Summary

This Marine Circular highlights the responsibility of owners, masters and agents to ensure that a ship is seaworthy, which includes possessing relevant safety certificates, at the start of a voyage and that she is maintained in that condition during the voyage. In addition, ships in Virgin Islands waters are required to have an insurance policy covering losses to third parties and wreck removal expenses. Foreign flag vessels arriving in the BVI are subject to Port State Control by VISR inspectors, and any such vessels that are found not to comply with the conditions of their certificates, or not possess any at all, are liable to be detained until the ship is fit to proceed to sea. Agents are requested to use their good offices to ensure that cargo ships arriving in the BVI, in particular those of less than 500 gross tonnage, are fully registered, certificated and insured so as to avoid delay, inconvenience and costs to the owners they represent.

Summary

This Marine Circular describes simplifications in VISR certification requirements and reductionsin the need for out-of-water surveys, for most Caribbean Small Commercial Vessels. This Circular also clarifies the survey and enforcement policy to ensure that vessels carry out annualinspections in a timely and effective manner.Virgin Islands ship operators will enjoy reduced survey requirements, greater flexibility in surveytiming and faster survey completions. Vessels which allow their certificates to expire, or fail to complete annual surveys within the permitted time-frame, are deemed statutorily unseaworthy and will be detained to ensure safety of life and protection of the marine environment.