Q.

7 a) List the contents of the Polar code, date when it came in force and the
associated manuals required to be on board?
b) What are the precautions to be taken before entering an area of pack ice?
Safety measures for ships operating in polar water. MSC 386(94) in force on 1st Jan 2017.

A.1024(26) GUIDELINES FOR SHIPS OPERATING IN POLAR WATERS

Polar Code timeline

 November 2014: Polar Code and SOLAS amendments were adopted during
the 94th session of IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC)
 May 2015: Member governments finalized and adopted the environmental
provisions, complementing the work completed in 2014 regarding safety
provisions.
 November 2016: Mandatory minimum requirements for the training and
qualifications of masters and deck officers on ships operating in polar waters
were adopted by IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee.
 January 2017: The Polar Code entered into force.
 July 2018: Requirements for training became mandatory under the
International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and
Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) and its related STCW Code.

How the Code applies:

The Polar Code is a ship-focused code with specific provisions divided into two
Parts. Part I contains provisions incorporated through SOLAS and Part II contains
MARPOL provisions.

1. Polar Ship Certificate

The Code requires ships intending to operate in the defined Arctic waters and the
Antarctic area to have a valid Polar Ship Certificate issued by their flag states.

Before receiving a certificate:

All ships require an assessment, considering the anticipated range of operating and
environmental conditions and hazards it may encounter in the polar waters. The
certificate classifies a ship as:

 Category A – ships designed for operation in polar waters in at least medium

first-year ice, which may include old ice inclusions
 Category B – a ship not included in category A, designed for operation in
polar waters in at least thin first-year ice, which may include old ice inclusions
 Category C – a ship designed to operate in open water or in ice conditions
less severe than those included in categories A and B
2.  The Polar Water Operational Manual
In order to provide the Owner, Operator, Master and crew with enough information
regarding the ship’s operational capabilities and limitations as well as support their
decision-making process, ships need to carry a Polar Water Operational Manual.

Which are the training requirements?

The Code regulates all training and certification for officers working in Arctic/Antarctic
regions. All SOLAS ships will be affected by this new regulation, and officers must be
STCW certified.

8 major areas that training needs to cover

1. Polar Code regulatory framework and MARPOL
2. Voyage planning/navigation
3. Effects of weather
4. Recognition of ice formations and characteristics
5. Icebreaker assistance
6. Ships’ design
7. Winterization and hypothermia
8. Preparedness for emergency situations in Polar areas
Key challenges ahead
Several administrations, classification societies and NGOs find that the Code lacks in
addressing tough measures that should be required in protecting ships, crews or the
environment and they are calling for standards above those minimum requirements
covered by the Code.

#1 New routes open, arctic shipping traffic increases

 Coastal states are expected to maintain more stringent safety and pollution
prevention requirements in their national regulations.
 Coastal state regulations are likely to maintain present requirements for
fishing and domestic trade vessels to which the Polar Code presently does
not apply.
#2 HFO Ban
The Code already recommends ship operators “not to use or carry heavy fuel oil in
the Arctic”, but it is not binding. Thus, to what extend therefore are the big shipping
companies about to go “HFO clean”?

What is next regarding the Code on MSC/MEPC Agenda?

Recently, in December, IMO’s MSC 100 agreed on revisions to the Polar Code
considered for adoption in 2022. The Member States and international organizations
were invited to submit information to MSC 101 that will assist to determine the
feasibility and consequences of applying the requirements in chapters 9 (safety of
navigation) and 11 (voyage planning) of the Polar Code to non-SOLAS ships.
To comply with the Polar Code, a ship and her crew must be prepared for
operations in polar waters. When in polar waters, the ship must be operated
within the limitations specified on its Polar Ship Certificate & follow the
operational requirements in the Code.

THE POLAR SHIP CERTIFICATE

SOLAS ships operating in the polar waters will need a Polar Ship Certificate.
This is a new statutory certificate given by the vessel’s flag administration or
its authorized representatives.

