Circular No. 35/2025/TT-BXD on the mechanism and policies for managing the price of ship inspection service

CIRCULAR

Regulations on mechanisms and policies for managing prices of ship inspection services

Pursuant to the Law on Prices dated June 19, 2023;

Pursuant to the Maritime Code of Vietnam dated November 25, 2015;

Pursuant to Decree No. 85/2024/NĐ-CP dated July 10, 2024 of the Government detailing certain provisions of the Law on Prices;

Pursuant to Decree No. 33/2025/NĐ-CP dated February 25, 2025 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Construction;

At the proposal of the Director of the Department of Planning and Finance and the Director of the Vietnam Inspection Agency;

The Minister of Construction hereby issues this Circular regulating mechanisms and policies for managing prices of ship inspection services.

Article 1. Scope of Regulation and Applicability

Article 1. Scope of Regulation: This Circular regulates mechanisms and policies for managing prices of ship inspection services (excluding ships for defense and security purposes and fishing vessels) within the service of inspecting transport means.

Article 2. Applicability: This Circular applies to state agencies, Vietnamese ship inspection organizations, organizations, and individuals related to the provision and use of ship inspection services.

Article 3. Unit of Price Calculation for Ship Inspection Services Based on Time of Work Execution

Clause 1. A workday is the unit of price calculation for ship inspection services based on time of work execution.

Clause 2. The time of work execution is calculated from the moment the inspector arrives at the site to conduct the inspection until the moment they leave the site, confirmed by the representative of the organization or individual using the ship inspection service (hereinafter referred to as the customer) for each inspection conducted by the inspector at the site.

Clause 3. Principles for Determining the Number of Workdays for Price Calculation

Point a. Workdays are counted separately for each inspection conducted by the inspector at the site.

Point b. The minimum time for calculating the price of ship inspection services is 0.5 workdays. If the time exceeds four hours, additional workdays are calculated as follows: additional time under two hours is counted as 0.25 workdays; if the additional time is between two and four hours, it is counted as 0.5 workdays.

Clause 4. In cases where ship inspection services require multiple inspections at the site, the price of the service is calculated based on the total number of workdays determined according to Clause 3 of this Article.

Clause 5. The travel time of the inspector from the service provider to the site and back, waiting time for conducting the inspection, and time spent preparing the inspection report are not included in the work execution time for price calculation.

Article 4. Principles for Determining Prices

Clause 1. Specific prices for ship inspection services are set by the service provider without exceeding the maximum price of ship inspection services as decided by the Minister of Construction.

Clause 2. The maximum price and specific prices for ship inspection services do not include: value-added tax; fees for issuing certificates; accommodation, travel, communication costs, overtime pay, and holiday pay for inspectors as stipulated for performing inspection services.

Clause 3. The service provider may collect accommodation, travel, communication costs, overtime pay, and holiday pay for inspectors based on actual expenses incurred, in accordance with current regulations.

Clause 4. Value-added tax and fees for issuing certificates are collected in accordance with current laws.

Clause 5. In cases where periodic inspections of ships fail to meet standards after two inspections, the service provider collects the specific price for periodic inspections as listed and additionally charges the specific price for abnormal inspections when continuing to check non-compliant items from the third inspection onwards.

Clause 6. If the inspector has arrived at the site for inspection upon request but the customer cancels the inspection or safety conditions are not met as required for the inspection, the customer must pay the costs as specified in Clause 3 of this Article.

Clause 7. The specific price for reviewing the design of new ships from the second ship onwards, built according to the same design and at the same shipyard under the same shipbuilding contract (hereinafter referred to as ships of the same series), is calculated at 30% of the specific price for reviewing the design of new ships as listed by the service provider.

Clause 8. The specific price for initial approval of operational guidance documents for ships from the second ship onwards of the same series is calculated at 70% of the specific price for initial approval of operational guidance documents for ships as listed by the service provider.

Clause 9. If operational guidance documents for ships are approved together with the ship design documentation, the service provider does not charge for the initial approval of operational guidance documents for ships.

Clause 10. The specific price for measuring the tonnage of ships from the second ship onwards of the same series is calculated at 75% of the specific price for measuring the tonnage of ships as listed by the service provider.

Clause 11. If the customer requests ship inspection services on days off as stipulated by law, the service provider may charge additional labor costs corresponding to the actual working time confirmed by the customer.

Article 4. Responsibilities for Implementation

1. The Vietnam Inspection Agency is responsible for:

a) Implementing this Circular.

Point b. Organizations shall implement the receipt of price declaration forms in accordance with Clause 5 of Article 28 of the Law on Prices.

Clause 2. Service providers have the responsibility to declare, list, and publicly disclose information about the prices of ship inspection services in accordance with the law on prices.

Article 5. Effective Date

This Circular takes effect from January 8, 2026./.