The Merchant Shipping (Polar Code) (Safety) Regulations 2021

Made: 13th December 2021

Laid before Parliament: 15th December 2021

Coming into force: 6th January 2022

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PART 1 — Preliminary

Citation, commencement and extent

1

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Interpretation

2

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Application

3

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Ambulatory reference

4

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Exemptions

5

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Equivalents

6

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Alternative design and arrangements

7

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Approvals

8

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Approval of training providers

9

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Appeal against refusal, suspension or cancellation of an approval

10

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Amendment of the Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018

11

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PART 2 — Ship requirements and certification

Requirements for ships operating in polar waters

12

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Seafarers on a ship operating in polar waters – basic training

13

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Seafarers on a ship operating in polar waters – advanced training

14

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Application for a certificate of proficiency

15

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Seafarers on a ship operating in polar waters – other training provision

16

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Refusal to issue or revalidate, suspension or cancellation of a certificate of proficiency

17

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Certification required to operate in polar waters

18

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Duration and validity of Polar Ship Certificate

19

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Responsibilities of owner and master

20

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Procedure to be adopted when the ship is deficient

21

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Cancellation of Polar Ship Certificate

22

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Issue of Polar Ship Certificate by another Convention country

23

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Request for a survey made by another Convention country

24

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Arbitration

25

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PART 3 — Control and enforcement

Offences and penalties

26

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Control

27

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Detention

28

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Review of the Regulations

29

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Signed

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Transport

Robert Courts — Parliamentary Under Secretary of State — Department for Transport — 13th December 2021

We consent to the making of these Regulations

Amanda Solloway — Craig Whittaker — Two of the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty’s Treasury — 9th December 2021

Explanatory note

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Footnotes

[^f00001]: 1995 c. 21. For amendments, see footnote (b) below. There are other amending instruments but none is relevant.

[^f00002]: Sections 47A and 47B were inserted by the Marine Navigation Act 2013 (c. 23), section 10. Sections 85 and 86 were amended by the Merchant Shipping and Maritime Security Act 1997 (c. 28), sections 8 and 29(2) and Schedule 7. Section 85 was amended by the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 (c. 8), section 2(3). Section 306A was inserted by the Deregulation Act 2015 (c. 20), section 106. There are other amendments but none is relevant.

[^f00003]: S.I. 1998/1500.

[^f00005]: S.I. 2015/508, amended by S.I. 2018/53 and S.I. 2018/1221.

[^f00006]: Chapter I has not been amended.

[^f00007]: Chapter XIV was inserted into the Convention by IMO Resolution MSC.386(94), which is available from the IMO of 4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SR, or found on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office treaties database (https://treaties.fco.gov.uk/responsive/app/consolidatedSearch).

[^f00008]: Cmnd 7874. The Convention may be obtained in copy from the International Maritime Organization of 4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SR or found on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) treaties database (https://treaties.fco.gov.uk/awweb/pdfopener?md=1&did=79786). The Convention was modified by its Protocol of 1978 (Cmnd. 8277) (https://treaties.fco.gov.uk/awweb/pdfopener?md=1&did=68013), which was replaced and abrogated by the Protocol of 1988 (Cm 5044) (https://treaties.fco.gov.uk/awweb/pdfopener?md=1&did=69573) with respect to the parties to the 1988 Protocol. The amendments to the Convention are available from the International Maritime Organization of 4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SR or found on the FCDO treaties database (https://treaties.fco.gov.uk/responsive/app/consolidatedSearch). Hard copies of the Command Papers are available for inspection free of charge but by appointment at the Parliamentary Archives, Houses of Parliament, London SW1A 0PW. The Parliamentary Archives catalogue numbers for the Command Papers are HL/PO/JO/10/11/2031/2878 (Cmnd 7874), HL/PO/JO/10/11/1959/2032 (Cmnd 8277) and HL/PO/JO/10/11/3156/2280 (Cm 5044).

