A “minor deficiency/defect” is an observed situation which does not prevent the ship from proceeding to sea as it is not considered to pose a danger to the ship, the environment or person on board within the timeframe given for its rectification.
A “detainable deficiency/defect” is an identified deficiency/defect which is considered to endanger the people onboard, the stability or integrity of the vessel, the cargo or is likely to cause pollution. Refer to IACS no 98, Annex A for guidance on detainable deficiencies related to various statutory certificates.
A “short term certificate” is a certificate with the appropriate expiry dates that is issued by the attending surveyor when deficiencies/defects exist which cannot be corrected in the port of survey. A “short term certificate” is valid only for a period long enough to permit the ship to proceed to the port where the correction will be made.