification. | Ships covered by Regulation 5.1.3(1): 500 GT or more on international voyages or operating from/between ports in another country; also any other flag ship at the shipowner's request under Regulation 5.1.3(2). A MODU is included only if the flag State treats it as a ship under national law/practice and its operations are not exclusively within excluded waters/areas.No separate MODU form or cycle. Apply the same rule only where the unit is legally a ship within the flag State's MLC implementation and is not excluded by its operating waters; a national determination may exclude MODUs. | Mandatory for the Regulation 5.1.3(1) population; conditional/voluntary at the shipowner's request for other flag ships. It certifies working and living conditions of seafarers, not ship structure, machinery or cargo equipment.Maximum five years. If a five-year certificate has one intermediate inspection, it is between the second and third anniversary dates and is endorsed. Renewal timing and the limited post-renewal extension (up to five months where the new certificate cannot yet be made available) are governed by Standard A5.1.3; do not infer a flag-independent shorter term. The certificate ceases on specified events including missed inspection/endorsement, flag change, change of responsible shipowner or substantial covered structural/equipment changes. |
| Interim MLC Certificate (IMLC) | Interim Maritime Labour CertificateExact Appendix A5-II model title is 'Interim Maritime Labour Certificate'. It is statutory flag/authorized-RO certification, not class or a crew certificate. | A ship otherwise eligible for MLC certification, including a MODU only when it is a ship covered by the flag State's MLC regime.Same conditional ship-status analysis as the full MLC Certificate; no MODU-specific interim form or extension. | Conditional, not a routine alternative: may be issued for a new ship on delivery, a ship changing flag, or a new shipowner assuming operational responsibility.Not more than six months. No further interim certificate may be issued after the initial six months; a DMLC need not be issued during the interim period. It is not an HSSC interim certificate. |
| DMLC Part I (DMLC-I) | Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance – Part IExact Appendix A5-II title is 'Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance – Part I'. It is a statutory flag document, not a class statement. | The same ships for which a full MLC Certificate is issued, including a MODU only if it is within the flag State's MLC ship scope.No MODU-specific model. If the flag State treats the MODU as an MLC ship, Part I must identify applicable ship-type-specific or national MODU treatment; if not, no MLC DMLC is generated. | Mandatory companion document for a full MLC Certificate; not a standalone certificate. It is not required during the validity of an Interim MLC Certificate.No independent validity period. It is attached to and operationally tied to the MLC Certificate and must reflect current national requirements, equivalences and exemptions; inspection/verification results and significant deficiencies are recorded on or appended to it. |
| DMLC Part II (DMLC-II) | Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance – Part IIExact Appendix A5-II title is 'Declaration of Maritime Labour Compliance – Part II – Measures adopted to ensure ongoing compliance between inspections'. The shipowner's preparation does not turn it into a class or voluntary document. | The same ships for which a full MLC Certificate is issued, including an in-scope MODU.Same as DMLC-I; no MODU-specific form. Operational controls should address the unit's actual offshore accommodation and working arrangements when the unit is an MLC ship. | Mandatory companion component of the DMLC for a full certificate; not a standalone certificate. Not required during an Interim MLC Certificate period.No separate fixed validity or survey interval. It remains attached to the MLC Certificate and must support continuing compliance; changes are dealt with through the flag/authorized-RO verification and DMLC process. |
| MLC financial security – A2.5.2 / FS-R (industry shorthand; no ILO-mandated acronym) | Evidence of financial security under Regulation 2.5, paragraph 2 (certificate or other documentary evidence for abandonment/repatriation)The exact consolidated-text appendix heading is 'Evidence of financial security under Regulation 2.5, paragraph 2'; the Standard calls it a certificate or other documentary evidence. It covers abandonment, including repatriation, maintenance/support and specified outstanding entitlements. | The financial-security system must exist for ships within the MLC meaning of 'ship'. The shipboard certificate/document carriage requirement in Standard A2.5.2(6) applies to ships to which Regulation 5.1.3(1) or (2) applies. An in-scope MODU is treated the same way; a unit excluded as not a ship under national law is not assigned an MLC document by the Convention.No MODU-specific financial-security certificate. Apply the ship-status and certification-population tests above; the underlying A2.5.2 financial-security obligation is broader than the onboard-document trigger. | Mandatory financial security for flag ships; mandatory onboard carriage and conspicuous posting for the certified population in A2.5.2(6). Where more than one provider supplies cover, each provider's document is carried.The document states its own period of validity; the MLC sets no universal annual or five-year term. Do not substitute a P&I provider's normal policy period for an MLC rule. |
