Certificates & Statutory Survey — Most Asked Questions
52 questions asked about certificates & statutory survey across the General and Fn 3 and Fn 4b and Fn 6 papers, heaviest first. 2 of them are must-master.
Learn the system first
-
1 AE crankcase inspection
Also asked: “A/E crankcase inspection?”, “aux engine crankcase inspection”, “Auxillary engine crankcases inspection”
Answer
An auxiliary-engine crankcase inspection is a stopped-engine, air-isolated, permit job: bar her round and read every bearing, bolt and oilway.
- Secure first: engine stopped, starting air isolated and locked, turning gear engaged, crankcase doors opened only after ventilation and a hot-spot check from outside.
- Bar the crank to each position using hanging bars and chain blocks on the door frames, then lift each top half for access.
- Read crankpin and journals, white-metal condition, oil holes and grooves, holding-down and bearing bolts for cracks, stretch marks, fretting or any sign of movement and elongation.
- Never throw doors open on a suspected hot spot: the first inrush of air can trigger the primary explosion, and the air drawn back after it fires the far worse secondary explosion through the crankcase.
Surveyor follow-up: oil-mist detector alarms on the auxiliary engine — do you open the crankcase door to look?
Full theory: The Diesel Generator Set — Bedding Down, Coupling and Driving the Alternator -
2 Certificate carried onboard
Also asked: “certificates carry on board”, “Certificates carried on board”, “certificate carried on vessel”
Answer
Name certificates in families — registry, class, statutory safety, pollution, crew — with SOLAS cargo-ship safety trio at the centre.
- Identity and class: certificate of registry, classification (hull and machinery), international tonnage certificate, international load line certificate. All carried as originals.
- SOLAS safety set on a cargo ship: safety construction, safety equipment, safety radio certificates plus exemption certificates where granted; passenger and nuclear variants exist.
- Support documents surveyors ask for next: intact stability booklet, minimum safe manning certificate.
- Validity line: 5-year certificates with annual/intermediate/periodical endorsements — an expired endorsement fails as hard as a missing certificate.
Surveyor follow-up: which three certificates prove the ship herself is safe, and which one proves she is allowed to float at this draft?
Full theory: Major Certificates & Documents to Carry On Board -
3 Cargo ship safety certificate
Also asked: “Cargo ship safety equipment certificate. a”, “Passenger ship safety certificate”, “Cargo ship saftey equipment certificate”
Answer
Cargo ships carry three SOLAS safety certificates — construction, equipment, radio — or one combined Cargo Ship Safety Certificate instead.
- The trio: safety construction, safety equipment and safety radio certificates, with exemption certificates where granted.
- One combined Cargo Ship Safety Certificate may replace the three separate ones.
- Each is valid 5 years from issue, kept alive by annual, intermediate and renewal surveys with endorsements.
- All certificates travel as originals; an expired endorsement fails port state control as hard as a missing certificate.
Surveyor follow-up: safety equipment certificate is valid but the intermediate endorsement is blank — can she sail?
Full theory: Major Certificates & Documents to Carry On Board -
4 Certificate in annex 6
Also asked: “Annex 6 certificate and doc”, “Name all certificate under Annex 6?”
Answer
Annex VI proves the ship may pollute the air only within limits: an IAPP certificate for the ship and an EIAPP certificate with NOx file for each engine.
- The IAPP certificate is issued under Regulation 8 and covers the ship’s air-pollution fittings and fuels.
- Each regulated diesel engine carries its own EIAPP certificate backed by the NOx Technical File.
- Annex VI runs 5 chapters and 25 regulations against NOx, SOx and particulates and their health and environment effects.
- Survey checks parameters against the file — a non-identical spare outside approved limits kills compliance until re-approved.
Surveyor follow-up: engine part renewed with a non-identical spare — which certificate is now at risk?
Full theory: MARPOL Annex VI — Air Pollution: SOx, NOx & Exhaust Gas Cleaning -
5 crank case inspection
Also asked: “crankcase inspection in details”
Answer
A crankcase inspection reads oil, metal and bolts: colour, smell and particles first, hotspots and security second.
- Oil: colour not black, no diesel, heavy-oil or ammonia smell, no sliminess — plus white-metal particles in the sump.
- Metal: bluish-dark patches mark hotspots; check crank-web slip, floating con rod, crosshead guides and bedplate cracks.
- Security: bottom-end bolt lock wires and washers, wire mesh intact, relief-door springs free.
- Never open hot: ventilate, test for mist, enter only cool with starting air locked and turning gear engaged.
Surveyor follow-up: oil smells of diesel with level rising — inspect deeper or find the leak first, and where?
