The Merchant Shipping (Survey and Certification) (Amendment) Regulations 2000

Duration and validity of Certificates

6.  For regulation 13 of the principal Regulations there shall be substituted the following:—

“13.— (1) Subject to paragraphs (2) to (6) below, a Convention Certificate shall be issued from the date of the completion of the relevant survey and shall be issued for a period of validity as follows:

(a) a Passenger Ship Safety Certificate and a short international voyage Passenger Ship Safety Certificate shall be issued for a period of validity not exceeding 12 months, and

(b) a Cargo Ship Safety Construction Certificate, Cargo Ship Safety Equipment Certificate, Cargo Ship Safety Radio Certificate or Cargo Ship Safety Certificate shall be issued for a period of validity not exceeding five years.

(2) Where a renewal survey has been completed within a period of three months before the expiry of the relevant Convention Certificate, the new certificate may be issued:

(a) in the case of a Passenger Ship Safety Certificate, for a period of validity not exceeding 12 months from the date of expiry of the existing certificate, and

(b) in the case of any other certificate, for a period of validity not exceeding five years from the date of expiry of the existing certificate.

(3) Except in special circumstances as determined by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, where a renewal survey has been completed after the expiry of the relevant Convention Certificate, the new certificate shall be issued:

(a) in the case of a Passenger Ship Safety Certificate, for a period of validity not exceeding 12 months from the date of expiry of the existing certificate, and

(b) in the case of any other certificate, for a period of validity not exceeding five years from the date of expiry of the existing certificate.

(4) Where an annual, intermediate or periodical survey is completed before the period prescribed as respects such a survey in regulations 4 to 7 above:

(a) the anniversary date shown on the relevant certificate shall be amended by endorsement to a date which shall not be more than three months later than the date on which the survey was completed,

(b) subsequent annual, intermediate or periodical surveys required under regulations 4 to 7 above shall be completed at the intervals prescribed by those regulations using the new anniversary date, and

(c) the expiry date may remain unchanged provided one or more annual, intermediate or periodical surveys, as appropriate, are carried out so that the maximum intervals between the surveys prescribed by regulations 4 to 7 are not exceeded.

(5) The duration of certificates issued under regulation 11 above shall be as follows:

(a) a Passenger Certificate shall be issued for a period of validity not exceeding 12 months, and

(b) a United Kingdom Cargo Ship Safety Construction Certificate shall be issued for a period of validity not exceeding five years.

(6) A Convention Certificate and a certificate issued under regulation 11 above shall cease to be valid:

(a) if its period of validity has been exceeded and the certificate has not been extended by the appropriate Certifying Authority in accordance with regulation 15 below or otherwise in accordance with the 1988 Protocol by the government of a country to which the 1974 SOLAS Convention applies,

(b) if the relevant surveys and inspections have not been completed within the periods specified under regulations 4 to 7 above or otherwise in accordance with the 1988 Protocol by the government of a country to which the 1974 SOLAS Convention applies, and the certificate has either not been extended in accordance with regulation 15 below or otherwise in accordance with the 1988 Protocol by the government of a country to which the 1974 SOLAS Convention applies, or the period of any such extension has expired, or

(c) upon transfer of the ship to the flag of another State.”