The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has delegated the task of statutory certification of Philippine shipping companies and Philippine-registered ships, as well as related mandatory services, to the International Register of Shipping (IRS).
MARINA and IRS—a Panama-based independent classification society that provides classification, certification, verification and advisory services—formalized their arrangement with the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on October 14.
The MOA is pursuant to MARINA Memorandum Circular (MC) 2018-01, which authorizes recognized organizations that have undergone assessment by MARINA to carry out statutory certification and related services under mandatory International Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Labour Organization (ILO) instruments, national legislations, rules and regulations, for Philippine shipping companies and their Philippine-registered ships that are engaged or will engage in international voyages and domestic trade.
MC 2018-01, issued last year, requires a MOA between MARINA and the recognized organization for the latter to perform statutory certification and related services on behalf of the Philippine maritime authority.
Flag states, which implement and enforce international regulations on safety, security and environmental protection contained within various IMO instruments, can delegate all or part of their powers to recognized organizations that have the necessary technical skills.
“It is my sincere hope that this joint endeavor will stand as one of a long and continuing list of meaningful collaborations between the MARINA and IRS,” MARINA officer-in-charge Narciso Vingson, Jr. said in a statement.
He added that their goal is to achieve “harmonized global implementation of requirements established by international maritime instruments to ensure the safety of life at sea and protection of the marine environment.”