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IHM report and IHM certificate for seagoing vessels

Every seagoing merchant ship or fishing vessel of 500 GT or more must carry an Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) and an IHM certificate on board if it flies the flag of a Member State of the European Union (EU) or of a country that is a party to the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009. The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) oversees compliance with this requirement in the Netherlands.

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First issue of an IHM certificate

For the first issue of an initial IHM certificate, the vessel must first obtain an IHM report. As the owner of a vessel that flies the Dutch flag, you must request this report from 1 of the following companies:

  • Kiwa Oesterbaai Maritime & Offshore
    Hongkongstraat 5
    3047 BR Rotterdam
    the Netherlands
    +31 88 059 97 00
  • Eurofins IHM
    Zuideinde 68
    2991 LK Barendrecht
    the Netherlands
    +31 10 292 29 40
  • SGS Search, IHM Department
    Petroleumhavenweg 8
    1041 AC Amsterdam
    the Netherlands
    +31 88 214 66 00

Once the IHM report has been prepared, you can apply for the IHM certificate. Where you must apply depends on the type of vessel:

Renewal of the IHM certificate

As the vessel owner, you must maintain the IHM report throughout the vessel’s entire operational life.

The IHM certificate is valid for a maximum of 5 years. You can renew it if an IHM inspection confirms that the IHM report is up to date. Otherwise, you may be required to request a new report before you can apply for a new IHM certificate.

Where you must apply for the IHM inspection and certificate renewal depends on the type of vessel:

Costs of the IHM certificate

The fees for the IHM certificate are set out in the Regeling tarieven transportsectoren (Transportation Sectors Tariffs Scheme, in Dutch).

EU regulation and implementing decision

Proper inventory of hazardous materials on board helps to ensure the safe and environmentally sound dismantling and recycling of seagoing vessels. The applicable rules are set out in Regulation (EU) No 1257/2013, Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/2726 and Resolution MEPC.379(80) 2023 Guidelines for the development of the inventory of hazardous materials.