F. A. Vinnen places entire fleet with Verifavia Shipping & Rina for IHM services

German shipowner-manager, F. A. Vinnen & Co. has placed its entire fleet of nine vessels with Verifavia Shipping for Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) services, the company said in its release. Verifavia Shipping will conduct IHM surveys in line with the terms of the EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EU SRR) and the Hong Kong (HK) International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships and leading class society RINA will thereafter certify the work prepared by Verifavia Shipping.
 
The EU SRR applies to new EU-flagged ships and EU-flagged ships going for dismantling, and from 31 December 2020 will affect all existing EU-flagged ships as well as ships flying the flag of a third country and calling at an EU port or anchorage. The IHM regulation, impacting 35,000 vessels, requires vessels to carry a certified IHM onboard. The IHM provides detailed information on potential hazardous materials utilised in the construction of vessels, its equipment and systems. Therefore, all upgrades and equipment substition onboard during the ship’s life must be reflected in the IHM, providing owners with an up to date document when the ship is delivered to the recycling facility.
 
Delivered by one of the largest in-house teams of hazmat experts in the industry, Verifavia’s IHM services involve a process of analysing the vessel documents, an onboard visual and sampling inspection, and laboratory analysis, which is then developed into a detailed report and shared with the respective class society for final cross-checking, verification, and certification. This process enables the identification of any hazardous materials, waste or stores present on board the vessel that need to be removed when preparing the ship for recycling. In addition to the IHM initial survey, Verifavia can work with ship owners, managers and class societies to develop and implement a robust IHM maintenance procedure to ensure the IHM certification is constantly up to date.

Approved by the Korean Register, American Bureau of Shipping, Indian Register of Shipping, Lloyd’s Register and RINA, Verifavia Shipping is in the process of being approved as a HazMat Expert Company by additional classification societies including DNV GL and Bureau Veritas. Zeaborn Ship Management was one of the first organisations to contract Verifavia to perform IHM preparation and certification for more than 100 vessels. Verifavia Shipping now employs 21 hazmat experts – most of them in-house experts –, and has more than 300 vessels under IHM contract.
 
About Verifavia Shipping:
Verifavia Shipping strives to be the maritime industry’s first choice for the provision of efficient, competitive, and flexible emissions verification and hazardous materials preparation services, worldwide.
 
By combining its innovative approach and streamlined procedures with the technical expertise and industry knowledge of its team, Verifavia Shipping provides a top-class service that ensures its customers experience a smooth emissions verification process.
 
With one of the largest hazmat teams in the world, Verifavia Shipping helps shipping companies prepare and maintain an Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) on existing ships, as well as providing advice on hazardous materials during the new building phase.
 
Verifavia Shipping has offices in Paris, Singapore, and Chandigarh.
 
About F. A. Vinnen & Co.
 
F. A. Vinnen & Co. is a modern Owner and Manager of midsize container vessels. Currently our fleet consists of nine ships mostly in the 4.000 to 5.000 TEU size range. The company is a specialist for the innovative Wide Beam class where it operates six vessels of that type. Wide Beam class means vessels of 3.800 or 5.000 TEU that are wider (37m) and not as long as Panamax vessels. Together with smaller engines that are optimised for medium speeds these Wide Beam vessels are much more efficient.