International Association of Classification Societies

TOPIC : INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CLASSIFICATION SOCIETIES

(IACS)

LECTURER : CAPT. SIVA

GROUP MEMBER:

1) SUFIAN MORKAM

2) KIRBAN KUMAR A/L SUKUMARAN

3) SHAHFIK AZRAF B. SALLEH

4) HAMKA IQRAM B. AHMED

5) MOHD ZULHELMY

HISTORY:

How it was founded?

In the mid 18th century ( 1750’s) based in Lloyd’s coffee house, London merchants, ship owners, and captains often gathered at Edward Lloyds’ coffee house to gossip and make deals including sharing the risks and rewards of individual voyages.

This became known as underwriting after the practice of signing one's name to the bottom of a document pledging to make good a portion of the losses if the ship didn’t make it in return for a portion of the profits. It did not take long to realize that the underwriters needed a way of assessing the quality of the ships that they were being asked to insure.

The 1st classification society ‘’the Register Society was formed in 1760 and subsequently it became Lloyd’s Register. The main function of Lloyd’s Register at that time was to publish an annual register of ships. During these periods, an attempt to classify the conditions of the ship’s hull and equipment was made on annual basis.

The letter ‘’ A, E, I, O or U,’’ was used to determine the state of construction of the ship and as of the equipment fitted onboard, it will be labelled as ‘’G, M, or B’’- (G= good, M= middling and B= Bad). As time passes by, G, M and B was replaced by numbers 1, 2 and 3.

Hence, nowadays the expression of A1 in the shipping industry would bring meaning 'first or highest class'. This system was made not to assess the safety, fitness or the purpose of seaworthiness of a ship; it was built based on the main purpose to evaluate risk.

What is ‘’CLASSIFICATION SOCIETIES’’?

Classification societies are non profit organizations that establish and apply technical standards in relation to the design, construction and survey of marine facilities including ships andoffshore structures.

Mostly ship will be built and surveyed as per standards of the classification societies and all the standards that have been laid down during the process of building are issued as published rules.Classification Rules are developed to establish standards for the structural strength of the ship’s hull and its appendages, and the suitability of the propulsion and steering systems, power generation and those other features and auxiliary systems which have been built into the ship to assist in its operation. Classification Rules are not intended as a design code and in fact cannot be used as such.After a ship was designed and built according the rules regulated by a society, she can apply a ‘’Certificate of Classification’’ from that society. The certificate will be issue after a completion of all relevant classification surveys.

Certificate of Classification obtained by the ship does not warrant the safety or fitness for seaworthiness of the ship. It is just a verification that the ship is in compliance with the Classification Rules laid out by the society.

As of year 2011, there are 13 listed marine classification organizations that form a group named as International Association of Classification Societies (IACS).

Advantage of having a Certificate of Classification

There are several advantages for ship owners if their ships are built accordance to the Classification Rules and surveyed by the classification society. The issuance of a certificate of classification would bring a great advantage to classed ships as described in a diagram below:-

1) INSURANCE

A class ship will have a lower premium payment as the ship has been certifies by a third party or class surveyor that she was built according to the highest standard for both materials and workmanship. Base on the Certificate of Classification by a well known Classification society the insurance company will be convinced that the ship applying for his insurance policy is in a highest standard.

2) REGISTRATION

The certificate of classification may be required by the flag state before a ship can register under some flags

3) MORTAGES

Shipping industries involve a huge amount of money and the ship owners cannot afford to provide ‘’cash money’’ to pay for all cost involve in the shipping operations. So, they will have to make a loan

CERTIFICATE OF CLASSIFICATION

INSURANCE

REGISTRATION

MORTAGES

RE-SALE VALUE

MARKETING/ CHARTERING

LEGAL DEFENSE

ISSUANCE OF LOAD LINE CERTIFICATE/

STATUTORY CERTIFICATE

to a bank to provide the cash required. The bank will not be confident if there is no guarantee that they will get the money back from the ship owners. So the Certificate of Classification by a recognized class society proved that the ship is built to the highest standard and operated and maintained in a proper manner by competent and qualified crew. It will be a requirement of bank or other loan institute before a loan can be approved to finance a new built ship or vessel.

4) LEGAL DEFENSE

In case of disaster situations such as collision, the cost of damage property, loss of life or environmental pollution, the ship owner can limit his liability if he could produces the Certificate of Classification from a recognized classification society as an act of defence and to show that he has did everything possible to prevent such collision from exist. The ability to show that he ‘’classed’’ his ship will also lesser the claims on any cargo damage.

