IMPORTANT NOTICE: German Certificate of Equivalence
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The German Authorities (BG Verkehr) recently has changed their practice with the German Certificate of Equivalence (CoE) that leads to new situations and requirements vessel operators have to face. A CoE is not issued without a prior on board inspection by a surveyor of BG Verkehr. Inspection dates will be allocated by BG Verkehr in general within a period of 1-2 weeks time.
„According to § 9, § 5 and Annex 1 letter D of the SchSV, vessels with less than 500 GRT have to provide evidence of equivalency with regard to safety and environmental protection according to German law. This is documented by a Certificate of Equivalence (CoE).
Following regulation is currently in force:
1. Any vessel applying for a German Certificate of Equivalance for the first time has to provide evidence of the required certificates (for vessel and crew) and is furthermore subject to an on board inspection carried out by a surveyor of BG Verkehr.
2. The following years vessels younger than 5 years can apply for an extension of the CoE without being subject to an inspection, just by giving evidence of the annual endorsements of the certificates.
3. Vessels older than 5 years can only apply for a yearly extension of the CoE by giving evidence of the annual endorsements of the certificates and after an inspection of a surveyor of BG Verkehr. This procedure is to be followed for all subsequent years.“
Offshore wind farm development has been rapidly increasing in recent years, particularly in the North and Baltic Seas. These wind farms require specialized workboats to assist with construction and maintenance. IMCA CMID and MISW audits are mandatory for wind farm operators to ensure safety and compliance in these operations. The workboats must meet strict standards and regulations to guarantee efficient and safe operations at the wind farm sites.