Since the Norwegian Coastal Administration made SafeSeaNet Norway compulsory for all marine vessels entering Norwegian ports, the total time consumption regarding sending and receiving ship notifications is saved by equivalent to 32 600 working days every single year. In this article, we will explain what the system is, how it is used in Norway, and what you need to make sure when working with the system.
Most officers at sea are familiar with the endless paper-mill that formerly was necessary when entering a port and the challenges there was with distribution of correct documents to various authorities. With the SSN (SafeSeaNet) system, it is easy to fill out one spreadsheet, upload it on your computer, and make it visible for all necessary parties. All Norwegian public agencies, such as Coastal Administration, Maritime Authority, Customs, Navy, Police etc. use SSN, and are easily able to collect necessary information from the system. In addition, all public ports have also integrated the system. The system is developed by EU, and will be rolled out to all European countries eventually.
All vessels over 300 gross ton is ordered to report when entering a Norwegian port. When reporting, one is required to include information such as:
- Identification of the vessel (Name, call sign, IMO or MMSI number)
- Destination port
- People on board
- Gross tonnage
- Length
- Goods
- ETA
- ETD
This information is to be reported minimum 24 hours prior to arrival. All information should be put in SafeSeaNet. In SSN, you will need to make proper crew and passenger lists, custom declarations, make Pilot orders, full details of waste disposal, dangerous or contaminating goods and ISPS information, as well as filling in other information. When working in the system, it is important to be precise, and use all available menus. If not, you will risk that your information will not be successfully uploaded, and therefore you have not met your duty of reporting.
In SSN you are also able to make enquires to the port you prefer to berth in, and all communication can be done digitally in the system.
If you are not familiar with SafeSeaNet Norway, we always recommend that you make use of a ship agency that can assist you with all formalities, as well as arranging a suitable berth for your needs, and all other needs you may have during your lay over, such as logistics, maintenance, purchasing services etc. This will free up your time, and possibly make the layover more time and cost efficient.
At MarLog we have expert local- and industry knowledge and should be your go-to partner when needing assistance with your next port call. Our knowledge reaches all across the Norwegian coastline, and we are able to efficiently source your next berth, for a short or long period. Our 24/7 service is always on stand-by to find the best location for your port call. .