The ship owner can also rely on worldwide facilities/dockyards to provide the highest standard of repair work in the event of damage.

5) MARKETING/CHARTERING

Shipper or cargo broker will always prefer a classed ship to carry their cargo. Based on the certification of independent or third party, the shipper will feel safe and confident if their cargo is carried by a ship that is built base on the highest standard and operated / maintained by a qualified crews.

In time chartered vessel, the maintenance of class is one of the requirement for the ship owner to do business with the shipper.

6) RE-SALE VALUE

A second hand classed ship will gain higher price rather than a second hand ship without any class. The history of a classed second hand ship is all provided in the class records. The buyer will always looks up to buy a second hand ship that is retaining a good records of classification during her service.

7) ISSUANCE OF LOAD LINE CERTIFICATE/ STATUTORY CERTIFICATES

Load Line Certificate /Statutory certificates issued by the Classification society are normally accepted worldwide and with this worldwide recognition, it assures the smooth operation of the ship. Most classification societies have the authority to carry out survey/ inspection and issue the statutory certificates on behalf of the Government. In obtaining the Load Line certificate to verify that the ship have a sufficient strength to the assigned draft, the non classed ship will find it difficult in proving that their ship meets the requirement because it will requires a very complex calculation and the ship owner would bear a very high cost in this operation.

MEMBERS OF INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CLASSIFICATION SOCIETIES-IACS

The Members consist of 13 organization as listed below :

1-ABS American Bureau of Shipping 2-KR Korean Register of Shipping 3-BV Bureau Veritas 4-LR Lloyd's Register 5-CCS China Classification Society 6-NK Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) 7-CRS Croatian Register of Shipping 8-PRS Polish Register of Shipping 9-DNV Det Norske Veritas 10-RINA RINA 11-GL Germanischer Lloyd12-RS Russian Maritime Register of Shipping 13-IRS Indian Register of Shipping

*reference: www.iacs.org.uk/Explained/members.aspx .

SCOPE OF CLASSIFICATION

There are some classification processes in order to implementing the published Rules:-

A technical review of the ship design plans and all related documents for a new vessel to verify compliance with the applicable Rules;

Attendance by a Classification Society surveyor(s):-

- at the construction of the vessel in the shipyard to verify that the vessel is constructed in accordance with the approved design plans and classification Rules;

- at the relevant production facilities that provide key components such as the steel, engine, generators and castings to verify that the component conforms to the applicable Rule requirements;

- at the sea trials and other trials relating to the vessel and its equipment prior to delivery to verify conformance with the applicable Rule requirements;

Upon satisfactory completion of the above, the builder’s/ship owner’s request for the issuance of a class certificate will be considered by the relevant Classification Society and, if deemed satisfactory, the assignment of class may be approved and a certificate of classification issued;

Once vessel in service, the owner must submit the vessel to a clearly specified programmer of periodical class surveys, carried out onboard the vessel, to verify that the ship continues to meet the relevant Rule requirements for continuation of class.

Class Rules do not cover every piece of structure or item of equipment on board a vessel, nor do they cover operational elements. Activities which generally fall outside the scope of classification include such items as design and manufacturing processes, choice of type and power of machinery and certain equipment (e.g. winches), number and qualification of crew or operating personnel, form and cargo carrying capacity of the ship and manoeuvring performance; hull vibrations; spare parts; life-saving appliances and maintenance equipment. These matters may however be given consideration for classification according to the type of ship or class notation(s) assigned.

It should be emphasized that it is the ship owner who has the overall responsibility for the safety and integrity of a vessel, including the manner in which it is operated and maintained. The effectiveness of classification depends upon the shipbuilder, during construction, and the ship owner, once the vessel enters service, cooperating with the Class Society in an open and transparent manner on all issues which may affect its class status.

A Class surveyor may only go on board a vessel once in a twelve-month period. At that time it is neither possible nor expected that the surveyor scrutinize the entire structure of the vessel or its machinery. The survey involves a sampling, for which guidelines exist based upon empirical experience and the age of the vessel which may indicate those parts of the vessel or its machinery that may be subject to corrosion, or are exposed to the highest incidence of stress, or may be likely to exhibit signs of fatigue or damage.

Assignment and maintenance of class.

Class is assigned to a vessel upon the completion of satisfactory review of the design and surveys during construction undertaken in order to verify compliance with the Rules of the Society. For existing vessels, specific procedures apply when they are being transferred from one Class Society to another.

