15.—(1) Where the period of the validity of a Sewage Certificate in respect of a ship to which this regulation applies is less than five years, the Certifying Authority who issued the Sewage Certificate may extend its period of validity to a maximum period of five years.
(2) Where—
(a)a renewal survey has been completed by a surveyor; but
(b)the new Sewage Certificate cannot be issued or placed on board the ship before the date of expiry of the latest Sewage Certificate,
the surveyor may endorse the latest Sewage Certificate.
(3) Where a Sewage Certificate has been endorsed under paragraph (2), that Certificate is valid for such further period as is specified in the Certificate, not exceeding five months beginning with the original date of expiry of the Certificate.
(4) Where—
(a)a renewal survey has not been completed before the date of expiry of the latest Sewage Certificate in question; and
(b)at that date of expiry the ship is not in the port in which the survey is to be carried out,
the Certifying Authority who issued the latest Sewage Certificate may extend the period of validity of that Sewage Certificate for a period not exceeding three months, if it appears to the Certifying Authority that it is proper and reasonable to do so solely for the purpose of allowing the ship to complete its voyage to its port of survey.
(5) Where the period of validity of a Sewage Certificate has been extended pursuant to paragraph (4), the ship in question must not leave its port of survey until a new Sewage Certificate has been issued in respect of that ship.
(6) Subject to paragraph (7), the Certifying Authority who issued the latest Sewage Certificate in respect of a ship engaged solely on short international voyages may extend the period of validity of that Sewage Certificate for a period not exceeding one month.
(7) A Certifying Authority must not extend the period of validity of a Sewage Certificate under paragraph (6) if the period of validity of that Sewage Certificate has already been extended under paragraph (1), (3) or (4).
(8) Subject to paragraph (9) and to regulations 16(3) and 18(1), where a renewal survey has been completed and a new Sewage Certificate has been issued in respect of a ship referred to in paragraph (5) or (6), that new Certificate is valid for such period as is specified in the Certificate, not exceeding five years beginning with the original date of expiry of the previous Sewage Certificate.
(9) In the special circumstances set out in Merchant Shipping Notice MSN No. 1807, the period of validity of a new Sewage Certificate which is—
(a)issued in respect of a ship referred to in paragraph (5) or (6), or
(b)referred to in regulation 14(2) and issued where the renewal survey is completed after the date of expiry of the latest Sewage Certificate,
is such period as is specified in the new Certificate, not exceeding five years beginning with the date of the completion of the renewal survey in question.
(10) Where the period of validity of a Sewage Certificate is extended under paragraph (1), (4) or (6), the Certifying Authority in question must endorse the Sewage Certificate in accordance with the relevant form set out in the Appendix to Annex IV.
(11) An endorsement issued pursuant to paragraph (2) must be in the relevant form set out in the Appendix to Annex IV.
(12) In this regulation, “the original date of expiry” means the date on which a Sewage Certificate would have expired but for any extension of its period of validity.