More of this Feature • Part 1: A Breath of Fresh Air • Part 2: A Breath of Fresh Air continued • Procedures and General Requirements • Specific Requirements
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Elsewhere on the Web • American Bureau of Shipping • Lloyd’s Register • Maritimeanalysis.com

Procedure for Obtaining Environmental Protection (EP) Designation
· Plan Review  prior to construction to determine that the proposed design complies with the requirements.

· Initial Survey  during construction to determine that hull, machinery, and equipment are in accordance with the plans and that all equipment is in working order.

· Provisional Notation  granted on successful completion of initial survey, valid for six-month period, during which time the crew must demonstrate and document that all procedures have been implemented.

· Final Audit  to examine the documentation developed during the provisional period.

· Full EP Notation  assigned following successful audit.

· Follow-up Surveys and Audits  include annual survey and yearly audit and a renewal survey every five years to maintain the EP notation.

General Requirements for EP Notations
Comply with all relevant adopted Annexes of MARPOL, whether ratified or not. Most pertinent here is Annex VI, Regulations for Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships, which has been adopted as an international convention but not yet ratified by the individual countries (and is therefore not legally in force).

Have a Safety Management Certificate in accordance with the ISM Code issued by the Flag State of Registration.

Enroll in LR's Ship Emergency Response Service (SERS). This means the class society has certain information about the vessel's structure and stability in computer files so it can offer advice, based on engineering analysis, to mitigate the possibility of capsizing, sinking, or structural failure if the vessel should become damaged due to grounding or collision.

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