THE Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) required all registered ships engaged in domestic trade to be classed to ensure safety at sea.

Marina issued Memorandum Circular MS-2023-02 or the new guidelines on local ship classification to all shipowners, bareboat charterers, ship operators, ship managers, recognized organizations, local classification societies, shipbuilding and ship repair entities, boat builders and boat repair entities, and other maritime entities.

Marina Administrator Hernani Fabia signed the new rules to strengthen and support the expansion and modernization of the Philippine registered ships engaged in local trade and to strictly adhere to the classification requirements.

Registered ships subsequently operated under the Philippine flag must be structurally sound and safe for sea voyage.

Marina wants to ensure that the ships engaged in domestic trade are designed, constructed and maintained throughout their operational life in compliance with the technical rules, regulations, standards and guidelines approved by the administration. This covers the design, construction, hull, machinery, navigational equipment and electrical equipment, including associated surveys and inspection of the ship’s structure and essential engineering systems.

Ships falling on the types or categories under Section 3 are exempted. These are wooden-hulled ships, fishing vessels including fish carriers, vessels using composite materials less than 24 meters in length, and government-owned vessels not engaged in commercial trade.

Also exempted are passenger/ passenger-cargo ships less than 50 GT or carrying below 50 passengers, except those which are carrying dangerous or harmful cargoes; cargo ships less than 100 GT (except those which are carrying dangerous/ harmful cargoes); tugboats less than 100 GT; dredgers less than 100 GT; propelled/non-propelled barges less than 100 GT (except those which are carrying dangerous/harmful cargoes); non-propelled barges regardless of size operating in the bay and river trade; and recreational boats less than 100 GT.

“All ships, whether existing or to be acquired or constructed, and subsequently registered under the Philippine flag, shall be required to be classed upon registration, be class maintained, and shall carry a valid Certificate of Classification at all times during its operation,” the MC read.

Companies may apply to any Marina Accredited Classification Societies (MACS) with a valid Certificate of Accreditation (COA) for the ship plans approval, the conduct of survey during ship construction and commissioning to verify its design, structures, machinery, equipment, and propulsion machinery are built and installed in compliance with the approved standards.

The MACS will only accept the application and engage in classification services of ships with the type of hull material, type/class of ships, and navigational area as stipulated and authorized under its COA.

“A Certificate of Classification shall be issued to a ship which certifies that upon the conduct of the survey, the ship was found to be structurally sound and safe for a sea voyage, periodically maintained, and verified the reliability and function of the machinery, propulsion, steering, power generation, and auxiliary systems, under the class rules,” Marina said.

The Certificate of Classification will be valid for not more than five years, subject to endorsement upon successful completion of the annual or periodical survey.

Ships found with major defects and associated outstanding recommendations or findings, and conditions during the conduct of surveys will not be given a Certificate of Classification, or endorsement thereof until rectified.