An official document to certify the class status of a vessel at a specific time

Purpose

To provide an official document to certify that a vessel is or has been in class and that it meets or met the class requirements at a given time or period of time.

Benefits

A Class Declaration enables the ship manager to confirm to a prospective buyer that the conditions stipulated in the contract have been met.

A Class Declaration may also enable the owner/managing owner to confirm to a third party that the vessel is classed by DNV and that the vessel meets the class requirements. This third party may be a flag administration (when the owner intends to change flag), a bank, a cargo owner, port authorities, etc.

In cases of accidents involving or damage to a ship or its equipment, the managers may use a Class Declaration to demonstrate to the insurance company that the vessel met the class requierments at the time of the accident/damage.

Features

The Class Declaration is normally a self-contained statement, but may include copies of survey reports and certificates.

DNV offers a series of standard Class Declarations:

• Sale declarations
• Insurance declarations
• Register declarations
• Oil major declarations
• Newbuilding declarations
• Unmanned machinery space (E0) declarations
• Segregated Ballast Tanks (SBT) declarations
• Age declarations

Other types of declarations may be issued upon request.

Process

Declarations are issued upon receipt of a ship manager's written request. The request should contain a specification of the Declaration (purpose of the Declaration), where and when the Declaration should be mailed, and where the invoice should be sent submitted.

If the sender of the request is someone other than the ship manager registered in DNV's records, written authorisation from the manager should be enclosed. A request for a Declaration should normally be submitted at least two days in advance of the requested delivery date. In urgent cases, a Declaration may be delivered at shorter notice.