CTI Becomes the First Asbestos Inspection Body that is Recognized by EU Port State Control Organizations 

Center Testing International (CTI) has successfully passed the assessment by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) and received the accreditation certificate for inspection body according to standard ISO 17020. The certificate was issued on Nov. 1, 2012, thus,CTI becomes the first asbestos inspection body that is recognized by EU port state control organizations

At the headquarter of UKAS, Mr. Rob Bettinson, the Divisional Technical Director of UKAS, granted the accreditation certificate to Mr. SangemHsu, the Chief Excutive Officer of CTI. During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on asbestos control regulations, which are required by International Maritime Organization (IMO) and EU. Both sides agreed that, as a pilot project, this successful assessment has laid a solid foundation for the uniformity of both technical standard and accreditation criteria on marine hazardous materials inspection and management.

The defined scope of CTI’s accreditation is that, surveying of vessels for the purposes of satisfying the IMO’s requirements in generating Asbestos Condition Reports to assist in the compilation of the IMO Hazardous Material Inventories. CTI’s in house procedure, the Guidance Procedure of Asbestos Survey Onboard Ship (Q/CTI TS-H-NID-0001-2012) has been recognized also.

ISO 17020, entitled "General Criteria for the Operation of Various Types of Bodies Performing Inspection", is an internationally recognized standard for the competence of inspection bodies. The accreditation body issues ISO 17020 certificate to demonstrates the inspection body’s competence, impartiality and performance capability to deliver inspection results or certificates. According to instructions by members of EU Port State Control Organizations, such as theINSTRUCTION TO SHIP OWNERS , SHIPPING COMPANIES AND RECOGNIZED ORGANIZATIONS (RO’S), BAN ON THE USE OF ASBESTOS ON BOARD SHIPS, by Netherlands Shipping Inspectorate, asbestos investigation and certification body shall be accredited by the international accreditation bodies based on ISO17020 standard, while the laboratory should be independent, qualified and licensed companies/persons accredited according to ISO 17025. Currently, CTI holds both ISO 17020 and ISO 17025 certificates.

Since 2011, targeted asbestos inspection has been gradually carried out by international port state control organizations. Netherlands, for example, will carry out asbestos inspections for foreign ships visiting Dutch ports during the 3rdand 4thquarter of 2012, the inspection action is undergoing now. PSC inspector will submit a report in THETIS, the Paris MOU database (deficiency code No. 02133), if asbestos is present. When the target ship visits a port within the Paris MOU region, a check will be made to ensure if the exemption certificate has been issued by the relevant flag state. The Australian Customs and Border Service announced that ships built after Jan. 1, 2005 could be turned away if they contained asbestos or had not been checked for the toxic substance. Data from CTI’s investigation of more than a hundred vessels shows that, more than 96% of the vessels have been detected as asbestos materials contained, under which circumstances, the ship owners and ship yards are facing significant financial and status risks.

CTI is a world leading company providing Life-cycle Hazardous Materials Management on board ships. We provide accredited services world wide, and our services include onboard inspection of hazardous materials and asbestos, management consultation on asbestos management, compilation of Inventory of Hazardous Materials, supply-chain risk management, HSE training, asbestos abatement plan consultation and on site inspection, asbestos removal practice training and laboratory analysis.

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the sole national accreditation body recognized by the British government to assess the competence of organizations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services. UKAS is the most recognized organization within the Commonwealth and even world wide, its laboratory and inspector’s accreditation services are not only carried out in the Commonwealth, but also spread to EU, America and other parts of the world. The UKAS symbol marked on test reports or inspection reports is a symbol of authority and credibility.