Marine Advisory: 10/2024 - New survey quality controls issued by Zhoushan MSA to reduce machinery failure for ships repaired at Zhoushan shipyard

15 May 2024 Marine Advisory: 10/2024

Subject: New survey quality controls issued by Zhoushan MSA to reduce machinery failure for ships repaired at Zhoushan shipyard

Dear Shipowner/Operator/Master:

This Marine Advisory is directed to shipowners, operators, and masters of vessels which might be undergoing repairs, or planning for repairs, at Zhoushan shipyards. The Zhoushan Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) released a recent notice to direct enhanced safety oversight of vessels undergoing repairs there.

Overview

Concerned that multiple vessels had experienced mechanical/electrical failures during out-bound transit after work in Zhoushan shipyards, Zhoushan MSA announced on 29 March 2024 new safety measures and survey standards intended to ensure all vessels are safe to proceed to sea following shipyard repair work.

These new measures include:

• Classification societies enhancing and improving surveys regarding machinery items, including the main engine, auxiliary engines, steering system, and other essential equipment that have been repaired.
• Shipowners and the shipyard reporting repaired items to class surveyors.
• Classification societies and the shipyard communicating with shipowners to ensure the related repaired items are surveyed. The survey and operational testing must be completed and recorded satisfactorily before the endorsement or issuing of certificates.
• When a sea trial is needed for operational testing and machinery repair quality verification, a set of shortterm certificates may be needed to secure permission from a local port authority to conduct the trial.

In case of substantial machinery failures affecting navigational safety or causing marine pollution, or if an accident affects the ship’s seaworthiness, classification societies will be required to:

• Carry out an occasional survey and issue a survey report.
• Apply the remote survey method no more than the allowed scenarios according to IMO Res.A.1186(33).
• Investigate and analyze the related survey quality and report to the Zhoushan MSA.

If any classification society has experienced two or more machinery failures within six months that have caused emergency/risk situations, all ships for which the society is responsible will be considered a priority for Zhoushan Port State Control inspection.

Classification societies are also required to enhance the supervision of their service suppliers to ensure service quality and refuse to adopt service reports that are sub-standard, dishonest, or fake.

Action

Owners, operators, and masters of vessels conducting repair work in Zhoushan shipyards should be aware of these new measures and should ensure all repairs and surveys are completed respecting the requirements of Zhoushan MSA and China MSA.

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