Ships are subject to a through-life survey regime if they are to be retained in class. These surveys include the class renewal (also called “special survey”), intermediate survey, annual survey, and bottom/docking surveys of the hull. They also include tailshaft survey, boiler survey, machinery surveys and, where applicable, surveys of items associated with the maintenance of additional class notations.

The surveys are to be carried out in accordance with the relevant class requirements to confirm that the condition of the hull, machinery, equipment and appliances is in compliance with the applicable Rules.

Suspension and Withdrawal of Class.

It is the owner's responsibility to properly maintain the ship in the period between surveys. It is the duty of the owner, or its representative, to inform the Society of any events or circumstances that may affect the continued conformance of the ship with the Society’s Rules.

Where the conditions for the maintenance of class are not complied with, class may be suspended, withdrawn or revised to a different notation, as deemed appropriate by the Society when it becomes aware of the condition.The ship may lose its class either temporarily or permanently. In the former case it is referred to as “suspension” of class; in the latter case as “withdrawal” of class. In the case of surveys that are not carried out within the specified time frame, or if the vessel is operated in a manner that is outside its classification designation, the suspension may be automatic

Class may be suspended following a decision made by the Society when one or more of the following occurs:

when a ship is not operated in compliance with the Rule requirementswhen a ship proceeds to sea with less freeboard than that assignedwhen the owner fails to request a survey after having detected defects or damages affecting the classwhen repairs, alterations or conversions affecting the class are carried out without requesting the attendance of a surveyor

In addition, class is automatically suspended:

when the class renewal/special survey has not been completed by its due date or within the time granted in special circumstances for the completion of the survey, unless the ship is under attendance by the Society’s surveyor(s) with a view to completion prior to resuming tradingwhen the annual or intermediate surveys have not been completed by the end of the corresponding survey time windows

Suspension of class with respect to the above cases will remain in effect until such time as the due surveys and any other survey deemed appropriate by the Society have been completed.

In addition to the circumstances for which automatic suspension may apply, the class of a ship will be subject to suspension procedures following a decision of the Society:

when a recommendation/condition of class is not dealt with within the time limit specified, unless it is postponed before the due date by agreement with the Societywhen one or more other surveys are not held by their due dates - or the dates stipulated by the Society also taking into account any extensions grantedwhen, due to the nature of reported defects, the Society considers that a ship is not entitled to retain its class even on a temporary basis (pending necessary repairs or renewals, etc.)in other circumstances where the owner fails to submit the ship to a survey in accordance with a special requirement

In all cases suspension will remain in effect until such time as matters are rectified and the class is reinstated or class is withdrawn. Depending on the Society’s procedures, the suspensions of class which are not automatic may take effect either when they are decided by the Society or from the date when the conditions for suspension occurred. However once the conditions for class suspension/withdrawal are met and before any decision by the Society can be taken, either because the Society is not aware of the circumstances (surveys dates, etc. are recorded but not systematically monitored) or because the decision is not yet taken, maintenance of class cannot generally be confirmed by the Society during this period.

The Society will withdraw the class of a ship when:

requested by the ownerthe class has been suspended for more than six monthsthe ship is reported as a constructive total loss and the owner does not advise his intention to repair the ship for re-instatement of classthe ship is reported lostthe ship will not trade further as declared by its owner

*Withdrawal of class takes effect from the date on which the circumstances causing such withdrawal occur or when it is decided.

When class is suspended or withdrawn, the Society will at the same time:

inform the owner, flag Administration and underwriters (the latter at their request)publish the information on its website and convey the information to appropriate databases (Equasis, etc.).

Classification Survey

A classification survey normally consists of:

overall examination of the items for survey,

detailed checks of selected parts,

witnessing tests, measurements and trials where applicable

1) Remedial measures and/or appropriate recommendations /conditions of class are implemented before the ship continues in service when any defects finding by surveyor.

2) ‘Recommendation’ and ‘condition of class’ are synonymous terms used by IACS societies for requirements that specific measures, repairs, request for surveys etc., are to be carried out by the owner within a specified time period in order to retain class.

3) Each classed vessel is subject to five year cycle survey includes annual surveys, intermediate survey and a class renewal/special survey (held every 5 years). Each specified survey increases with the age of the vessel.

Renewal/Special Survey

1) The class renewal surveys/special surveys include extensive out-of-water examinations to verify that the structure, main and essential auxiliary machinery, systems and equipment of the ship remain in a condition. Carried out at five-year intervals.

2) The examination of the hull is supplemented, by ultrasonic thickness measurements and the witnessing of tests as deemed necessary by the attending surveyor

3) Intended to assess whether the structural integrity remains effective and to identify areas that exhibit substantial corrosion, significant deformation, fractures, damages or other structural deterioration

Intermediate Survey

1) Held approximately half way between special surveys. Includes examinations and checks as specified in the rules to determine whether the ship remains in a general condition which satisfies the rule requirements.

