The Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) has laid down amendments to the Regulations of 30 May 2012 No. 488 on environmental safety for ships and mobile offshore units (Environmental Safety Regulations).
As there have been no incidents in the Red Sea for quite some time NMA has decided to adjust the MARSEC level from ISPS 2 to ISPS 1 in the Red Sea, according to the illustrations below.
Due to the current travel restrictions and reduced flight schedules, many shipping companies are facing great difficulty in carrying out crew changes. A challenge that may arise is that the period of service exceeds the service period specified in the employment agreement.
The Norwegian Maritime Authority is pleased that ship registration in Norway is becoming more adaptive and internationally competitive. A regulatory amendment will allow bareboat registration in and deregistration from the Norwegian International Ship Register (NIS) and the Norwegian Ordinary Ship Register (NOR).
Updated and expanded guidance on remote ISM, ISPS and MLC audits during the coronavirus pandemic
Following the outbreak of COVID-19, the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MoU) acknowledged the crisis which the international shipping industry was facing. In view of the continuing effects of the crisis, the end of which cannot yet be foreseen, the Paris MoU has amended its previously drafted guidelines. To appropriately inform the industry, it has also been decided to make the guidance publicly available.
IMO has now prepared a 12 point guide to enable authorities and industry players to carry out crew changes on ships. The guidelines have been prepared in collaboration with a number of international organizations, including the International Chamber of Shipping, ICS.
Due to the current situation, the Norwegian Maritime Authority will send PDF copies of the Provisional Certificates of Nationality/Registry directly on bord the ships. Kindly also accept copies of CSR Documents when the originals are not on board within three months from the date of change.
In several countries, it is currently not possible to obtain notarial statements or legalization/Apostille on documents as required. Lock- and shutdown of courier services for a period complicates submission of necessary originals for registration.