The Paris Memorandum of Port State Control (Paris MoU) has softened its stance on inspections, surveys and certificate renewals, as the operational problems affecting shipping industry due to Covid-19 show little sign of abating.
The customary three-month grace period to complete such tasks beyond mandatory deadlines is no longer sufficient in the present circumstances, the Hague-based organisation said in a release on Friday.
“A limitation of three months … may be too short to address the challenges currently being faced," said the coordinating body of Europe’s port state control authorities.
The Paris MoU took the unusual step of releasing revised guidance to members publicly on Friday, which reads as follows:
“Giving consideration that an exceptional extension of validity of certificates specific to Covid-19 would be inevitable for certain ships, the flag state or RO [recognised organisation], acting on behalf of the flag state, may extend the validity of certificates to an appropriate and proportional grace period specific to Covid-19."
The Paris MoU took the step after recognising that “it is impossible to predict how long the pandemic will last, nor how a return to ordinary circumstances will be shaped”.
In order to benefit from the open-ended deadlines, ships must prove to the port state that their flag state has specifically agreed to “an exceptional delay specific to Covid-19”.
The Paris MoU said it consulted with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the US Coast Guard and with various PSC authorities worldwide.
"It was acknowledged that a harmonised approach in these circumstances is important," it said.
Its sister organisation in Asia, the Tokyo MOU, issued open-ended guidance to members on 10 April.
To date, the Paris MoU had hesitated to extend the three-month window.
Under previous guidance published at the end of March, the organisation didn’t see the need for such a step, arguing that flag states, classification societies and other ROs already had leeway to deal with any problems.
Its move on Friday reflects pressure by maritime organisations and companies to soften deadlines, given lockdowns and emergency measures that hinder international travel and access to ships across the world.
In proposals published late in March, MarTecMA, a group mainly representing big Greek companies' technical managers, said the window of such surveys should be extended to six months.
Classification societies and flag states have already signalled their willingness to be flexible in the exceptional circumstances the industry is facing.
Some shipowners, however, complain they are still being refused deadline extensions when they need them.
