What is FAL convention or Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic ?

FAL Forms and Certificates

FAL Forms

The Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL Convention) includes in its Standard 2.1 a list of documents which public authorities can demand of a ship and recommends the maximum information and number of copies which should be required.

IMO has developed Standardized Forms for seven of these documents, which are:

Two other documents are required under the Universal Postal Convention and the International Health Regulations.

The general declaration, cargo declaration, crew list and passenger list constitute the maximum information necessary. The ship’s stores declaration and crew’s effects declaration incorporate the agreed essential minimum information requirements.

Certificates

All ships are required to carry certificates that establish their seaworthiness, type of ship, competency of seafarers and so on. These certificates are provided by the flag State of the ship and may be inspected by port State control officers. Certificates to be carried on board ships are listed in FAL/Circ.90/MEPC/Circ.368 /MSC/Circ.946They include (some dependent on the type of ship):

  • International Tonnage Certificate;
  • International Load Line Certificate;
  • Intact stability booklet; Damage control booklets;
  • Minimum safe manning document;
  • Certificates for masters, officers or ratings;
  • International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate; Oil Record Book;
  • Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan;
  • Garbage Management Plan;
  • Garbage Record Book;
  • Cargo Securing Manual;
  • Document of Compliance and Safety Management Certificate (ISM Code).
Purpose of convention are;

DESIRING  to facilitate maritime traffic by simplifying and reducing to a minimum the formalities, documentary requirements and procedures on the arrival, stay and departure of ships engaged in international voyages;

Article I

The Contracting Governments undertake to adopt, in accordance with the provisions of the present Convention and its annex, all appropriate measures to facilitate and expedite international maritime traffic and to prevent unnecessary delays to ships and to persons and property on board.

Article II
  1. The Contracting Governments undertake to co-operate, in accordance with the provisions of the present Convention, in the formulation and application of measures for the facilitation of the arrival, stay and departure of ships. Such measures shall be, to the fullest extent practicable, not less favorable than measures applied in respect of other means of international transport; however, these measures may differ according to particular requirements.
  2. The measures for the facilitation of international maritime traffic provided for under the present Convention and its annex apply equally to the ships of coastal and non-coastal States the Governments of which are Parties to the present Convention.
  3. The provisions of the present Convention do not apply to warships or pleasure yachts

In the Dangerous Goods Manifest public authorities shall not require more than the following information:

  • Name of ship
  • Call sign
  • IMO number
  • Flag State of ship
  • Master’s name
  • Voyage reference
  • Port of loading
  • Port of discharge
  • Shipping agent
  • Booking/reference number
  • Marks and numbers
    1. container ID No(s).
    2. vehicle Reg. No(s).
  • Number and kind of packages
  • Proper shipping name
  • Class
  • UN Number
  • Packing group
  • Subsidiary risk(s)
  • Flashpoint (in oC, c.c.)
  • Marine Pollutant
  • Mass (kg) – gross/net
  • EmS
  • Stowage position on the board.

LIST OF ALL FAL  FORM ARE:

APPENDIX 1
IMO GENERAL DECLARATION (  FAL FORM 1)
    Arrival   Departure
1.1    Name and type of ship

1.2    IMO number

1.3    Call sign

 

2. Port of arrival/departure 3. Date – time of arrival/departure
4. Flag State of ship 5. Name of master 6. Last port of call/Next port of call
7. Certificate of registry (Port; date; number) 8. Name and contact details of ship’s agent
9. Gross tonnage 10. Net tonnage
11. Position of the ship in the port (berth or station)
12. Brief particulars of voyage (previous and subsequent ports of call; underline where remaining cargo will be discharged)
13. Brief description of the cargo
14. Number of crew (incl. master) 15. Number of passengers 16. Remarks
Attached documents (indicate number of copies)
17. Cargo Declaration 18. Ship’s Stores Declaration
19. Crew List 20. Passenger List 21. The ship’s requirements in terms of waste and residue reception facilities
22. Crew’s Effects Declaration* 23. Maritime Declaration of Health*
  1. Date and signature by master, authorized agent or officer

For official use

IMO CARGO DECLARATION (FAL  FORM 2)
        Arrival   Departure Page No.
  1.1    Name and type of ship

1.2    IMO number

1.3    Call sign

 

2. Port where report is made
  3. Flag State of ship 4. Name of master 5. Port of loading/Port of discharge
B/L

No.*

6. Marks and Nos. 7. Number and kind of packages; description of goods or, if available, the HS code 8. Gross weight 9. Measurement
Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic        
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
IMO FAL

Form 2

       
  1. Date and signature by master, authorized agent or officer

* Transport document No.