Full theory: The Diesel Generator Set — Bedding Down, Coupling and Driving the Alternator -
6 Inspection after Welding
Also asked: “Inspection during Welding”, “Inspection before Welding”
Answer
Weld inspection runs visual, surface, then internal: eyes first, dye or magnetic for the surface, radiography or ultrasonic for inside.
- Visual first: bead shape, spatter, undercut, stops and starts, alignment and surface cracks.
- Surface methods: dye-penetrant for cracks open to the surface, magnetic particle where the steel allows.
- Internal methods: radiography for full-penetration butt welds, ultrasonic with set transducer angles for transverse and longitudinal faults.
- Requirements follow class guidance for hull welds — full penetration only, patterns and sensitivity matched to plate thickness.
Surveyor follow-up: visual passes but dye bleeds a line at the toe — accept, grind and re-weld, or NDT deeper?
Full theory: Shipbuilding Materials, Welding and Weld Defects -
7 Doc and smc
Answer
The DOC belongs to the company, the SMC belongs to the ship — no DOC means no SMC, and interim papers last months, not years.
- DOC follows proof that the company safety system has run at least three months across ship types.
- Each ship then earns her SMC by initial audit proving the system runs on board.
- New ships, new companies and flag changes sail on interim papers — about six months — until the full audit closes.
- Annual internal audits and flag verification keep both alive; lose the DOC and every SMC under it falls.
Surveyor follow-up: DOC valid but the ship’s SMC has lapsed — who is non-compliant, company or ship?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
8 Ism with certificate?
Answer
ISM certification is two papers: DOC for the company proving the system runs, SMC for each ship proving it runs on board.
- DOC after proving the company system has run three months across ship types with internal audits behind it.
- SMC per ship after initial audit with a valid DOC, the system running three months on board.
- Interim papers for new companies, new ship types and flag changes last months until full audit.
- Original SMC on board with company copy; a major non-conformity withdraws both together.
Surveyor follow-up: interim SMC expired yesterday with the audit booked next week — sail or stay, and who decides?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
9 Certificates and codes in chapter 9
Also asked: “Chapter 9 and certificate”
Answer
Chapter IX is the ISM chapter: DOC, SMC and interim papers proving the safety system runs ashore and afloat.
- Document of Compliance for the company after proving the system runs three months across ship types.
- Safety Management Certificate per ship after initial audit with a valid DOC behind it.
- Interim DOC for twelve months on new companies and ship types; interim SMC for six months on new ships.
- Forms in the ISM appendix with annual verification inside three months of each anniversary.
Surveyor follow-up: interim SMC expired with the audit booked next week — sail or stay, and who decides?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
10 Forms of the certificate
Answer
Certificate forms follow the convention appendices: DOC, SMC and interim papers each with set wording and endorsements.
- DOC form names company, ship types and expiry with annual verification endorsements.
- SMC form names ship, company and expiry with intermediate audit between years two and three.
- Interim forms carry shorter lives and state the conditions closing to full term.
- Tonnage certificate forms instead state dimensions, volumes and computed gross and net figures.
Surveyor follow-up: SMC form correct but intermediate endorsement blank — sail or stay?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
11 In connection with port State inspections carried out by Parties to the Protocol of 1997, the Parties further undertake to: (a) inform the Party or non-Party under whose jurisdiction a bunker delivery note was issued of
Also asked: “In connection with port State inspections carried out by Parties to the Protocol of 1997, the Parties further undertake to: (a) inform the Party or non-Party under whose jurisdiction a bunker delivery note was issued of cases of delivery of noncompliant fuel oil, giving all relevant information; and (b) ensure that remedial action as appropriate is taken to bring noncompliant fuel oil discovered i”
Answer
Non-compliant bunkers trigger paperwork across borders: inform the issuing state with the evidence and force the fuel back into spec.
- Port states finding off-spec fuel tell the state under whose jurisdiction the delivery note was issued with all relevant data.
- The note’s port is consulted to verify contents against the supplier’s declaration.
- Remedial action follows to bring the stem into compliance — debunker, dilute or treat as directed.
- The organisation hears every supplier failure for circulation to all parties and member states.
Surveyor follow-up: stem off-spec with the ship already sailed — burn, debunker or dilute, and who do you tell first?
Full theory: MARPOL Annex VI — Air Pollution: SOx, NOx & Exhaust Gas Cleaning -
12 International tonnage certificate
Answer
The tonnage certificate states measured volumes and computed tonnages: dimensions, gross and net with the 1969 formulas behind.
- Issued under the 1969 Tonnage Convention by the flag with ship name, numbers, port and keel dates.
- Main dimensions recorded — length, breadth and moulded depth amidships to the upper deck.
- Gross from total enclosed volume, net from earning spaces with the K1 and K2 factors applied.