[^f00009]: The International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters, known as the “Polar Code”, was adopted by IMO Resolutions MSC.385(94) and MEPC.264(68) and took effect on 1st January 2017 upon entry into force of new Chapter XIV of the Convention, in which it is referenced, and amendments to Annexes I, II, IV and V of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973 (MARPOL). IMO Resolution MSC.386(94) amended the Convention to incorporate Chapter XIV and the safety related provisions of the Polar Code, and MEPC.265(68) amended Annexes I, II, IV and V of MARPOL to incorporate the environment related provisions. MARPOL was published in Cmnd 5748 and was amended by the Protocols of 1978 (Cmnd 7347) and 1997 (Cm 4427). The Polar Code is available from the IMO of 4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SR, and on the IMO website at https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/MediaCentre/HotTopics/Documents/POLAR%20CODE%20TEXT%20AS%20ADOPTED.pdf . Hard copies of the Command Papers are available for inspection free of charge but by appointment at the Parliamentary Archives, Houses of Parliament, London SW1A 0PW. MARPOL and the IMO Resolutions are also available from the IMO or found on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office treaties database (https://treaties.fco.gov.uk/responsive/app/consolidatedSearch).

[^f00010]: Polar waters are illustrated in figure 1 and figure 2 in the Introduction to the Polar Code.

[^f00011]: The prescribed fee is found in the Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/1104), which were made under section 302 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 and the Hovercraft (General) Order 1974 (S.I. 1974/674).

[^f00012]: The Seafarers’ Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Code (STCW Code) is part of the STCW Convention. It contains mandatory provisions in Part A of the Code and guidance in Part B. The Code was replaced in full in 2010 following a conference of the parties to the STCW Convention held in Manila, The Philippines (“the Manila Conference”). The Code has since been amended by IMO Resolutions MSC.397(95) and MSC.417(97). The STCW Code and the amendments to it are available from the International Maritime Organization of 4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SR or found on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office treaties database (https://treaties.fco.gov.uk/responsive/app/consolidatedSearch). Hard copies of the Command Papers are available for inspection free of charge but by appointment at the Parliamentary Archives, Houses of Parliament, London SW1A 0PW.

[^f00013]: Cmnd 7543. The Annex to the STCW Convention was replaced in full in 2010 following the Manila Conference. The Convention has since been amended by IMO Resolutions MSC.396(95) and MSC.416(97). The STCW Convention and the amendments to it are available from the International Maritime Organization of 4 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SR or found on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office treaties database ( https://treaties.fco.gov.uk/responsive/app/consolidatedSearch ). Hard copies of the Command Papers are available for inspection free of charge but by appointment at the Parliamentary Archives, Houses of Parliament, London SW1A 0PW.

[^f00014]: Regulation 33 in Chapter V of the Convention (safety of navigation) places an obligation on the master to provide assistance to persons in distress at sea and this obligation is implemented in the Merchant Shipping (Safety of Navigation) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/673).

[^f00015]: S.I. 1997/1510, amended by S.I. 2020/362. There are other amendments but none is relevant to these Regulations.

[^f00016]: Guidance in relation to the matters requiring the approval of the Secretary of State in the Polar Code is set out in Marine Guidance Note (MGN) 637(M). MGN 637(M) is available from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) of Spring Place, 105 Commercial Road, Southampton SO15 1EG (telephone 020 3817 2000) and email infoline@mcga.gov.uk) and on https://www.gov.uk .

[^f00017]: S.I. 2018/1104. There are amending instruments which are not relevant.

[^f00018]: “Proper officer” is defined in section 313(1) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 and means, in the United Kingdom, a consular officer.

[^f00019]: 2007 c. 15.

[^f00020]: Section 284 was amended by Schedule 1 to the Merchant Shipping and Maritime Security Act 1997 (c. 28) and S.I. 2015/664.

[^f00021]: Section 96(7) was amended by Part 1 of Schedule 10 to the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 (c. 15) and by Schedule 11 to the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4). Section 96(10) was repealed by Schedule 4 to the Arbitration Act 1996 (c. 23).

[^f00022]: Section 95 was amended by the Merchant Shipping and Maritime Security Act 1997 (c. 28), Schedule 1, paragraph 2.

[^f00023]: 2015 c. 26. Section 30(3) was amended by section 19 of the Enterprise Act 2016 (c. 12) and Schedule 8 to the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (c. 16).

Editorial notes

Appeal against refusal, alteration, suspension or cancellation of an approval