Also state original ports of shipment in respect to goods shipped on multimodal transport document or through bills of lading.

              Page No.
        Arrival   Departure
  1.1    Name and type of ship

1.2    IMO number

1.3    Call sign

 

2. Port of arrival/departure 3. Date of arrival/departure
  4. Flag State of ship 5. Last port of call/Next port of call
  6. Number of persons on board. 7. Period of stay 8. Place of storage
Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic 9. Name of article 10. Quantity 11. Official use  
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
IMO FAL

Form 3

 

       

12. Date and signature by master, authorized agent or officer

IMO CREW’S EFFECTS DECLARATION (FAL  FORM 4)
  Page No.
  1.1    Name and type of ship

1.2    IMO number

1.3    Call sign

2. Effects ineligible for relief from customs duties and taxes or subject to prohibitions or restrictions*
  3. Flag State of ship        
  4. No. 5. Family name, given names 6. Rank or rating         7. Signature
Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic              
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
IMO FAL

Form 4

 

 

           
IMO CREW’S EFFECTS DECLARATION (FAL  FORM 4)
  Page No.
  1.1    Name and type of ship

1.2    IMO number

1.3    Call sign

2. Effects ineligible for relief from customs duties and taxes or subject to prohibitions or restrictions*
  3. Flag State of ship        
  4. No. 5. Family name, given names 6. Rank or rating         7. Signature
Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic              
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
IMO FAL

Form 4

 

 

           
  1. Date and signature by master, authorized agent or officer

* e.g. wines, spirits, cigarettes, tobacco etc.

IMO CREW LIST ( FAL FORM 5)
              Page No.
          Arrival   Departure
  1.1    Name and type of ship

1.2    IMO number

1.3    Call sign

2. Port of arrival/departure 3. Date of arrival/departure
  4. Flag State of ship 5. Last port of call 6. Nature and No. of identity document (seaman’s passport)
  Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic 7. No.     8. Family name, given names 9. Rank or rating 10. Nationality 11. Date and place of birth
IMO FAL

Form 5

         
  1. Date and signature by master, authorized agent or officer
IMO PASSENGER LIST ( FAL FORM 6 )
              Page No.
        Arrival   Departure
  1.1    Name and type of ship

1.2    IMO number

1.3    Call sign

2. Port of arrival/departure 3. Date of arrival/departure
  4. Flag State of ship  
Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic 5. Family name, given names 6. Nationality 7.             Date and place of birth 8. Type of identity document 9. Serial number of identity document 10. Port of embarkation 11. Port of disembarkation 12. Transit passenger or not
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
IMO FAL

Form 6

             
  1. Date and signature by master, authorized agent or officer
DANGEROUS GOODS MANIFEST ( FAL FORM 7)

(As required by SOLAS 74, chapter VII, regulation 4.5 and 7-2.2, MARPOL 73/78, Annex III, regulation 4(3) and chapter 5.4, paragraph 5.4.3.1 of the IMDG Code)

NAME OF SHIP                  IMO NUMBER FLAG STATE OF   SHIP
MASTER’S NAME    
VOYAGE REFERENCE    
PORT OF LOADING     
PORT OF DISCHARGE    
SHIPPING AGENT    
     
BOOKING/

REFERENCE

NUMBER

 MARKS & NUMBERS

CONTAINER ID. NO(s).

VEHICLE REG. NO(s).

 NUMBER

AND KIND OF PACKAGES

 

 PROPER SHIPPING NAME

 CLASS  UN

NUMBER

 PACKING GROUP  SUBSIDIARY

RISK(S)

 FLASH -POINT

(IN C,c.c.)

 MARINE POLLUTANT  MASS (kg)

GROSS/NET

EmS  STOWAGE POSITION

ON BOARD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 BOOKING/

REFERENCE

NUMBER

 MARKS & NUMBERS

CONTAINER ID. NO(s).

VEHICLE REG. NO(s).

 NUMBER

AND KIND OF PACKAGES

 PROPER SHIPPING NAME CLASS  UN

NUMBER

 PACKING GROUP  SUBSIDIARY

RISK(S)

 FLASH -POINT

(IN C,c.c.)

 MARINE POLLUTANT  MASS (kg)

GROSS/NET

 

 EmS

STOWAGE POSITION

ON BOARD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AMIT KUMAR

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