- Kept original aboard; remeasures follow structural changes altering enclosed volume.
Surveyor follow-up: enclosed volume up after conversion with the old certificate aboard — valid or void?
Full theory: Tonnage Measurement: Gross & Net Tonnage -
13 The bunker delivery note shall be kept on board the ship in such a place as to be readily available for inspection at all reasonable times. It shall be retained for a period of three years after the fuel oil has been del
Also asked: “The bunker delivery note shall be kept on board the ship in such a place as to be readily available for inspection at all reasonable times. It shall be retained for a period of three years after the fuel oil has been delivered on board”
Answer
Keep every delivery note handy for three years: stowed for instant inspection with copies certified true on demand.
- Stowed where inspectors reach it at any reasonable time in port or offshore terminal.
- Retained three full years after the stem lands aboard — older stems stay filed, not binned.
- Authorities may copy each note and demand the master certify copies true.
- Contents verified back to the issuing port on suspicion — sulphur, density and quantity all checked.
Surveyor follow-up: two-year-old note missing with the fuel long burnt — paper defect or detention?
Full theory: MARPOL Annex VI — Air Pollution: SOx, NOx & Exhaust Gas Cleaning -
14 documents of compliance and its period of validity
Answer
The DOC lives five years with yearly checks: issued on proof the system runs, extended to new ship types only by audit.
- Issued after proving the company system has run three months with internal audits behind it.
- Valid for the ship types of the initial verification, extended by audit for each added type.
- Five-year life with annual verification inside three months of every anniversary date.
- Lose the DOC and every SMC under it falls — the company paper holds the fleet papers up.
Surveyor follow-up: DOC anniversary window missed by a month — sail, endorse or re-audit?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
15 validity of annex 6 certificate
Answer
Annex VI certificates run five years with surveys in between: renewal near expiry keeps the date, early renewal resets it.
- Five-year maximum from expiry when renewal completes near the date with annual and intermediate surveys done.
- Renewal more than three months early restarts the five years from survey completion instead.
- Short-term certificates extend to the five-year cap once the due surveys close.
- Unissued replacements after survey still need the endorsement trail to sail clean.
Surveyor follow-up: renewal done four months early — keep the old expiry or take a new five years?
Full theory: MARPOL Annex VI — Air Pollution: SOx, NOx & Exhaust Gas Cleaning -
16 Scavenge space inspection
Answer
Inspect scavenge spaces cool and ventilated after any fire: ports, rings, rod and box read for heat damage before restart.
- Bar the piston into view through the ports and read skirt scuffing, ring damage and groove carbon.
- Push rings with a brass rod for elasticity — a stuck ring is a damaged ring.
- Drop the piston to read crown burning against the template, liner scoring and tie-rod condition.
- Check rod, stuffing box, alignment and liner cracks only after full cool-down and ventilation.
Surveyor follow-up: rings free but grooves carbon-packed after a fire — run, clean or renew, and what proves it?
Full theory: Marine Turbochargers: Aerodynamics, Bearings, Washing & Surge Mitigation -
17 Smc doc n validity
Answer
SMC and DOC live five years on yearly checks: ship paper needs company paper, interim papers bridge the gaps.
- SMC per ship after audit with the system running three months and a valid DOC behind it.
- Intermediate audit between years two and three; DOC annual verification inside three months of each anniversary.
- Interim SMC six months for new ships, interim DOC twelve months for new companies and ship types.
- A major non-conformity withdraws both together — only the issuing administration restores them.
Surveyor follow-up: intermediate window missed by a month — sail, endorse or re-audit?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
18 Code for solas chpter 11 and certificate issued for that code
Answer
Chapter XI carries ISPS security and CSR continuity: ISPS Code with the ship security certificate, CSR as the running history.
- ISPS Code with ship security plan, officer, drills and the International Ship Security Certificate behind it.
- Continuous Synopsis Record logging flag, owners, class and managers across the ship’s life.
- Chapter XI-1 covers special survey and reporting measures with the CSR as its paper trail.
- Chapter XI-2 covers security with alert systems, levels and port-interface drills.
Surveyor follow-up: CSR missing the last flag change — sail, endorse or reissue, and who writes it?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter XI — ISPS Code & Maritime Security -
19 Flagstate vs port state
Also asked: “Difference bwn port and flag state”
Answer
Flag state certifies her own ships; port state checks everyone else’s — one issues papers, the other detains on them.
- Flag surveys, inspects and certificates her registered ships to every convention she signed.
- Port state boards foreign ships to verify those same certificates with drills and manning proved.
- Both chase safe, secure and clean oceans; detention sits with the port when papers or conditions fail.
- A ship may never call home for years — port inspection is the only survey she sees.
