MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has guaranteed the strict compliance of domestic shipping companies with the rules, regulations, and policies on the re-admeasurement of Philippine-registered domestic ships.
Currently, the MARINA – Shipyards Regulation Service (MARINA – SRS) strictly implements the nationwide internal audit on Tonnage Measurement System and Load Line Assignment Systems of Ships, guided by the MARINA Circular No. 2007-03, the MARINA Circular No. 2007-04 and the MARINA Advisory No. 2012-11.
MARINA Circular No. 2007-03 provides rules and regulations for the implementation, administration, and enforcement of load line survey, assignment, marking, and certification of Philippine-registered ships engaged in domestic trade based on International Load Line Convention 1966 and Protocol of 1988, as amended, while MARINA Circular No. 2007-04 requires all ships under the Philippine flag registry to be admeasured relative to the standards of the International Tonnage Convention (ITC) of 1969. The MARINA Advisory No. 2012-11, on the other hand, promotes the safety of ships through the conduct of nationwide audit for the validation and verification of tonnage measurement of all Philippine-registered domestic vessels.
Meanwhile, the MARINA regularly audits its regional offices performing the tonnage measurement of ships to ensure that the methods, processes, and extent of internal controls are compliance with the objectives of the MARINA in regulating the Philippine shipping industry, and as a result, the MARINA is a able to address the discrepancies found on tonnage measurement.
To date, the MARINA-SRS successfully conducted internal audits on seven (7) MARINA Regional offices including Regions 1 and 2 in La Union, Region 4 in Batangas City, Region 5 in Legaspi City, Region 6 in Iloilo City, Region 7 in Cebu City, Region 8 in Tacloban City, and Region 9 in Zamboanga City. The sector targets to audit three more regional offices, including the central office, this year.
In coordination with the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), the MARINA-SRS also regularly conducts capacity building on Tonnage Measurement of Ships (TMS) to further equip its technical personnel, specifically its naval architects, on its latest advancements.
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