Every Certificate You Need Before Calling Chittagong, In One List
The statutory set, the ones agents specifically chase, and why a lapsed certificate is the most common reason for delay.
Half the questions we get from a new vessel's master a day before arrival are some version of "what documents do you actually need from me." Fair question, nobody hands new callers a single list, and the answer ends up scattered across a dozen circulars. Here's the list we actually work from. For a live appointment, confirm the current authority notice, vessel particulars, cargo or service scope and third-party availability before relying on a published planning figure. Certificate and checklist requirements should be verified against current CPA, customs and class expectations for the call.
The core statutory set
Every ocean-going vessel calling Chittagong should have these ready, either physically on board for inspection or as scanned copies the agent can forward ahead: Certificate of Registry, Load Line Certificate, Safety Construction Certificate, Safety Equipment Certificate (Form E), Safety Radio Certificate (Form R), International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate (IOPP, Form A), International Air Pollution Prevention Certificate (IAPP), International Sewage Pollution Prevention Certificate (ISPP), ship's station or mobile radio licence, Minimum Safe Manning Certificate, Safety Management Certificate (SMC), Document of Compliance (DOC), International Ship Security Certificate (ISSC), Continuous Synopsis Record (CSR), and confirmation the EPIRB is current and tested.
The ones agents specifically ask for and masters sometimes forget
Last Port State Control inspection report, if your previous PSC call flagged anything, port authorities here will want to know it's been closed out, not just acknowledged. Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage (CLC) certificate, which is mandatory for any vessel over 1,000 GT and gets checked more carefully than owners sometimes expect. Ballast Water Management Certificate, increasingly scrutinized given how much PSC attention this area has gotten globally over the past couple of years. And if there's ever been a wreck removal situation in the vessel's recent history, documentation around that needs to be available too.
Why incomplete paperwork actually costs you time
None of this is exotic, every vessel trading internationally should have all of it as a matter of course. What actually causes delay isn't missing certificates so much as certificates that have lapsed without anyone catching it before arrival, or documents that exist but weren't forwarded to the agent early enough for customs and the harbour master's office to pre-clear the paperwork side before the vessel reaches anchorage. We've had vessels locked at anchorage for the better part of a day simply because a safety radio certificate had expired three weeks earlier and nobody flagged it until the boarding officer asked for it directly.
What we ask for, and when
Scanned copies of the full certificate set as early as possible, ideally at the point a fixture is confirmed, not when the vessel is already at Kutubdia. That gives enough lead time to flag any gap and get it sorted, whether that's a renewal in progress or just a missing scan, before it becomes a problem that holds up berthing or customs clearance once the vessel is actually here.
Sending Your Vessel's Documents Ahead of Arrival?
Send vessel name and IMO number, port or facility, ETA, cargo or service scope and the decision you need to make. The duty desk will confirm the current local position, appointment boundary and third-party dependencies before quoting.