Surveyor follow-up: valid flag papers with rusty reality aboard — detain, endorse or advise, and on what ground?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter XI — ISPS Code & Maritime Security -
20 Inspection and Evaluation- Now inspect the surface for any defects
Answer
Inspect in order: eyes first, dye or magnetic for the surface, ultrasonic or X-ray inside — then judge against the standard.
- Visual for bead shape, spatter, undercut, alignment and surface cracks under good light.
- Fluorescent or dye penetrant with developer dwell for cracks the eye cannot resolve.
- Ultrasonic with set transducer angles and radiography matched to plate thickness for inside flaws.
- Evaluate by code acceptance: crack, no-fusion and low penetration fail; document with sketches and photos.
Surveyor follow-up: visual passes but dye bleeds a toe line — accept, grind or NDT deeper?
Full theory: Shipbuilding Materials, Welding and Weld Defects -
21 Scavenge fire/inspection
Also asked: “Scavenge fire+ Scavenge inspection”
Answer
After any scavenge fire cool, ventilate then inspect: ports, rings, rod, box and liner read for heat before restart.
- Bar the piston into view through the ports and read skirt scuffing, ring damage and groove carbon.
- Push rings with a brass rod for spring; stuck means damaged whatever the eye says.
- Drop the piston to read crown burning, liner scoring and tie-rod stretch with deposits cleaned first.
- Restart only cool with cooling, oil and alarms proved — hot restart relights the trunk.
Surveyor follow-up: rings free but grooves packed after a fire — run, clean or renew?
Full theory: Marine Turbochargers: Aerodynamics, Bearings, Washing & Surge Mitigation -
22 Load line certificate
Answer
The Load Line certificate proves watertight integrity for five years: initial, renewal and yearly checks keep it alive.
- Issued by the administration or assigned class under the Load Line Convention after initial survey.
- Valid five years with renewal survey inside the window before expiry.
- Annual surveys within three months either way of each anniversary prove deck openings and marks still tight.
- Lose the marks, fittings or closing appliances and the certificate dies — detention follows the surveyor.
Surveyor follow-up: annual survey two months overdue with marks freshly painted — valid, void or grace, and who decides?
Full theory: Load Line, Freeboard and Tonnage Measurement -
23 CO2 room inspection
Answer
Walk the CO₂ room like a release is coming: lights, ventilation, bottles, wires, alarms, key and log.
- Prove emergency and normal lighting with exhaust fan pulling from the bottom where leaked gas ponds.
- Check every bottle’s overall condition, clamps and valves with operating wires free and instruction plates legible.
- Prove release alarms audible in machinery, accommodation and bridge with the key in its marked position.
- Log the visit in Saturday safety and deck logbooks with weights, defects and blow-through of lines noted.
Surveyor follow-up: fan dead with one bottle weeping and the key missing — enter, ventilate or lock out first?
Full theory: CO2 Fixed Fire-Fighting System on Ships -
24 Certificate under chp 11
Answer
Chapter XI carries safety and security papers: construction certificates afloat, ISSC and CSR proving the security system.
- Cargo-ship safety construction, equipment and radio certificates prove Chapters II, III and IV compliance aboard.
- International Ship Security Certificate proves the ISPS plan verified by audit for ship and port facility.
- Continuous Synopsis Record carries the ownership and flag history the ISSC audit reads first.
- Produce originals with five-year validity and annual or intermediate endorsements — copies never satisfy port state.
Surveyor follow-up: ISSC valid with the CSR missing its latest amendment — compliant, incomplete or detained?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter XI — ISPS Code & Maritime Security -
25 Certificates in marpol n solas
Answer
Carry two conventions’ papers: SOLAS for safe construction and equipment, MARPOL for clean seas — originals, current, endorsed.
- SOLAS set runs registry, class, tonnage, load line, manning with construction, equipment and radio safety certificates.
- MARPOL set runs oil record book, noxious-liquid procedures, sewage, garbage and air papers with EIAPP and delivery notes.
- Passenger ships add the passenger-ship safety certificate; nuclear ships their special certificates.
- Lay them by convention with expiry and endorsement pages flagged — the surveyor audits the gaps, not the pile.
Surveyor follow-up: oil record book current with the garbage record book missing a voyage — paper defect or detention across both?
Full theory: Maritime Codes & Conventions: The Complete List -
26 Isps code and certificate under this
Answer
ISPS is SOLAS Chapter XI-2 law: every ship carries a security plan proved by a five-year International Ship Security Certificate.
- Ship security plan with three security levels sits aboard, owned by the master and company security officer.
- ISSC issued after initial or renewal verification audit, valid five years with intermediate verification between years two and three.
- Port facilities hold their own compliance statements; ships prove with ISSC plus the CSR history file.
