Refers to: Ship-owners, Operators, Masters and Managers of PHRS certified vessels

Effective Date: January 2026

The Panama Maritime Authority, via Merchant Marine Circular 217 has restructured its requirements for Ship-to-Ship (STS) transfer operations and flag notations concerning Panamanian Oil Tankers of 150 GRT and above. More specifically:

• The STS operation Plan shall be developed taking into account the safety and pollution prevention provisions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) conventions and the information contained in the best practice guidelines for STS operations identified by

•  IMO’s “Manual on Oil Pollution, Section I, Prevention” as amended,
•  ICS OCIMF Ship to Ship Transfer Guide for Petroleum, Chemicals and Liquefied Gases (2025),

• STS operation Plan shall be written in English and the working language of the ship;
• STS operations shall be conducted according to the approved STS Operations Plan;
• All Ship Operator Companies of all Panamanian flagged oil tankers of 150 GT and above shall update their STS Operations Plan to include the Notification to the Flag State regarding when and where this STS operations will take place.

The January 2026 update of MMC-217 provides for:

• The STS operation Plan shall be developed taking into accountICS OCIMF Ship to Ship Transfer Guide for Petroleum, Chemicals and Liquefied Gases (2025),
• It is strictly prohibited for Panamanian-flagged vessels to provide, facilitate, and/or participate, directly or indirectly, in any form of support to sanctioned vessels, in accordance with the provisions of Executive Decree No. 512 of October 18, 2024.

For the full text please follow the link below.

• Merchant Marine Circular 217

PHRS NL 325/25 is also relevant.

For any questions or further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at technical@phrs.gr .

Refers to: Ship-owners, Operators, Masters and Managers of PHRS certified vessels

Effective Date: Immediate

Dear All,

This Newsletter aims to inform all concerned parties about Liberian Registry’s Marine Advisory 01/2026 on the need to provide information about the Administration’s procedure for implementing Company and Shipboard audits of the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) in Marine Notice ISM-001 and MEPC Resolution 347(78).

Background

Resolution MEPC 328(76) adopted the 2021 Revised MARPOL Annex VI, which entered into force on 1 November 2022. Regulation 26.3.1 requires ships to which this regulation applies to keep onboard a SEEMP (Part III) on or before 1 January 2023, which shall include:

• description of the methodology that will be used to calculate the ship's attained annual operational CII required by regulation 28 of the 2021 Revised MARPOL Annex VI and the processes that will be used to report this value to the ship's Administration;

• the required annual operational CII, as specified in regulation 28 of the 2021 Revised MARPOL Annex VI, for the next three years;

• an implementation plan documenting how the required annual operational CII will be achieved during the next 3 years; and

• a procedure for self-evaluation and improvement

Regulation 28.3 requires that a ship rated as E or rated as D for three consecutive years shall develop and undertake the verified planned corrective actions in the revised SEEMP (Part III) to achieve the required annual operational carbon intensity indicator (CII).

Regulation 26.3.3 requires that the SEEMP shall be subject to periodical company audits taking into account the guidelines in MEPC Resolution 347(78). The periodical company audits may include annual audits of the company (company audits) and verifications on board the ship (shipboard audits). If undertaken, the audits should be conducted no later than six months after the issuance of the Statement of Compliance related to fuel oil consumption reporting and operational carbon intensity rating, i.e. no later than 30 November.

Implementation

• Companies with one or more ships that obtained an E rating in any calendar year (XXXX) should be audited no later than 30 November of the following year (XXXX+1); and with one or more ships that obtained consecutive D ratings in calendar years XXXX and XXXX+1, should be audited no later than 30 November of year XXXX+2;

• Shipboard audits should be conducted of ships that received two (2) consecutive E ratings of the annual operational CII (i.e in the year XXXX+2);

• Companies with ships that obtained ratings other than those described in 1. above should be audited at intervals not exceeding three (3) years;

• Company audits may be combined with the annual company DOC audit if it is within the window of the DOC audit; or as a standalone audit, as may be decided by the Administration;

• The Administration has decided to extend the due date of the Company audits for calendar year 2025 to 31 December 2026.

Companies should contact an authorized Recognized Organization listed on the Administration’s website in order to schedule the Company audit.

