Regulation, Conventions and Class

This portal covers the rules a ship is built and operated to: how the IMO makes instruments, the conventions themselves (SOLAS, MARPOL, Load Lines, Tonnage, STCW) and the codes beneath them, classification societies and the IACS Unified Requirements, flag-state implementation, port-state control regimes, and survey and certification cycles.

Most of this portal is the text of IMO instruments and the resolutions that amend them, read alongside the IACS Unified Requirements and Unified Interpretations that class societies apply, and the port-state control regimes, chiefly the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda of Understanding, that check compliance in port.

Liability, carriage and insurance law belong to Maritime Law and the Law of the Sea; the ISPS Code and security measures belong to Maritime Security, Defence and Risk; carbon and fuel rules belong to Decarbonization, Emissions and Alternative Fuels.

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SOLAS 1974: Chapters, Surveys and Amendments
SOLAS 1974 explained for practitioners: applicability, chapters I to XV, mandatory codes, survey and certification, port state control and tacit amendments.
MARPOL Convention: Six Annexes and Enforcement
MARPOL 73/78 is the IMO treaty on pollution from ships: its six annexes, special areas, tacit acceptance, Annex VI efficiency rules and port state enforcement.
STCW Convention 1978 as Amended and the STCW Code
Practitioner guide to the STCW Convention 1978 as amended: certificate types, STCW Code, rest hours, white list, recognition, port state control and MLC links.
Classification society
A classification society publishes rules for ship construction and machinery, surveys ships against them, and acts as a recognized organization for flag states.
Port State Control: Global Inspection Regime
Port state control is how a port State inspects foreign ships against IMO and ILO conventions: targeting, clear grounds, detention, bans and regional MoUs.
Paris MoU: Port State Control in Europe
The Paris MoU coordinates port State control across European and North Atlantic States: risk profiling, detention, banning, the flag performance list and CICs.
Tokyo MoU: Port State Control in the Asia-Pacific
The Tokyo MoU coordinates port State control for 22 Asia-Pacific Authorities: the New Inspection Regime, detention, performance lists, APCIS and joint CICs.
Polar Code: Rules for Ships in Arctic and Antarctic Waters
The Polar Code is the mandatory IMO code for ships in Arctic and Antarctic waters: categories A to C, Polar Ship Certificate, PWOM, POLARIS and MARPOL rules.
BWM Convention 2004: Ballast Water Management Rules
IMO BWM Convention 2004, in force since 8 September 2017: application, D-1 and D-2 standards, B-3 schedule, certificate, record book, PSC and the 2026 review.
IGF Code: Safety Rules for Gas and Low-Flashpoint Fuels
The IGF Code (MSC.391(95)) is the SOLAS II-1 Part G standard for ships on LNG or other low-flashpoint fuels, plus the interim route for methanol and ammonia.

All articles in this portal

169 articles, plus 366 in preparation.