- Non-compliant ships face control measures to detention — produce ISSC, CSR and drill records together.
Surveyor follow-up: ISSC valid with intermediate verification overdue and the ship at security level 1 in a level-2 port — whose level rules?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter XI — ISPS Code & Maritime Security -
27 Short term doc
Answer
Short-term DOC is the auditor’s same-day receipt: proof the audit closed, valid five months until the full certificate lands.
- Issued on audit day after initial, annual or renewal audit completes to the auditor’s satisfaction.
- Bridges the weeks until the administration prints the full five-year DOC — carry it with the expiring certificate.
- Interim DOC for new companies runs twelve months with new-ship-type audits inside the same window.
- Never sail on an expired short-term with the full DOC unissued — the surveyor calls it sailing uncertified.
Surveyor follow-up: short-term DOC in month six with the full DOC still ashore — valid, void or detained?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
28 What's the interval of tail shaft survey?
Answer
Tailshaft survey runs on the five-year special-survey cycle: withdraw, inspect and prove clearances each cycle unless class grants its monitoring alternative.
- Withdrawal survey with shaft drawn, liners, bushes and seals proved against maker clearances.
- Class suspends for overdue renewal, annual or intermediate surveys — tailshaft included in the cycle.
- Oil-lubricated plants with approved condition monitoring earn class-accepted alternatives to full withdrawal.
- Prove by survey-status pages with due dates and surveyor attendance notes — overdue means suspended, not grace.
Surveyor follow-up: shaft due with monitoring records broken for a year — alternative method or full withdrawal now?
Full theory: Propeller Shaft Faults, Weardown and Withdrawal -
29 atist the steps to be taken to meet this emergency situation. (8) Subsequent inspection and action required to put the engine on normal operation (8
Answer
Meet the engine emergency by slowing, stopping and securing fuel — then inspect cool before any restart.
- Reduce speed or pitch to slow-down at once, automatically or by hand, and ask the bridge for stop permission.
- On stop order kill the engine, shut fuel-oil supply, and stand clear of crankcase doors and relief valves.
- Cool down with turning gear on open indicator cocks where overheating threatens seizure.
- Inspect the failed unit, prove crankcase cool with mist normal, repair to maker figures and log the return to service.
Surveyor follow-up: emergency over with the crankcase still hot and mist high — open now for inspection or wait, and what proves cool?
Full theory: Safety — Crankcase Explosion, Scavenge Fire and Starting Air Line Explosion -
30 All forms of testing and inspection of welds after fabrication can be grouped into two basic categories, namely
Answer
Two families: visual inspection for surface faults, and non-destructive examination for what the eye cannot reach inside.
- Visual inspection checks surface cracks, undercut, overlap and leg or throat dimensions on fillet welds.
- Radiography with X-rays or gamma rays films porosity, slag and lack of penetration inside butt welds in pressure work.
- Magnetic particle testing finds surface cracks in steel; dye penetrant finds them in non-magnetic alloys.
- Ultrasonic testing replaces radiography for welds and castings and also measures plate thickness and laminations.
Surveyor follow-up: pressure-vessel butt weld accepted on visual alone — which category was skipped, and what code requires the other?
Full theory: Shipbuilding Materials, Welding and Weld Defects -
31 Annexes of Marpol Current sulphur and nox content Marpol certificates reqd onboard AP and FP
Answer
Air lives in Annex VI: current sulphur cap with emission areas, NOx curves, and EIAPP with technical files and BDNs aboard.
- Sulphur content capped globally with tighter limits inside emission control areas, proved by bunker delivery notes.
- NOx limits apply by engine speed curve, with each engine’s EIAPP certificate and technical file carried aboard.
- Bunker delivery notes kept three years with sealed samples, giving the sulphur evidence port states check.
- Quote the cap in force, the ECA position and the record book that proves it — the surveyor wants the paper, not the theory.
Surveyor follow-up: high-sulphur stem inside an ECA with a scrubber proved running — compliant on paper or in the sea?
Full theory: MARPOL 73/78: The Convention & Its Six Annexes -
32 Annexures and certificates
Answer
Annexures are the book behind the certificate: they record the plant, tanks and equipment the certificate actually describes.
- The IOPP certificate, for instance, is supplemented by a Record of Construction and Equipment — that is its annexure.
- Annexures list what was surveyed — boilers, tanks, lifesaving gear, radio and fire equipment — so changes can be traced.
- Keep them with the certificate they support, updated after any survey or repair, or the certificate describes a ship that no longer exists.
- In the oral, quote the certificate and its annexure together — “the IOPP with its Record of Construction” is the whole answer.
Surveyor follow-up: IOPP certificate valid but its Record of Construction undated after a boiler replacement — which paper fails?
