IMMARBE issued Circular regarding the Enhancement of the GSI Program in Paris MoU

Considering the challenging status of the Belize flag in the Paris MoU, the International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize decided to enhance the General Safety Inspection Program on those ships operating or intending to operate within the Paris MoU Region.

This new approach will consist of:

All Ships operating or intending to operate in the Paris MoU area will be subject to two General Safety Inspections in a period of 12 months.
All ships scheduled to call any Italian Port must perform a General Safety Inspection before arrival.
All deficiencies identified by the General Safety Inspector must be rectified before departure from the port of inspection, unless authorized by IMMARBE’s Technical Department upon submission of a formal request to technicalservices@immarbe.com.
A Rectification Report shall be sent to IMMARBE’s Technical Department using the TDF-020-Monitoring and Correction of Deficiencies for GSI. This report is to be submitted along with evidence (document, photo, video, etc.) of the rectification of each deficiency.

Any Belize registered ship operating or intended to operate in the Paris MoU region must apply for a Statement of Authorization.

Ships inspected in the last 90 days from the date of effect of this Memo can apply without the performance of a new inspection. The Statement will be valid for a supplementary 90 days from the date of issuance.
Ships not falling under above criteria wishing to continue operating or intending to operate in this region must arrange a General Safety Inspection as soon as possible in order to obtain the Statement of Authorization to continue operating or to be authorized to operate within the Paris MoU area.
For those vessels intended to call Italy, a single Authorization will be requested/issued authorizing this call subject to satisfactory completion of the General Safety Inspection prior arrival and proper rectification of any deficiency found.
If a ship is found with a deficiency, the same shall be rectified immediately at the port of inspection in order to be eligible to obtain the Statement of Authorization. If the deficiency cannot be rectified immediately, a formal request is to be sent to IMMARBE Technical Department who will determine if a period can be granted or not. If so, the Statement of Authorization will be granted for the period agreed and upon confirmation of the rectification, the period will be extended for the remainder of the 6 months.
One month before the expiration of the Statement of Authorization, the Owner or ISM Operator shall arrange a new General Safety Inspection in order to have this document renewed. Any ship not in possession of a Statement of Authorization cannot operate within the Paris MoU region or call any Italian Port. If a vessel is found not in compliance with this requirement, the same will be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the Statutory Instrument 56 of 1999.

Failure to adhere to the requirements outlined in this notice or providing false information, as identified during inspections by Port State Control Officers (PSCO), may result in disciplinary actions by IMMARBE. These actions may include, but are not limited to:
a. Suspension or revocation of the vessel’s certification.
b. Imposition of fines or penalties.
c. Restrictions on the vessel’s operations or trading activities.
d. Other legal measures as outlined in the Belize Merchant Ships (Registration) Act (latest revision) and Statutory Instrument 56 of 1999 (as amended).