Exemption and equivalency acceptance criteria for Norwegian-registered ships

The Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) has issued an instruction document regarding the acceptance criteria for granting certain exemptions and equivalencies to ships registered in a Norwegian ship register.

The document was published on 6 July 2023.

Purpose

Instruction to Class (IC) 2-2017 rev. 3 is adopted in order to instruct the Recognised Organisations (ROs) of international requirements which do not apply and the NMA’s acceptance criteria for:

a) granting certain exemptions to ships

b) allowing a ship to continue its service when certain systems or pieces of equipment cannot be repaired or replaced

c) accepting equivalent solutions to those prescribed in international instruments

Application

Unless otherwise stated, it applies to cargo ships registered in a Norwegian ship register.

This Instruction to Class is adopted in order to provide ROs with the means necessary to address and consider ship owners’ requests for using equivalents or be granted exemptions from the requirements laid down in the applicable Norwegian statutes.

The document provides instructions on actions required by a RO to allow a ship to continue its service in cases of malfunctioning equipment on board.

Instructions on measures to be considered when equivalent arrangements are applied are also addressed in this IC.

The instruction is categorized according to which IMO instrument the instruction address.

It covers various aspects, including fire protection, life-saving appliances, radio-communication equipment, safety of navigation, and environmental regulations (MARPOL).

For more information, please see the document below (available only to subscribers):

Acceptance Criteria for Granting Certain Exemptions and Equivalencies to Ships Registered in a Norwegian Ship Register