Full theory: Major Certificates & Documents to Carry On Board -
33 Certificate for carrying of dangerous chemicals in bulk
Also asked: “Certificate of fitness for the carriage of dangerous chemicals in bulk”
Answer
The International Certificate of Fitness for Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk is the IBC ship’s passport, issued after survey.
- Issued under the IBC Code after initial or periodical survey to a chemical tanker on international voyages.
- The Code is mandatory under SOLAS Chapter VII and MARPOL Annex II for chemical tankers built on or after the 1986 date.
- Construction and equipment follow the IBC standard for Type 1, 2 or 3 ships, set by the hazard of the products carried.
- It is renewed on the survey cycle with the ship’s certificate of registry, class and statutory set alongside it.
Surveyor follow-up: chemical tanker with a valid certificate carrying a Type 1 product on a Type 3 ship — which standard rules?
Full theory: MARPOL Annex II — Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk -
34 Certificate from solas
Answer
SOLAS issues a family, not one certificate: construction, equipment and radio for cargo ships, and the safety certificate for passengers.
- Cargo Ship Safety Construction, Equipment and Radio certificates each follow their own initial and renewal survey.
- Passenger ships carry a single Passenger Ship Safety Certificate covering hull, equipment and radio together.
- SOLAS also carries the ISM, security, life-saving and carriage papers through their own chapters and codes.
- Name the set with the ship’s type and the survey that produced it — a lone “SOLAS certificate” answers nothing.
Surveyor follow-up: cargo ship with one safety certificate covering construction and equipment — valid cover or missing papers?
Full theory: Maritime Codes & Conventions: The Complete List -
35 Harmonised survey system
Answer
HSSC merged the survey visits: one set of rules covering SOLAS, MARPOL, Load Line and tonnage instead of separate surveys.
- Adopted by IMO and in force from 2000, harmonising survey and certification across the international conventions.
- The surveyor examines once against all rules, so gaps between conventions stop being duplicated work.
- Certificates from different conventions fall due together, letting the ship plan one dry-docking and one attendance.
- Statutory work still follows each convention’s own rulebook — HSSC harmonises the survey, not the requirements.
Surveyor follow-up: certificates with three separate due dates and no common window — harmonised or still separate?
Full theory: Ship Classification, Surveys and Drydocking -
36 ISM Code (Chapter, Objectives, Certificates
Answer
Chapter IX carries the ISM Code: objectives of safety and pollution prevention, proved by the DOC ashore and the SMC aboard.
- Objectives are safety at sea, prevention of injury and ill health, and prevention of pollution, through managed procedures.
- The Company owns the system with a designated person, resources and shore support documented and audited.
- Document of Compliance proves the company for five years with annual verification; Safety Management Certificate proves the ship.
- A major non-conformity withdraws both together — the surveyor reads the SMS, not the certificates alone.
Surveyor follow-up: SMC current with the annual verification overdue — valid, void or conditional until the audit?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
37 Inspection and maintenance
Answer
Inspection finds out, maintenance prevents: survey the item against limits, then keep it inside those limits between surveys.
- Inspection compares measured condition with class and maker limits — clearances, thicknesses, pressures and test results.
- Maintenance is the daily discipline that stops condition drifting: lubrication, cleaning, adjustment and renewal to schedule.
- A surveyor’s finding is only the snapshot; a ship fails between surveys when the plan behind it was never kept.
- Log both — findings closed out with dates, and the maintenance record proving the item was watched in between.
Surveyor follow-up: two class findings closed with no maintenance entries for a year — closed properly or papered over?
Full theory: Ship Classification, Surveys and Drydocking -
38 Inspection of welding, explain briefly a. necessity b. stages of inspection c. methodology / procedures in different types
Answer
Weld inspection is three things: why it matters, when the checks happen, and how each method reads the joint.
- Necessity: a defective weld fails under tension or bending, so cracks, undercut, slag and lack of penetration are the targets.
- Stages run from fit-up and welding procedure qualification through in-process checks to final visual and NDT before handover.
- Methodology: visual for surface faults, radiography for internal porosity and slag, ultrasonic for deep flaws and thickness.
- Magnetic particle for steel surface cracks, dye penetrant for non-magnetic alloys — method chosen by what the joint hides.
Surveyor follow-up: pressure-vessel weld passed on visual only with no record of fit-up inspection — which stage was skipped?
Full theory: Shipbuilding Materials, Welding and Weld Defects -
39 International Oil Prevention certificate
Also asked: “Intemational oil pollution prevention certificate”
Answer
The IOPP certificate is the MARPOL Annex I paper: five years, renewed by survey, and it always travels with its Record of Construction.
- Issued under the 1973 Convention as modified by the 1978 Protocol, as amended by MEPC resolutions.
