Stakeholders in the whole supply chain of seawater can apply to become Accredited Quality Seawater Suppliers. Accredited Quality Seawater Suppliers are classified into 3 major categories:
(A)
Category I Suppliers who abstract and treat seawater
Seawater suppliers who abstract and treat raw seawater by filtration and disinfection and supply it to other companies.
(B)
Category II Seafood wholesalers/distributors
Seawater suppliers/companies who/which abstract and treat raw seawater or prepare synthetic seawater from marine salt and tap water and supply it to seafood wholesale market or its own stores for keeping live seafood.
(C)
Category III Suppliers who distribute seawater obtained from Category I or II Suppliers or synthetic seawater prepared from marine salt and tap water
Seawater suppliers of this category should fulfil at least one of the following conditions:
(i)
operate water delivery vehicles/boats to transport treated seawater from accredited seawater suppliers registered in Categories I or II above or synthetic seawater prepared from marine salt and tap water to other seafood wholesalers/restaurants/retail stalls directly ; or
(ii)
deliver seafood together with treated seawater from accredited seawater suppliers or synthetic seawater made from marine salt and tap water to other seafood wholesalers/restaurants/retail stalls directly.
Note :
A seawater supplier who takes part in more than one category of operation can apply for multi-category registration in one application at a discounted fee.
What are the Accreditation Criteria?
The major requirements for a seawater supplier are:
Source of seawater should be of good quality
Proper seawater abstraction procedures should be adopted
Effective filtration and disinfection system should be in place
Timely equipment cleansing and maintenance should be performed
Routine seawater sampling and analysis reports should be maintained
Proper records of the source of seawater and equipment cleansing and maintenance should be kept
How is the accreditation status granted and maintained?
The Accrediting Body will process the application and carry out the following evaluation :
(A) Categories I & II seawater suppliers
The Accrediting Body will carry out the necessary on-site evaluation covering, inter alia, the adequacy of the applicant's filtration and disinfection system, examine documents and records, collect seawater samples and conduct laboratories analysis.
(B) Category III seawater suppliers
The Accrediting Body will conduct document and record evaluation to assess if the applicants do acquire disinfected seawater from Accredited Quality Seawater Suppliers or prepare synthetic seawater from marine salt and tap water.
An Accreditation Certificate which is valid for one year will be issued to successful applicants. The accreditation status can be renewed annually subject to compliance with the accreditation criteria during the year. The Accrediting Body may make such publication or announcement as it may deem appropriate regarding the accreditation of the seawater supplier.
Upon granting of the accreditation status, the Accredited Quality Seawater Supplier should continue to comply with the accreditation criteria. The Accrediting Body will conduct unscheduled audit of the Accredited Quality Seawater Suppliers when deemed necessary.
