Statement of Compliance for Ships in Temporary Lay-up
A lay-up file connects ship arrangements, preservation, class and certificate status with conditions for return to service; issuer declarations document their own scope and conditions.
Operational Explanation
A lay-up file keeps the ship’s arrangements, preservation activities and conditions for return traceable. Read a declaration or Statement of Compliance together with the approved or agreed plan, its scope and class and certificate status: it identifies what the issuer has actually verified or attested. Records during inactivity then support preparation of the examinations needed for reactivation.
Temporary lay-up may be warm or cold, with different crewing, active systems, maintenance and operational readiness. A society may offer a notation, declaration or document under its own terminology; there is no single IMO “Statement of Compliance” that automatically suspends surveys.
Class and statutory certificates must be managed separately. During prolonged lay-up some statutory certificates may not be maintained through periodical surveys, while class status may follow a limited regime under the Rules. Return depends on duration, preservation, modifications, overdue surveys and actual condition.
| File / evidence | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Lay-up document | Issuer, basis, identified ship, warm/cold arrangements and activities actually attested. |
| Inactivity conditions | Location, expected duration, crew, mooring, safety and preservation agreed with the competent parties. |
| Maintenance | Plan, maintenance/test records and due dates; check documented effects on class and individual certificates. |
| Return | Actual condition, work and modifications, overdue activities and an agreed examination programme before return to service. |
Regulatory Reference
Apply the conventions and flag instructions for statutory certificates, society Rules for class and local authority requirements. One society’s procedures are not a universal regime. DNV — lay-up and reactivation.
HSSC 2025 §5.5 treats lay-up or a long period out of service for major repairs/modifications as possible special circumstances for dating a certificate following a late renewal. The Administration decides; the renewal retains its full scope and additional examinations may be needed depending on inactivity and preservation of hull and machinery. This does not automatically suspend due dates. HSSC 2025 §5.5.
Scope of Application
Ships taken out of service for commercial, technical or market reasons. Requirements and controls vary with location, duration, warm/cold mode, crewing, system status, flag, class and coastal authorities.
Procedure / How to Complete It
- Notify flag, class, insurers and relevant authorities.
- Agree the lay-up mode and status of class and certificates.
- Prepare safety, preservation, maintenance and test plans.
- Record surveys, audits and certificates falling due during the period.
- Derive recommissioning from actual condition, work and due dates.
Practical Example
For a ship in extended cold lay-up, Company, flag and class establish which certificates will not be maintained, which limited visits apply, and which overdue surveys, tests and checks are required before service.
What Typically Goes Wrong
Common Mistakes Mistake Library
| Mistake | Consequence | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Treat the lay-up document as suspension of every deadline | Surveys or certificates may expire without their effects being recorded in the file. | Read the document’s issuer, scope and conditions and agree in writing the treatment of class and each affected certificate. |
| Use a standard return programme without the inactivity file | Necessary examinations may be omitted or planned without regard to actual condition. | Compare duration, preservation, work and overdue activities and agree the pertinent programme with flag/class. |
What the PSCO Checks
Operational Tips
- Keep a register of deadlines, status and the issuer’s written decision for each certificate and survey.
- Retain maintenance, preservation, test and modification records.
- Before reactivation, also agree crewing, familiarization and flag-required ISM/ISPS verification.
Preparation checklist
- Warm/cold mode and duration defined
- Notifications completed
- Class and certificate status agreed
- Preservation and due dates recorded
- Return scope approved
FAQ
Related Topics
Certified substantive revision: 13 October 2026 · page fingerprint 14147fc95fba