- Supplemented by a Record of Construction and Equipment describing the oil-discharge arrangements on board.
- Issued by the Administration or an authorised organisation, with the Administration retaining full responsibility.
- A certificate current when amendments enter force stays valid until it expires under the pre-amendment terms.
Surveyor follow-up: IOPP valid with the Record of Construction missing after a new separator — certificate sound or void?
Full theory: MARPOL Annex I — Prevention of Pollution by Oil -
40 Ism certificate and explain abt it
Answer
The ISM papers are two: DOC for the company ashore and SMC for the ship — five years each, proved by audit rather than assertion.
- DOC certifies the company’s safety management system, valid five years with annual verification and audit for new ship types.
- SMC certifies that ship operates an approved system after a successful audit, valid five years with an intermediate audit.
- Interim DOC runs twelve months for a new company; interim SMC six months to bridge a new ship or a transfer.
- A major non-conformity withdraws both together, and only the issuing administration can restore them.
Surveyor follow-up: SMC held with no intermediate audit for four years and the crew unable to show the SMS — compliant?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
41 Load line certificate comes under which convension
Answer
The Load Line certificate sits under the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966, as modified by the 1988 Protocol.
- Issued to every ship surveyed and marked in accordance with the Convention or the Convention as modified.
- Valid five years with renewal survey before expiry and annual surveys within three months of the anniversary.
- The certificate records the assigned freeboard and the zone marks, so it ties directly to the draughts on the marks.
- It is listed among the certificates every ship must carry, as an original and not a copy.
Surveyor follow-up: load line certificate produced as a photocopy at PSC — admissible paper or an immediate gap?
Full theory: Load Line, Freeboard and Tonnage Measurement -
42 Name 7-8 certificates carried onboard
Answer
Name the everyday set: registry, class, tonnage, load line, stability, manning, the SOLAS safety trio and the security papers.
- Certificate of registry, certificate of classification, international tonnage and international load line certificates.
- Intact stability booklet, minimum safe manning certificate, and the cargo ship safety construction, equipment and radio certificates.
- MARPOL papers with the oil record book, and the ISM SMC, security ISSC and CSR behind them.
- Say how many you carry and where they are stowed — the surveyor asks the count, not just the names.
Surveyor follow-up: eight certificates named but the oil record book missing from the stowage list — which paper is the next survey opening?
Full theory: Maritime Codes & Conventions: The Complete List -
43 Name any five certificate regarding cargo and cargo handling certificate tanker should carry
Answer
For cargo and handling, the tanker carries the IOPP, the IBC fitness or oil-record papers, the load line and the safety construction certificate.
- International Oil Pollution Prevention certificate with its oil record book for the machinery and cargo areas.
- International Certificate of Fitness for Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk on a chemical tanker, under the IBC Code.
- International Load Line certificate with the intact stability booklet governing how the cargo may be stowed.
- Cargo Ship Safety Construction certificate, plus the equipment and radio certificates covering the cargo-handling gear.
Surveyor follow-up: tanker with load line and stability book current but no IOPP — which operation is the missing paper blocking?
Full theory: Maritime Codes & Conventions: The Complete List -
44 Safety construction certificate,
Answer
The safety construction certificate covers the hull itself: structure, subdivision, watertight closure and the surveys that prove them.
- Issued after initial or renewal survey to a cargo ship complying with the relevant SOLAS construction chapters.
- Covers hull structure, watertight and weathertight subdivision, doors and openings, and the safety of the machinery spaces.
- Renewed on the statutory cycle, with shortfalls that do not affect safety closed out at a repair survey.
- It sits alongside the equipment and radio certificates — construction, equipment and radio are three separate papers.
Surveyor follow-up: construction certificate valid with an open hull defect deferral past its date — renew, condition or stop?
Full theory: Maritime Codes & Conventions: The Complete List -
45 Saturatory certificate all
Answer
Statutory papers in full: identity, class, load line, stability, manning, the SOLAS safety trio, MARPOL books and the security certificates.
- Registry, classification, tonnage, load line and load line exemption certificates, plus the intact stability booklet.
- Minimum safe manning certificate and the cargo ship safety construction, equipment and radio certificates.
- MARPOL papers: IOPP with oil record book, sewage and garbage record books, EIAPP and NOx technical files.
- ISM SMC with DOC ashore, security ISSC and the CSR — all originals, all in date, all where an inspector can reach them.
Surveyor follow-up: full list quoted but one certificate produced as a copy at PSC — which convention does that breach first?
Full theory: Maritime Codes & Conventions: The Complete List -
46 Statuatory certificate in solas
Answer
SOLAS issues three statutory safety certificates for a cargo ship — construction, equipment and radio — each from its own survey.
