IMO Polar Code

HOW DNV HELPS YOU

DNV supports ship owners to comply with the Polar Code and to obtain a Polar Ship Certificate. Our services include both statutory certification on behalf of the flag administration, and advisory services to help you prepare for certification. The advisory and certification services will always be conducted independently from each other according to the implementing acts. 

We also help you through our traditional ship classification services, offering a suite of notations to meet your cold-climate operating needs:

  • Ice strengthening – via the PC polar ice classes, from PC(1) to PC(7), and the Baltic ice classes, ICE(1A*) to ICE(1C)
  • Icebreaker notation – for ships specially designed to break ice
  • Winterization – the protection of ship systems from freezing and icing via our Winterized notations

We will help you to select an appropriate ice class, design temperature, polar service temperature, and winterization notation to best suit your planned polar operations. A summary of our services is provided below.

Your focus/challenges
  • Generate an operational assessment report according to Part I-A § 1.5 of the Polar Code
     – Define the ship’s polar operations capabilities, and set a Polar Service Temperature

Statutory certification services from DNV
  • Review the owner’s operational assessment
Optional advisory support
  • Assists owners in conducting the operational assessment, define the ship’s polar operations capabilities, and set a Polar Service Temperature

Your focus/challenges
  • Determination of polar ship category equivalency according to Part I-A § 3 of the Polar Code
    - Conduct a structural equivalency analysis of an existing ship to determine its equivalent polar ship category

Statutory certification services from DNV
  • Review/approve the ice class equivalency (for non-IACS polar ice class ship seeking Category A or B designation)
Optional advisory support
  • Assist owners in conducting a structural equivalency analysis of an existing ship to determine its equivalent polar ship category

Your focus/challenges

  • Documentation of systems and equipment according to Part I-A § 1.5 of the Polar Code.


Statutory certification services from DNV
  • Review/approve the ship system and equipment documentation
Optional advisory support
  • Assist owners in assessing the ship’s systems and equipment against the requirements of the Polar Code and identify what documentation will be needed

Your focus/challenges

  • Intact stability calculations that include allowance for icing according to Part I-A § 4.3.1 of the IMO Polar Code.

Statutory certification services from DNV 

  • Review/approve stability calculations
Optional advisory support
  • Calculate the icing load and stability calculations for relevant loading conditions

Your focus/challenges

  • Set up a Polar Water Operational Manual (PWOM) according to Part I-A § 2 of the IMO Polar Code.

Statutory certification services from DNV
  • Review the PWOM

Optional advisory support

  • Assist owner in preparing the PWOM, customized to the needs of each ship

Your focus/challenges 

  • Ship survey to confirm compliance with Polar Code according to Part I-A § 1.5 of the IMO Polar Code.


Statutory certification services from DNV

  • Conduct the statutory survey, Usually harmonized with the renewal or intermediate survey of the vessel’s other SOLAS certificates

Your focus/challenges 

  • Issuance of Polar Ship Certificate (PSC) according to Part I-A § 1.5 of the IMO Polar Code.


Statutory certification services from DNV

  • Issue the PSC on behalf of the vessel’s flag administration

Your focus/challenges 

  • Carry a MARPOL certificate on board according to Part II-A § 1 of the IMO Polar Code.


Statutory certification services from DNV

  • Reissue the appendix to the IOPP certificate to indicate compliance with the environmental requirements of the Polar Code. Other MARPOL certificates are unaffected.

Related downloads and links

 

Polar ship categories

Download the PDF and explore how the different Polar Ship categories are specified

 

Training requirements for ships operating in polar waters

Download the PDF providing an overview of requirements for different ship types