Plan ahead and order products early

15/09/2020

With COVID-19 restrictions affecting transportation, we are urging distributors to order product earlier than usual.

It is important to forward plan when ordering pyrotechnics and other dated, mandated items, to mitigate any possible supply delays due to potential delays in freight and transportation.

The Covid-19 global pandemic has presented many challenges around the world, and will continue to affect rules and regulations across country borders and international waters.

The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) has shared updated guidance on Marine Information Note (MIN) 612 (Amendment 3) about Covid related extensions in UK Flag ship safety surveys and safety equipment servicing.

The notice has been shared with all Surveyors, Recognised Organisations, Certifying Authorities, Authorised Persons, Ship Operators, Ship Owners, Masters, Officers and Crew, notifying them that the potential three-month extension on safety surveys and up to six-month extension on Life-saving equipment comes to an end on 16 September 2020.

The new update means that any safety equipment that expires after this date – or with an extension date past 16 September 2020 – will be required to be replaced or serviced, in line with UK and global regulations.

Previously, there have been difficulties revalidating certificates and potential problems within the supply chain for replacing mandated goods, including pyrotechnic distress signals. In response to this, WesCom Signal & Rescue issued early guidance to encourage distributors, ship owners and business leaders to stay ahead of their deadlines and order early to avoid problems with stock or servicing.

With the new announcement, the industry must review its safety equipment onboard and highlight the need to replace life-saving goods – such as pyrotechnics and liferafts – as well as organising for safety surveys to be undertaken. It is expected that there will be an extensive backlog of requests and orders incoming from contacts around the world, and it is therefore imperative that stock is requested at the earliest possible instance. There will be extra demand for replacement Comet and Pains Wessex SOLAS pyrotechnic marine distress signals.

WesCom Signal & Rescue works closely with its network to meet deadlines and demands, and has been actively encouraging suppliers and distributors to review the expiry dates of their products and stock, and to place orders at their earliest convenience and where possible, sooner than usual to allow for longer lead-times.

It is worth stressing the importance of forward planning for ordering pyrotechnics and other dated, mandated items, to mitigate any possible supply delays in the future. Only where absolutely necessary, extensions to expiry dates of pyrotechnics may be considered to allow a vessel to reach a port to replenish and update its stock.

Planning for the future and ensuring vessels are compliant to safely operate at sea is of paramount importance for the ship owner and crew onboard.