- The Cargo Ship Safety Construction certificate follows the construction survey: hull, subdivision and watertight closure.
- The Equipment certificate follows the equipment survey: life-saving, fire-fighting and the rest of the ship’s gear.
- The Radio certificate follows the radio survey, and passenger ships instead carry one Passenger Ship Safety Certificate.
- Name the three and the surveys behind them — a single “SOLAS certificate” answers nothing at PSC.
Surveyor follow-up: equipment certificate valid with the construction certificate a month expired — renew before the port, or detain?
Full theory: Maritime Codes & Conventions: The Complete List -
47 Tell 5 certificate related to marpol?
Answer
Five MARPOL papers: IOPP, oil record book, the sewage and garbage record books, and the Annex VI technical files with EIAPP certificates.
- International Oil Pollution Prevention certificate, supported by the oil record book and its construction record.
- Sewage record book and the sewage treatment plant or comminuter certificate for ships in Annex IV scope.
- Garbage record book with the ship’s garbage management plan behind the entries.
- NOx technical files with EIAPP certificates per engine, plus bunker delivery notes proving fuel sulphur.
Surveyor follow-up: five MARPOL papers named but the garbage book two voyages short — which annex has been breached on paper?
Full theory: MARPOL 73/78: The Convention & Its Six Annexes -
48 What all certificates the ship needs to carry?
Answer
Every ship carries the identity and class set, the load line and stability papers, the SOLAS safety trio and the MARPOL and security books.
- Registry, classification, tonnage and load line certificates, plus the load line exemption where granted.
- Intact stability booklet and minimum safe manning certificate.
- Cargo ship safety construction, equipment and radio certificates — one passenger safety certificate on passenger ships.
- MARPOL papers, the SMC, ISSC and CSR — originals, in date, in the certificate locker where inspectors reach them.
Surveyor follow-up: full set produced but the originals held ashore with certified copies aboard — admissible or a PSC finding?
Full theory: Maritime Codes & Conventions: The Complete List -
49 What is the validity of d.o.c
Answer
A Document of Compliance is valid five years, with annual verification inside three months of each anniversary.
- Issued to the company ashore by the administration or a recognised organisation after audit.
- Five-year validity, renewed by a renewal audit, with one annual verification inside three months of the anniversary.
- Adding a new ship type inside the validity needs an additional audit before the company may operate that type.
- Interim DOC for a new company runs twelve months only, bridging until the first full audit is completed.
Surveyor follow-up: DOC in month four with no annual verification logged — still valid, or does the clock stop it?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
50 What is ur understanding of survey?
Answer
A survey is an independent examination that issues certificates: initial, annual, intermediate and renewal, class and statutory.
- Class surveys run annually with an intermediate at years two or three and renewal on the five-year cycle.
- Statutory surveys follow each convention — load line, tonnage, SOLAS and MARPOL — and can be held with the class visit.
- The six periodic class surveys are annual, intermediate, docking, boiler, tailshaft and class renewal.
- Overdue annual or intermediate surveys automatically suspend class — that is why survey dates are kept like ship’s papers.
Surveyor follow-up: annual window missed with class still trading — suspension, concession or arrest first?
Full theory: Ship Classification, Surveys and Drydocking -
51 Whta is smc
Answer
The SMC is the ship’s proof that the company’s approved safety management system is actually being run aboard.
- Safety Management Certificate, issued to the ship after a successful audit against the approved SMS.
- Valid five years with an intermediate audit between the second and third anniversaries.
- Issued only when a valid DOC exists for that company covering this ship type — the two travel together.
- Interim SMC runs six months when a ship first enters service, changes management or joins a new company.
Surveyor follow-up: SMC valid with a company DOC withdrawn last month — sail, transfer, or re-issue first?
Full theory: SOLAS Chapter IX — ISM Code & Safety Management Systems -
52 various certificates under Marpol
Also asked: “All certificates under Marpol”
Answer
MARPOL’s papers follow its annexes: IOPP for oil, IBC for chemicals, sewage and garbage record books, EIAPP and files for air.
- Annex I: IOPP certificate with the oil record book and the Record of Construction and Equipment.
- Annex II: International Certificate of Fitness for Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk on chemical tankers.
- Annex IV and V: sewage and garbage record books with the garbage management plan.
- Annex VI: EIAPP certificate per engine, NOx technical files, and bunker delivery notes with sealed samples.
Surveyor follow-up: chemical tanker with Annex I papers but no IBC fitness certificate — which carriage is uncertified?
Full theory: MARPOL Annex I — Prevention of Pollution by Oil
Source: 123 written papers and surveyor oral banks, 24,613 entries, merged into 17,210 topics. Ticks are stored on this device only.