This Marine Advisory is valid until 31 December 2026; the Administration will review this procedure after 31 December 2026 and provide revised procedures, in case of any changes.

For the full text please follow the link bellow.

• Marine Advisory: 01/2026

For more information, please contact us at technical@phrs.gr or the Regulations and Standards Department at RegsandStandards@liscr.com.

Refers to: Ship-owners, Operators, Masters and Managers of PHRS certified vessels

Effective Date: N/A

Dear All,

This Newsletter aims to inform all ship-owners, operators and Masters of vessels about the Top 20 detainable deficiencies identified by the Liberian Registry for January 2026, based on recent Port State Control (PSC) statistics, and to enhance awareness on common root causes, preventive measures, and survey focus areas.

The most frequently identified detainable deficiencies (with codes) include:

1. Auxiliary engine - 13102
2. Oil accumulation and leaks in the engine room - 7126
3. Maintenance of the ship and equipment - 15109
4. Nautical Publications - 10116
5. Propulsion main engine - 13101
6. Gauges, thermometers etc. - 13103
7. Lifeboats - 11101
8. Firefighting equipment and appliances - 7110
9. Fire-dampers - 7115
10. Fire doors/openings in fire-resisting divisions - 7105
11. Deck Corrosion - 02117
12. Fire Pumps and its pipes ( Leaking, damage or out of operation) - 07113
13. Emergency source of power - Emergency generator - 4114
14. Emergency lighting, batteries and switches - 4103
15. Ventilators, air pipes , casing - 3108
16. Rescue boats - 11104
17. Ventilators, air pipes , casing - 3108
18. Emergency source of power - Emergency generator – 4114
19. Fixed fire extinguishing installation - 7109
20. ISM - 15150

Common Root Causes of PSC Detentions

PSC inspections indicate that detainable deficiencies often arise from:

• Inadequate maintenance or testing of safety-critical equipment;
• Lack of effective onboard verification prior to arrival at port;
• Insufficient crew familiarization and training, particularly for emergency duties;
• Incomplete, inaccurate, or outdated documentation and records.

Recommendations to Ship-owners and Operators

To reduce the risk of PSC detention, ship-owners and operators should be strongly encouraged to:

• Conduct pre-arrival internal checks, focusing on:
  • Fire safety systems
  • Life-Saving Appliances (LSA)
  • ISM implementation
  • Pollution prevention equipment
• Ensure all safety and emergency equipment is operational, tested, and readily available;
• Verify that crew are familiar with emergency duties and ship-specific procedures;
• Review and update statutory certificates, logs, and records prior to port entry;
• Pay particular attention to recurring PSC deficiency areas highlighted in this Circular and in PHRS PSC bulletins.

As a recognized organization, PHRS will continue to:

• Monitor PSC trends affecting ships classed and/or certified by PHRS;
• Share relevant information for awareness and preventive purposes through Technical Circulars, Newsletters, and PSC Bulletins;
• Support ship-owners and operators through technical guidance, clarification, and proactive engagement.

For more information, please contact us at technical@phrs.gr

Refers to: Ship-owners, Operators, Masters and Managers of PHRS certified vessels

Effective Date: N/A

Dear All,

This Newsletter aims to provide guidance on requests for extensions of statutory renewal and dry-dock surveys for vessels registered under the Liberian Flag. Vessel owners and operators of Liberian vessels are expected to plan surveys and dry-docking in advance to avoid the need for extensions.

Extensions will be considered only in exceptional circumstances, where due diligence is demonstrated and all reasonable efforts to complete surveys by their due dates have been made. Any extension granted will be limited to the minimum time required and shall not exceed one month.

Class society should be contacted about their requirements for the extension which more than its recommendation, shall provide

• Current survey status
• Three (3) authentic shipyard letters indicating non-availability of dry-docking space
• Confirmation of firm booking
• Any outstanding conditions

Subject to satisfactory review, the Liberian Administration may authorize the issuance of a short-term Safety Construction Certificate, while all other statutory surveys must be completed by their original due dates.

For the full text please follow the link bellow.

• Marine Advisory: 28/2022-Rev. 1

For more information, please contact us at technical@phrs.gr or the Regulations and Standards Department at RegsAndStandards@liscr.com.