2) According to the type and age of the ship, dry docking may be required and the examinations of the hull may be supplemented by ultrasonic thickness measurements as specified in the rules and where deemed necessary by the attending surveyor

Annual Survey

1) Includes an external, general inspection of the hull, equipment and machinery of the ship and some witnessing of tests, so far as is necessary and practical in order to determine whether the ship remains in a general condition which satisfies the Rule requirements.

2) Older ships of certain types may also be subject to a general examination of some specified internal areas of the hull.

3) Depending age, size, type and condition of the vessel, an annual survey may take from several hours to a few days to complete.

STATUTORY CERTIFICATION OF SHIPS

UNCLOS is an acronym for the United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea. The convention is also sometimes referred to as the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty. UNCLOS, as a law of the sea came into operation and became effective from 16th November 1982.

Ships that are sailing under UNCLOS flags as per article 94 have responsibilities to effectively exercise its jurisdiction and control in administrative, technical and social matters over ships flying its flag.

Following is the article 94 of UNCLOS.

Article94

Duties of the flag State

1. Every State shall effectively exercise its jurisdiction and control in administrative, technical and social matters over ships flying its flag.

2. In particular every State shall:

(a) maintain a register of ships containing the names and particulars of ships flying its flag, except those which are excluded from generally accepted international regulations on account of their small size; and

(b) assume jurisdiction under its internal law over each ship flying its flag and its master, officers and crew in respect of administrative, technical and social matters concerning the ship.

3. Every State shall take such measures for ships flying its flag as are necessary to ensure safety at sea with regard, inter alia, to:

(a) the construction, equipment and seaworthiness of ships;

(b) the manning of ships, labour conditions and the training of crews, taking into account the applicable international instruments;

(c) the use of signals, the maintenance of communications and the prevention of collisions.

4. Such measures shall include those necessary to ensure:

(a) that each ship, before registration and thereafter at appropriate intervals, is surveyed by a qualified surveyor of ships, and has on board such charts, nautical publications and navigational equipment and instruments as are appropriate for the safe navigation of the ship;

(b) that each ship is in the charge of a master and officers who possess appropriate qualifications, in particular in seamanship, navigation, communications and marine engineering, and that the crew is appropriate in qualification and numbers for the type, size, machinery and equipment of the ship;

(c) that the master, officers and, to the extent appropriate, the crew are fully conversant with and required to observe the applicable international regulations concerning the safety of life at sea, the prevention of collisions, the prevention, reduction and control of marine pollution, and the maintenance of communications by radio.

5. In taking the measures called for in paragraphs 3 and 4 each State is required to conform to generally accept international regulations, procedures and practices and to take any steps which may be necessary to secure their observance.

6. A State which has clear grounds to believe that proper jurisdiction and control with respect to a ship have not been exercised may report the facts to the flag State. Upon receiving such a report, the flag State shall investigate the matter and, if appropriate, take any action necessary to remedy the situation.

7. Each State shall cause an inquiry to be held by or before a suitably qualified person or persons into every marine casualty or incident of navigation on the high seas involving a ship flying its flag and causing loss of life or serious injury to nationals of another State or serious damage to ships or installations of another State or to the marine environment. The flag State and the other State shall cooperate in the conduct of any inquiry held by that other State into any such marine casualty or incident of navigation.

-A standardise standard was set to all ship with respect to aspect of the ship’s design and its structural integrity (load lone and stability in the instinct and damaged condition, essential

propulsion ,steering equipment etc.).Accident prevention including navigational aids, pollution and fire prevention. The situation after an accident including containment and escape.

With the above statutory requirement a ship can enter port and water of other country with no problem.

-As per SOLAS ch 2 reg 3-1 states that in addition to the requirement of the other(SOLAS) regulation, ships shall be designed ,constructed and maintained in compliance with the structural ,mechanical and electrical requirement of a classification society which is recognised by the administration in accordance with the provision of regulation xi/1.

-Annual survey is carried out on board where as the result out of the survey will be evidence from flag administration .This result will be evidence of compliance with the statuary requirement.

Recognized Organisation

The inspection and survey forwarded to RO (Recognised Organization) can be carried out by flag administration as per SOLAS and other international convention.

The organization can also carried out repair and corrective action if requested by the appropriate authorities of a port state.

Ro is has the authority behalf of the flag state to carried out survey and inspection.

THE END

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