Ref. T3/1.01 MSC/Circ.1148
Issuing and renewal of document of compliance with the special requirements applicable to ships carrying dangerous goods
1 At its seventy-fifth session (15 to 24 May 2002), the Maritime Safety Committee considered and approved a standard format for the document of compliance required by regulation II-2/19.4 of the 1974 SOLAS Convention, as amended, applicable as from
1 July 2002. This format is reproduced in circular MSC/Circ.1027.
2 Recognizing the need to take into account the amendments to table 19.3 of SOLAS regulationII-2/19whichtheCommitteehadadoptedbyresolutionMSC.134(76),theMaritime Safety Committee, at its seventy-ninth session (1 to 10 December 2004), decided that it was necessarytohighlighttheprohibitiononstowageofclass5.2dangerousgoodsunderdeckorin enclosed ro-ro spaces in documents of compliance required by regulation II-2/19 of the SOLASConvention, as amended, for any ship built on or after 1 July 2004 when issuing or renewing the said documents.
3 Recognizing also that this prohibition on stowage under the IMDG Code is also applicabletoallshipsbuiltbefore1July2004andsubjecttoregulation II-2/19(orII-2/54)ofthe SOLAS Convention, asamended, the Committee alsodecidedthattheprohibitiononstowage would have to be taken into account when renewing documents of compliance for:
.1 any passenger ship builton or after 1 September 1984 and before 1 July 2004;
.2 anycargoshipof500grosstonnageandabovebuiltonorafter1September1984
and before 1 July 2004; and
.3 anycargoshipoflessthan500grosstonnagebuiltonorafter1February1992
and before 1 July 2004.
4 In addition, at the same session, the Committee recalled that the standard document of complianceformatsetoutincircularMSC/Circ.1027shouldbeusedwhenrenewingdocuments of ships subject to SOLAS regulation II-2/54 applicable before 1 July 2002, and that in such casesthereferencestoregulationsII-2/19andII-2/19.4appearinginthestandardformatshould be replaced by references to regulations II-2/54 and II-2/54.3,respectively.
5 Member Governments are invited to draw this circular to the attention of authorities responsibleforissuingandrenewingdocumentsofcompliance,bodiesactingonbehalfofthese governments, and shipowners, ship operators and masters, with a view to harmonizing the practices of the various administrations.
6 MemberGovernmentsarealsoinvitedtodrawthiscirculartotheattentionofauthorities taskedbytheportStatewithcarryingoutinspectionsofships,andtorecommendthemtotake the above into account when discharging their responsibilities.