The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has released ‘Industry Guidance to Ship Suppliers and Shipowners on Materials Declarations for Inventories of Hazardous Material’.
This new guidance document is co-sponsored by BIMCO, International Ship Suppliers & Services Association (ISSA) and the International HazMat Association (IHMA). It aims to reduce the administrative burden for shipowners and suppliers and ensure the provision of accurate information necessary for the maintenance of Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM).
The IHM is the key requirement for shipowners under the Hong Kong Convention (HKC) and EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EUSRR). The HKC has not yet come into force, but the EUSRR has a wide application, impacting shipowners within the EU, vessels flagged within the EU and non-EU vessels calling to EU ports.
The IHM requires the collection of information relevant to the ship’s construction and equipment through the Material Declaration (MD) and the Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (SDoC). These must be provided by suppliers of relevant parts and equipment delivered to the shipyard (IHM-development for new ships) and shipowners (IHM-Maintenance).
The ICS state that this new Industry Guidance concerns only Part I of the IHM which covers the “structure and equipment of ships”, and which needs to be prepared and maintained during the operational lifetime of the ship. Part I has three subparts and this guidance addresses Parts I-2 and I-3 only. This guidance does not address Part I-1 which is on paints and coating systems.
More extensive guidance on the development of an IHM and compliance with the HKC and EUSRR can be found in the Transitional Measures for Shipowners Selling Ships for Recycling.
‘Industry Guidance to Ship Suppliers and Shipowners on Materials Declarations for Inventories of Hazardous Material’ is free to download at the ICS website here.
Source: North
