To comply with the Polar Code, a ship and its crew must be certified for operations in polar waters. When in polar waters, the ship must be operated within the limitations stated on its Polar Ship Certificate and follow the operational requirements in the Code.
Regulatory requirements
Ship owner and operator need to take a number of actions for achieving compliance with the Polar Code requirements, including
PART I-A:
- carrying a Polar Ship Certificate on board,
- developing and carry a polar water operation manual on board,
- carrying the right training certificate from the respective flag state on board as required by the Polar Code § 12 and STCW, and
- performing voyage planning before every voyage to polar waters following the instructions in the Polar Water Operational Manual (PWOM)as required in Polar Code §11.
PART II-A: On-board documentation concerning pollution prevention needs to be updated to take operation in polar waters into account, including requirements from MARPOL Chapters I, II, IV and V.