When purchasing, maintaining and altering a ship, the company is responsible for ensuring that the vessel meets Norwegian asbestos requirements. Asbestos has had a wide range of applications on board and was for instance used as fire protection, thermal insulation and protection against moisture and noise, until asbestos-related health issues were discovered. When purchasing products from abroad, the company must be aware that the guidelines for the use of asbestos may vary from one country to another.

The Regulations of 6 December 2018 No. 1813 on the recycling of ships and mobile offshore units (refer to the scope of application) require that companies map and keep an inventory of hazardous materials on board (IHM Part I). Regardless of this mapping, any discovery of hazardous materials on board must be handled in accordance with the current legislation concerning the various materials.

Current asbestos requirements on board Norwegian ships

The Regulations on the working environment, health and safety of persons working on board ship apply to all commercial vessels, regardless of size and vessel type. The use of asbestos is banned by the Regulations, cf. section 10-1 (1). Exceptions have been made for premanufactured asbestos packings and friction coating, etc. which need no adapting work on board, provided that a risk assessment pursuant to section 2-2 shows that this is not harmful for humans.

There is a total ban on the use of asbestos on board SOLAS vessels constructed after 2011, cf. section of the Regulations of 1 July 2014 No. 1072 on the construction of ships, which refers to SOLAS. The use of asbestos is regulated by SOLAS Regulation II-1/3-5 paragraph 2. If asbestos posing a risk is detected on board, it shall be removed immediately. Any other asbestos detected on board SOLAS vessels should be removed within a time frame of three years, cf. paragraph 13 of MSC/Circ.1374. There are specific requirements as to who should carry out this work. The ban and the removal requirement apply to all new installations of asbestos after 2011, irrespective of the year of construction of the ship.

Additionally, for passenger ships engaged on domestic voyages, new installations of materials that contain asbestos have been prohibited from 28 March 2000 (Regulations of 28 March 2000 No. 305 on surveys, construction and equipment of passenger ships engaged on domestic voyages).

Measures

If the company discovers or suspects the presence of asbestos, the Norwegian Maritime Authority requests the company to study and comply with the measures and guidelines concerning the handling and remediation of asbestos.

References

  1. Regulations of 1 July 2014 No. 1072 on the construction of ships
  2. 1/Circ.1374 and MSC.1/Circ.1379, which are referred to in notes in SOLAS Reg. II-1/3-5, discuss in more detail how this shall be understood. In addition, the two circulars MSC/Circ.1045 and MSC.1/Circ.1426 go into even more detail on this.
  3. Regulations of 28 March 2000 No. 305 on surveys, construction and equipment of passenger ships engaged on domestic voyages
  4. Regulations of 1 January 2005 No. 8 on the working environment, health and safety of persons working on board ship
  5. Regulations of 6 December 2018 No. 1813 on the recycling of ships and mobile offshore units (refer to the scope of application)