| MLC financial security – A4.2.1 / FS-SL (industry shorthand; no ILO-mandated acronym) | Evidence of financial security under Regulation 4.2 (certificate or other documentary evidence for shipowners' liability)The exact consolidated-text appendix heading is 'Evidence of financial security under Regulation 4.2'. It covers shipowners' liability for contractual compensation connected with death/long-term disability; it is distinct from the A2.5.2 abandonment/repatriation security. | Ships flying the flag of an MLC Member, including an MODU whenever it is a ship under the flag State's MLC implementation. Standard A4.2.1(11) requires each flag ship to carry the certificate/document; it is not limited in the text to the 500-GT certification population.No MODU-specific form or cycle; use the same flag-ship analysis. If the unit is excluded from the MLC as not a ship, this MLC document is not generated, subject to any separate national regime. | Mandatory financial security and onboard carriage/posting for flag ships; conditional in the sense that the covered contractual compensation is death or long-term disability from occupational injury, illness or hazard and is implemented through national law/SEA/CBA.The period is the period stated on the financial-security document; the MLC prescribes no fixed duration. Security must not cease before the stated validity ends unless the provider gives the flag authority at least 30 days' prior notice, and it covers contractual claims arising during the document's validity. |
| DMLC inspection record (no prescribed acronym) | Record of subsequent MLC inspections/other verifications and significant deficiencies (on or appended to DMLC, or otherwise made available)This is the only specifically certification-linked MLC record identified; it is not a record of ship equipment. Routine crew records, accommodation/food inspection logs and employment records are not MLC certificates. | Ships holding an MLC Certificate, including an in-scope MODU.No MODU-specific record form; applies only if the unit is within the MLC certification regime. | Mandatory record mechanism under Standard A5.1.3(11), but not a standalone certificate or equipment record.No separate validity or fixed cycle; it tracks the ship's inspections and remains associated with the DMLC/MLC compliance file. |
| A3.1 exemption/variation (no prescribed acronym) | MLC Title 3 accommodation exemption, relaxation or variation (no single model title)This is a family of expressly permitted approvals, not one globally standardized permit. It must not be confused with class-approved accommodation plans or national crew-accommodation certificates. | Only the specified ship(s) and circumstances authorized by the competent authority; potentially an in-scope MODU, subject to the flag State's implementation and the MLC's express conditions.No MODU-specific form. Whether it can be used depends on the unit being an MLC ship and on the flag State's national implementation. | Conditional national approval, not a standalone MLC certificate. Standard A3.1 expressly permits limited cases such as relaxation of hospital accommodation for coastal trade, exemption from separate offices for ships under 3,000 GT, fairly applied variations for distinctive religious/social practices, and specified exemptions for ships under 200 GT after consultation.No Convention-wide duration; governed by the national approval and the particular ship/circumstances. Do not assume an annual or five-year term. |
The MLC FAQ itself leaves MODU/offshore-resource-extraction status to national law/practice and the location of operations; do not infer universal MODU coverage from IMO MODU Code status. The inventory deliberately excludes crew certificates/documents (medical certificates, seafarer employment agreements, records of employment, hours-of-work/rest records), cargo-shipment documents, minimum safe-manning documents created under other IMO/national law, and national Certificate of Inspection of Crew Accommodation forms. The HSSC 2025 resolution is relevant only as a boundary check: it does not harmonize or issue MLC certification. Financial-security documents are provider-issued statutory evidence, not flag/RO/class certificates, although flag/RO/port-State inspections may verify them.
Official references: www.ilo.org 1www.ilo.org 2normlex.ilo.org 3normlex.ilo.org 4normlex.ilo.org 5www.ilo.org 6