Web alert: Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks – Update on the UK

The club refers to its recent circulars and web alerts (all of which can be found here), on the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks ('the Nairobi Convention') which comes into force on 14 April 2015. 

The UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) has advised the International Group (IG) that the volume of Nairobi Convention certificate applications they have received is putting strain on their capacity to process these certificates.
 
The MCA has issued a statement on their website advising shipowners that the MCA will process current applications by 14 April 2015, but applications received after 17 March 2015 are likely to face considerable delay.
 
Indeed, they have stated that it is highly unlikely, and the MCA cannot guarantee, that shipowners submitting Nairobi Convention applications after this date will receive certificates by 14 April. This is with the exception of ships on the UK Ship Register which will continue to receive priority over other applications.
 
Therefore, for those members who haven’t yet submitted their Nairobi Convention applications, we recommend that they apply to a different contracting state who is willing to issue Convention certificates to ships registered in countries not party to the Nairobi Convention. These include: Cook Islands, Denmark, Germany, Liberia, Marshall Islands and Palau. If you have not yet submitted your application, we recommend you approach one of these states for the issue of your certificates.
 
The Standard Club is always on hand to assist. If a member has any queries in relation to this issue, they should not hesitate to call their usual club contact, or the author of this article.​