Marine Operations Note: 03/2006 - Guidelines on QUALSHIP 21 program qualification.

June 30, 2006

MARINE OPERATIONS NOTE: 03/2006

Subject: Guidelines on QUALSHIP 21 program qualification.

We are pleased to report that the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has found that the Liberia flag Administration qualifies for Qualship 21. This means that ships registered in Liberia will be able to participate in the Qualship 21 program, provided they meet the USCG’s eligibility criteria.

The USCG developed Qualship 21 to provide a positive incentive for well run, quality ships and ship operators. Qualship 21 ships will be recognized and rewarded for their commitment to safety and quality by the USCG. The incentives include:

1. A Qualship 21 Certificate.
2. Ship’s name posted on the USCG Port State Control web site.
3. For tank ships, the scope of the annual/"mid-period" examination will be the same as for the renewal exam, but will be in less detail.
4. For other cargo ships, annual exams will be eliminated and replaced with biennial exam.

The USCG is in the process of sending a list of eligible ships to ship owners, inviting participation in the Qualship 21 program.

In addition to registration in the Liberian flag, the eligibility criteria to qualify for Qualship 21 require that a ship must:

1. Not have been detained, and determined to be substandard, in U. S. waters within the previous thirty-six (36) months;
2. Not have any marine violations, no more than one(1) paid Notice of Violation cases

(tickets);

1. Have no reportable marine casualties that meet the definition of a serious marine incident or major marine casualty in U.S. waters within the previous 36 months.

1. Have completed a successful, U. S. Port State Control examination within 12 months of eligibility determination. The term successful means that the ship did not leave port with any serious, outstanding deficiencies;
2. Not be owned or operated by any company that has been associated with a substandard ship detention in U. S. waters within 24 months. A ship is considered to be owned or operated by such a company, if that company:
3. has been issued a U. S. Certificate of Financial Responsibility as the responsible operator of the ship, and/or
4. is listed on the ship’s certificate of registry, and/or
5. is the company responsible for the safe operation of the ship as indicated on the ship’s Safety Management Certificate.

6. Not be classed by, nor have their statutory Convention Certificates issued by, a targeted class society. A class society is targeted if points are assigned to them in the USCG PSC targeting matrix. Refer to http://www.uscg.mil/hq/gm/pscweb/class.htm for details on the class societies that meet this criterion.

Though not specifically mentioned in the above criteria, the Coast Guard reserves the right to restrict eligibility in the Qualship 21 initiative to any ship because of special circumstances, including, but not limited to, significant overseas casualties or detentions, and pending criminal or civil investigations.

If you do not receive a letter from the USCG and believe you have eligible ship(s), please

contact the USCG by telephone: +1 202 267 2978, or email: fldr-GMOC@comdt.uscg.mil.

The USCG headquarters Port State Control web site has a page dedicated to Qualship 21 information. Additional details on the USCG Qualship 21 program, including frequently asked questions, may be found on their web site at: http://www.uscg.mil/hq/gm/pscweb/Qualship21.htm.

Questions regarding this note should be addressed to the Safety Department at: +1 703 251 2409 or safety@liscr.com.

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