These two certificates are the only new requirement once a vessel reaches 300GT. One of them seems like it should belong with the other Cargo Ship Certificates, and the other is the first insurance certificate that we will cover. So, how to remember them?
If you’ve big enough to need a radio, you’re big enough to block a harbour.
Relevant M-notices and documents: SOLAS Chapter I, SOLAS Chapter IV, MS (Survey and Certification) regulations 2015, MSN 1903, Wreck Removal Convention Act 2011, MIN 499 (expired but good).
First off, the Cargo Ship Safety Radio Certificate (CSSR). This is required under SOLAS Chapter I, with further details in SOLAS Chapter IV; the requirement is made law under the MS (Survey and Certification) regulations 2015. It is issued following an Initial survey and is then subject to yearly Periodical inspections and a Renewal inspection at five years. Some ships may combine this cert with the other cargo ship safety certs (construction, equipment) in a Cargo Ship Safety Certificate. The CSSR certificate is issued by class or by a dedicated marine radio surveyor on behalf of flag.
What is recorded on the certificate?
Name of ship
Distinctive numbers or letters
Port of registry
Gross tonnage
IMO number
Sea area in which the ship is certified to operate (i.e. A1+A2+A3)
Date keel was laid
Date of radio survey, date of expiry
Place of survey
Signature of surveyor
Stamp of issuing authority
What is checked at each Periodic inspection?
All relevant documents
Operability of all GMDSS equipment as required for the sea areas (VHF/MF/HF radios, DCS facilities, SAT-C, Iridium, EPIRB, SART, AIS, NAVTEX)
Mountings of units, power boards, chargers
Battery capacity
Forms
Attached to the CSSR certificate is form R; the Record of Equipment of Radio Facilities. This is also a good checklist for what is initially surveyed, and what the vessel must have proof of at each Periodic survey and Renewal.
This contains the following details:
Name of ship
MMSI number
Distinctive number or letters
Minimum number of qualified radio operators required onboard
Details of radio facilities
Signature of official issuing the record, date of issue
Methods used to ensure availability of radio facilities (MUST be any two of duplication of equipment, shore based maintenance or at sea maintenance)
Details of shore-based maintenance company
Place of issue, signature of issuer, stamp of issuing authority
Note that surveyors will want to see your certificate of shore based maintenance; proof that you have a contract with a shore-based company, if this is one of the methods you’ve chosen as per the list above.
The Certificate of Financial Liability for Wreck Removal, hereafter referred to as the Wreck Removal Certificate is a guarantee issued by the flag state, to confirm that they have seen proof from the vessels insurer that they will reimburse a third party for the removal of the wreck and associated costs, should the owner/management company fail to do so. It is required under the Wreck Removal Convention Act of 2011. The relevant part of the act reads:
Wreck removal insurance
(1)This section applies to ships with a gross tonnage of 300 or more.
(2)A United Kingdom ship may not enter or leave a port in the United Kingdom or elsewhere unless—
(a)the ship has wreck removal insurance, and
(b)the Secretary of State has certified that it has wreck removal insurance.
(3)A foreign ship may not enter or leave a port in the United Kingdom unless—
(a)the ship has wreck removal insurance, and
(b)there is a certificate confirming that it has wreck removal insurance.
(4)For a ship registered in a foreign Wrecks Convention State the certificate must be one that has been issued by or under the authority of the government of that State.
And:
(7)In this Part—
“wreck removal insurance” means a contract of insurance or other security satisfying the requirements of Article 12 of the Wrecks Convention, and “insurer” means the person providing the insurance or other security, and
“wreck removal insurance certificate” means a certificate required by subsection (2)(b) or (3)(b).
It goes on to describe the issue of the certificate; note that this is always done by the flag state, not class. So, while the wreck removal certificate is not delegated to class even under the ACS and EAS, it isn’t one that we’d generally mention when talking about those schemes as it is not subject to inspections. If asked ‘Which certificates are still issued by flag?’ then this certificate would be worth mentioning. If asked ‘Which surveys are still done by flag?’, leave it out.
Issue of certificates
(1)This section applies where the registered owner applies to the Secretary of State for a wreck removal insurance certificate in respect of—
(a)a United Kingdom ship, or
(b)a foreign ship registered in a State other than a Wrecks Convention State.
(2)In relation to a United Kingdom ship, the Secretary of State must issue the certificate if satisfied—
(a)that the ship has wreck removal insurance in place for the period to which the certificate will relate, and
(b)that the obligations of the person providing the wreck removal insurance will be met.
Exceptions
If your ship is a government-owned vessel (for example, the RRS Sir David Attenborough) and is operated by the government, then she does not need a wreck removal certificate; instead, a certificate issued by the government stating that they will meet wreck removal costs is acceptable. This is because, where a company is quite likely to declare bankruptcy and ‘do a runner’, a government is unlikely to do the same thing (and clearly has the resources to cover the costs of wreck removal). Similarly, government owned vehicles and machinery are rarely insured.
If your ship is government owned but managed by a company, she still must have a Wreck Removal Certificate.
MCAQs
Who issues the CSSR certificate?
What UK law is it required under?
What items are checked for the issue of a CSSR certificate, for a ship operating in sea area A4, A3, A2?
What surveys is the CSSR subject to?
What kind of ships do not require wreck removal insurance?
Who issues the wreck removal insurance certificate?
What conventions apply to your ship and what certificates do they require? (Mention the Wreck Removal Convention along with the others).