Ships are high value assets of high mobility being capable of being transferred from one owner to another or from one registry to another very easily and quickly. It is standard international practice and a provision of IMO international instruments that the relevant certificates cease to be valid upon transfer of the ship to the flag of another State. However, the IHM must be properly maintained and updated throughout the operational life of the ship and it should supplement any ‘Inventory Certificate’ or ‘Statement of Compliance’.
As per Hong Kong Convention and EU SRR, the shipowner is responsible for the maintenance of Part I of the IHM during the lifetime of the ship. Part I of the IHM should belong to the ship and the continuity and conformity of the information it contains should be confirmed, especially after any repair or conversion of a ship, after any ship's machinery or equipment is added to, removed or replaced or the hull coating is renewed and if the flag, owner or operator of the ship changes.
The respective changes to the IHM should be made accordingly and all the relevant documentation (e.g. MD and SDoC) should be collected and maintained in the ship’s archive.
In this context, designating a person as responsible for maintaining and updating the IHM is a crucial responsibility for the shipowner. The duties of the designated person should be incorporated in the shipowner’s quality management system and should be clearly described in writing.