Protection and Insurance requirements for ships
trading with Japan
Japanese Government has amended “the Law on Liability for Oil Pollution Damage” in order to tackle the problem of abandoned-shipwreck in Japanese coastal waters. In accordance with this law the owner of any ocean-going ship (excluding Oil tankers, as Oil tankers are already required to have insurance under the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution) of 100 gross tonnage or larger and which is engaging in international navigation must fulfil the following requirements, namely but not limited to:
- Have P&I insurance for the ship (Ships that do not have P&I insurance after that date will be denied entry to any Japanese port)
- Carry the appropriate certificate* on board
- Report the status of insurance before entering a port
*The Japanese Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport issues such certificates in response to the application from the ship owner or its agent. Accordingly vessels that intend to call Japanese ports need to apply for the certificate with the District Transport Bureaus, which are the local offices of the ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Vessels visiting Japanese ports must carry the appropriate certificate of insurance on board.
This procedure has to be followed for every single vessel that will visit Japanese ports, whether part of a fleet or not. Please note that one month or more are required to issue the certificate of insurance.
Presently we are in a procedure with the Japanese authorities in order to arrange that carrying the original or the certified copy of “the Certificate of Entry” issued by the Managers is sufficient for entering Japanese ports. As soon as this is arranged it will no longer be necessary to apply for the Japanese certificate. However, until this has been arranged it is necessary to apply for the certificate in accordance with the above-mentioned procedure. In case of necessity you can contact the Managers for further assistance.
For the procedure to apply for the certificate we refer to item 3 (2) of the website: http://www.mlit.go.jp/english/maritime/Web/insurance_portal3eng.htm
