MARPOL Annex 4 Certificate
International Sewage Pollution Prevention Certificate (ISPP)
The MARPOL annex 4 certificate is called the International Sewage Pollution Prevention Certificate (ISPP) and is issued as per the following requirements.
An International Sewage Pollution Prevention Certificate (ISPP) shall be issued, after an initial or renewal survey, to any ship which is engaged in voyages to ports or offshore terminals under the jurisdiction of other Parties to the Convention. In the case of existing ships this requirement shall apply five years after the date of entry into force of this Annex. Such Certificate shall be issued or endorsed either by the Administration or by any persons or organization duly authorized by it. In every case, the Administration assumes full responsibility for the Certificate.
Issue or Endorsement of a Certificate by Another Government
The Government of a Party to the Convention may, at the request of the Administration, survey a ship and, if satisfied, shall issue or authorize the issue of an ISPP Certificate to the ship. A copy of the Certificate and a copy of the survey report shall be transmitted as soon as possible to the Administration requesting the survey. A Certificate so issued shall contain a statement that it has been issued at the request of the Administration and it shall have the same force and receive the same recognition as the Certificate
issued by the Administration.
No ISPP Certificate shall be issued to a ship which is entitled to fly the flag of a State which is not a Party.
Duration and Validity of Certificate
An ISPP Certificate shall be issued for a period specified by the Administration which shall not exceed five years.
When the renewal survey is completed within three months before the expiry date of the existing Certificate, the new Certificate shall be valid from the date of completion of the renewal survey to a date not exceeding five years from the date of
expiry of the existing Certificate.
When the renewal survey is completed after the expiry date of the existing Certificate, the new Certificate shall be valid from the date of completion of the renewal survey to a date not exceeding five years from the date of expiry of the existing Certificate.
When the renewal survey is completed more than three months before the expiry date of the existing Certificate, the new Certificate shall be valid from the date of completion of the renewal survey to a date not exceeding five years from the date of completion of the renewal survey.
If a Certificate is issued for a period of less than five years, the Administration may extend the validity of the Certificate beyond the expiry date to a maximum of 5 years.
If a renewal survey has been completed and a new Certificate cannot be issued or placed on board the ship before the expiry date of the existing Certificate, the person or organization authorized by the Administration may endorse the existing Certificate and such a Certificate shall be accepted as valid for a further period which shall not exceed five months from the expiry date.
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If a ship at the time when a Certificate expires is not in a port in which it is to be surveyed, the Administration may extend the period of validity of the Certificate but this extension shall be granted only for the purpose of allowing the ship to complete its voyage to the port in which it is to be surveyed and then only in cases where it appears proper and reasonable to do so.
No Certificate shall be extended for a period longer than three months, and a ship to which an extension is granted shall not, on its arrival in the port in which it is to be surveyed, be entitled by virtue of such extension to leave that port without having a new Certificate.
When the renewal survey is completed, the new Certificate shall be valid to a date not exceeding five years from the date of expiry of the existing Certificate before the extension was granted.
A Certificate issued to a ship engaged on short voyages which has not been extended may be extended by the Administration for a period of grace of up to one month from the date of expiry stated on it. When the renewal survey is completed, the new Certificate shall be valid to a date not exceeding five years from the date of expiry of the existing Certificate before the extension was granted.
In special circumstances, a new Certificate need not be dated from the date of expiry of the existing Certificate. In these special circumstances, the new Certificate shall be valid to a date not exceeding five years from the date of completion of the renewal survey.
Ref: MARPOL Consolidated Edition