The Polar Ship Certificate attests that the ship complies with the ship safety
requirements in Part l-A of the Polar Code. To obtain a Polar Ship Certificate,
the shipowner should:

 Conduct an operational risk assessment of the ship & its

predetermined operations in the polar waters;
 Prepare a Polar Water Operational Manual(PWOM) determined to the
ship, its arrangement & its intended operation in the polar waters;
 Have the ship surveyed to verify its compliance with the applicable
requirements of the Polar Code; &
 Apply to its flag administration or recognized organization for the
Polar Ship Certificate.

CREW CERTIFICATION

Part I-A Chapter 12 Manning and Training of the Polar Code requires a ship
owner to ensure that deck officers on SOLAS ships operating in polar waters
have completed special training and have the necessary competence to carry
out their duties.

The new STCW amendments require masters, chief mates and officers in
charge of a navigational watch to obtain a new certificate of proficiency. To
obtain certificate in basic training for ships operating in polar waters officers
on watch (OOW) should complete an approved basic training course which
meet the standard of competence in the STCW Code, A-V/4, paragraph 1.
To obtain certificate in advanced training for ships operating in polar waters
master and chief mate should meet the requirements for a certificate in basic
training, complete approved seagoing service on board a ship operating in
polar waters or equivalent seagoing service, in the deck department at the
management level or while performing watchkeeping duties in an operational
level, and have for a period of at least 2 months in total during the preceding
5 years completing an approved advanced training course which meet the
standard of competence in the STCW Code, A-V/4, paragraph 2.

According to Polar code every crew member on board shall be made familiar
with the procedures and equipment contained or referenced in the PWOM
relevant to their assigned duties. Practically that means that everybody
should be aware of personal and group survival kit contents and how to use
it in emergency.

MARPOL CERTIFICATES

Onboard documentation regarding pollution prevention required to be

modified to take operation in polar waters into account, including
requirements from the MARPOL Annexes I, II, IV and V. An entry into the
add on to the International Oil Pollution Prevention (IOPP) Certificate is
needed for the new Category A & B ship to certify that they comply with the
extra structural requirements on tank protection in Part II-A, 1.2 of the Polar
Code.

No structural modifications are needed for Category C ships or of existing

Category A or B ships, therefore no entries in the IOPP Certificate are
required.

No other MARPOL certificates are influenced by the Polar Code.

OPERATIONAL COMPLIANCE – SAFETY

The Polar Code covers certain acts & prohibitions for ships while operating in
polar waters. SOLAS ships must comply with all operational safety
requirements in Part I-A of the Polar Code, including:

 conducting a proper voyage plan;

 Plying the vessel within the capabilities & limitations stated on its
Polar Ship Certificate;
 monitoring snow & ice accumulation on the ship & taking suitable
measures to assure it does not exceed stability values;
 keeping safety equipment, escape routes & survival craft clear of
snow & ice accumulation;
 instructing passengers in the use of survival equipment & the
actions to take in an emergency;
 training the crew in the use of personal & group survival equipment;
 & training each crew member in the policies & equipment described
in the Polar Water Operational Manual relevant to their assigned
duties.

OPERATIONAL COMPLIANCE – ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONMARPOL

ships must follow the operational environmental protection requirements in
Part II-A of the Polar Code:

 Any discharge/release of the oil, oily mixtures or noxious liquid

substances in polar waters is prohibited.
 Discharge of sewage & garbage in the polar waters is only permitted
in line with the additional restrictions.
 Operation in the polar waters in the relevant record books, manuals,
placards, & emergency & management plans must be noted as
required by the MARPOL.
 MEPC 73 agreed that the Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and
Response (PPR) should develop a ban on heavy fuel oil for use and carriage
as fuel by ships in Arctic waters, based on an assessment of the impacts of
such a ban.
 The Committee further approved draft amendments to exemption provisions
on the application of EEDI requirements. The amendment replaces exemption
for ‘cargo ships having ice-breaking capability’ with ‘Category A ships as
defined in the Polar Code’.