The Master Mariner

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This page sets out the essential requirements of the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic, 1965, as amended (FAL65) for the ship’s master. It then summarises the individual forms required for efficient port entry under FAL65.

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What is the purpose of the Facilitation Convention (FAL)?

To prevent unnecessary delays in maritime traffic, member countries of the IMO adopted in 1965 the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic.

Therefore, the purpose of the Convention is summed up succinctly in its foreword:

"The Convention was originally developed to meet growing international concern about excessive documents required for merchant shipping”.

FAL1965 is a 'co-operative' treaty whereby Contracting Parties undertake to enact and promote uniform and simple national procedures in the facilitation of international maritime traffic.

It achieves this by codifying standards and recommended practices that govern the formalities, documentary requirements and procedures regarding the treatment of crew, passengers, baggage and cargo on ships arriving at and departing from the ports of contracting governments.

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What are the benefits of FAL to the ship’s Master?

The practical benefits of the FAL convention to the ship’s Master are:

• reduced administrative burden through the elimination of non-essential documents
• time saved thanks to a standardised system for clearing ships
• simple completion of standardised FAL forms
• standardised forms offset difficulties caused by the language barrier
• cargoes prepared for clearance are exposed to a minimum risk of damage and theft

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Provide and outline the forms required by the FAL Convention

There are seven forms developed under FAL. They are:

• General Declaration (FAL Form 1)
• Cargo Declaration (FAL Form 2)
• Ship's Stores Declaration (FAL Form 3)
• Crew's Effects Declaration (FAL Form 4)
• Crew List (FAL Form 5)
• Passenger List (FAL Form 6)
• Dangerous Goods Manifest (FAL Form 7)

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Additionally, the following forms may be required during entry into port:

1. Declaration required under the Universal Postal Convention
2. Declaration required by International Health Regulations

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How many copies of each form should be made available on arrival and departure?

FAL65 stipulates that public authorities shall not require more than the following number of documents to be printed and signed.

Upon arrival:

• 5 copies of the General Declaration
• 4 copies of the Cargo Declaration
• 4 copies of the Ship’s Stores Declaration
• 2 copies of the Crew’s Effects Declaration
• 4 copies of the Crew List
• 4 copies of the Passenger List
• 1 copy of the Dangerous Goods Manifest
• 1 copy of the Maritime Declaration of Health.

Upon departure:

• 5 copies of the General Declaration
• 4 copies of the Cargo Declaration
• 3 copies of the Ship’s Stores Declaration
• 2 copies of the Crew and Passenger Lists
• 1 copy of the Dangerous Goods Manifest.

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What other certificates and documents are required on board ships?

The revised list of certificates and documents required on board ships can be accessed here and here.

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How should errors if discovered in the documentation be handled according to the FAL convention?

To reduce the administrative burden on ship staff, owners and managers, FAL65 requires public authorities to permit the correction of any errors found in convention documents.

Honest mistakes are errors which:

• are inadvertent
• are not serious
• are not due to recurrent carelessness
• are not made with the intent to violate laws or regulations
• are made on the condition that the errors are discovered before the document is fully checked and the corrections can be effected without delay

Similarly, if inadvertent errors are found in documents that have been authenticated by or on behalf of a shipowner or Master, then no penalties shall be imposed until an opportunity has been given to satisfy the public authority that the error was honest.

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