Answer
| Point | Class Certificate | Statutory Certificate |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | Classification Society Rules | International conventions / Flag State law |
| Purpose | Confirms ship complies with Class Rules for hull, machinery, equipment etc. | Confirms compliance with statutory safety, pollution, security, labour requirements |
| Who issues? | Classification Society, e.g. IRS, DNV, LR, ABS | Flag Administration, or an authorized Recognized Organization (RO) on behalf of Flag |
| Mandatory? | Class itself is generally a commercial/insurance requirement, though many statutory regimes rely heavily on Class/RO | Mandatory where applicable under conventions |
| Examples | Certificate of Class, machinery/class notation certificates | Cargo Ship Safety Construction, Safety Equipment, Safety Radio, IOPP, IAPP, ISPP, ISSC, MLC certificates |
| Validity | As per Class survey cycle, normally maintained through annual/intermediate/special surveys | As specified by the relevant convention, commonly up to 5 years, with required annual/intermediate/periodical surveys |
A Class Certificate is issued when:
- a new ship has been constructed under Class supervision and satisfies the Class Rules, or
- an existing ship enters/transfers Class after satisfactory surveys.
For a new ship:
Plan approval → construction surveys → trials → satisfactory completion → Class assigned → Class Certificate issued.
The ship then remains “in Class” provided required surveys are completed and any Conditions of Class are dealt with.
When are Statutory Certificates issued?They are issued after the relevant initial statutory survey confirms compliance with the applicable convention.
For example:
- SOLAS requirements satisfied → relevant Cargo Ship Safety Certificates
- MARPOL Annex I requirements satisfied → IOPP Certificate
- MARPOL Annex VI requirements satisfied → IAPP Certificate
- ISPS requirements satisfied → ISSC
These may be issued directly by the Flag State Administration, but in practice the Flag often authorizes a Classification Society acting as an RO to survey and issue them on its behalf.