Ukraine - P&I Surveyor Difficulties at Yuzhny Port - Updated

In June 2013 the Club advised of the introduction of new port access procedures at Yuzhny, Ukraine which made it difficult for P&I surveyors to attend vessels at short notice.

Club correspondents Dias Marine Consulting, Odessa have provided an update on the situation, advising of a further tightening of access requirements for surveyors wishing to visit vessels in Yuzhny.

The previous system required P&I surveyors to submit an application to the Port Administration for an entry permit at least three working days prior to the ship’s arrival. Under the latest system, for each attendance the surveyor must lodge an application in person with the Customs Authorities for the issuance of a Customs “Visa” which usually takes around one day. The surveyor must then personally submit documentation to the Immigration Authorities, taking a further day for the required immigration documentation to be issued. Once approval from Customs and Immigration has been granted, the surveyor is then required to provide the paperwork to the Port Administration via the ship’s agent. Apart from the difficulties involved and the time required in order to acquire the necessary entry permit, the need for surveyors to visit the port repeatedly in order to submit paperwork to the relevant authorities inevitably increases survey costs.

Although permanent entry permits are available for surveyors to access the berths used for loading urea, surveyors wishing to access any other berth are obliged to follow the foregoing application process for each attendance.

Members with vessels proceeding to Yuzhny that may need a P&I surveyor are advised to give ample notice so that permission to access the port can be obtained prior to the vessel’s arrival. There appears to be no provision to speed up the process if a P&I surveyor is required at short notice, therefore in the event of an incident requiring the urgent attendance of a surveyor the Managers should be notified immediately.

Members requiring any further advice should contact the Loss Prevention department.