Styrmann Tor Erling Skare and Captain Toralv Austrheim pictured with adviser Tove Aarekol in the Norwegian Maritime Directorate. Image courtesy of the Directorate of Maritime Affairs

The Norwegian Maritime Directorate has issued the first electronic vessel certificates that document that a shipping company has sufficient insurance to cover any claims for oil spills.

The Transitional Civil Liability Convention for Oil Pollution Damage (CLC) certificate and the Certificate on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage (CLB) are the first certificates to be offered digitally by the Norwegian Maritime Directorate.

“This is purely positive and provides increased document control on our part,” said Toralv Austrheim, captain onboard the vessel, MS Utsira.

Instead of having the papers onboard the boat at any time, they can now find them through the “My Side Vessels” portal.

“In this way we avoid the eternal double storage as well,” added mate Tor Erling Skare.

The automation of certificates will increase data quality, and when the solution is fully automated in the long term, it will provide the opportunity to issue CLB and CLC certificates around the clock.

“With this solution, the shipping companies will save time on managing the certificates, and at the same time they will have these certificates available digitally at all times,” said Jorunn Lindøe, senior adviser in the Norwegian Maritime Directorate’s IT department.

Although these certificates are now issued electronically, this does not mean that shipowners now have to deal with the Norwegian Maritime Directorate digitally.

“If anyone needs assistance, guidance or help with something, we are of course available, also in human form,” said Tove Aarekol, adviser in the Inspection, Audit and Preparedness subdivision.

“We have to count on some childhood illnesses when switching to a digital system, and then we are given feedback from our customers,” Ms Aerekol added.

Read more by clicking here.

Source: VPO Global