CLASS 1 (ME) Preparatory Class – Module 3

Classification Societies and their Functions

A classification society (however called) is a non-governmental

organization that establishes and maintains technical standards
for the construction and operation of ships and offshore
structures. Classification societies validate and report that
construction of a vessel is in accordance with relevant standards
and carry out regular surveys in service to ensure continuing
compliance with the standards. Currently, more than 50
organizations describe their activities as including marine
classification, twelve of which are members of the International
Association of Classification Societies
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Classification societies set technical rules based on experience
and research, confirm that designs and calculations meet these
rules, survey ships and structures during the process of
construction and commissioning, and periodically
survey vessels to ensure that they continue to meet the rules.
Classification societies are also responsible for classing oil
platforms, other offshore structures, and submarines. This survey
process covers diesel engines, important shipboard pumps and
other vital machinery. Since the 1950s, the USSR (now Russian)
Register of Shipping has classified nuclear ships, the only
classification society to do so.
Classification surveyors inspect ships to make sure that the ship,
its components and machinery are built and maintained according
to the standards required for their class.
HISTORY:
In the second half of the 18th century, London merchants,
shipowners, 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. In 1760, the Register Society was formed — the first
classification society and the one which would subsequently
become Lloyd's Register — to publish an annual register of ships.
This publication attempted to classify the condition of the ship’s
hull and equipment. At that time, an attempt was made to classify
the condition of each ship on an annual basis. The condition of
the hull was classified A, E, I, O or U, according to the state of its
construction and its adjudged continuing soundness (or lack
thereof). Equipment was G, M, or B: simply, good, middling or
bad. In time, G, M and B were replaced by 1, 2 and 3, which is the
origin of the well-known expression 'A1', meaning 'first or highest
class'. The purpose of this system was not to assess safety,
fitness for purpose or seaworthiness of the ship. It was to
evaluate risk. Samuel Plimsoll pointed out the obvious downside
of insurance:
"The ability of shipowners to insure themselves against the
risks they take not only with their property, but with other
peoples’ lives, is itself the greatest threat to the safe
operation of ships.
The first edition of the Register of Ships was published by
Lloyd's Register in 1764 and was for use in the years 1764 to
1766.
There are almost 50 classification societies.
 International Association of Classification Societies
The International Association of Classification
Societies (IACS) is a technically based non-governmental
organization that currently consists of twelve member
marine classification societies. More than 90% of the world's
cargo-carrying ships’ tonnage is covered by the classification
standards set by member societies of IACS.
Marine classification is a system for promoting the safety of life,
property and the environment primarily through the establishment
and verification of compliance with technical and engineering
standards for the design, construction and life-cycle maintenance
of ships, offshore units and other marine-related facilities. These
standards are contained in rules established by each Society.
IACS provides a forum within which the member societies can
discuss, research and adopt technical criteria that enhance
maritime safety.
BACKGROUND:
IACS traces its origins to the recommendations of the
International Load Line Convention of 1930. The convention
recommended collaboration between classification societies to
secure "as much uniformity as possible in the application of the
standards of strength upon which freeboard is based...".
Following the Convention, RegistroItalianoNavale (RINA) hosted
the first conference of major societies in 1939 - attended
by ABS, BV, DNV, GL, LR and NK - which agreed on further
cooperation between the societies.
A second major class society conference, held in 1955, led to the
creation of working parties on specific topics and, in 1968, to the
formation of IACS by seven leading societies.
IACS was founded on September 11, 1968,
in Hamburg, Germany and its headquarters are currently
in London.
In 1969, IACS was given consultative status by the IMO. Its
membership has increased since that time to thirteen. DNV and
GL merged in 2013, the new entity is called DNV GL.
PURPOSE:

Although IACS is a non-governmental organization, it also plays a

role within the International Maritime Organization (IMO), for
which IACS provides technical support and guidance and
develops unified interpretations of the international statutory
regulations developed by the member states of the IMO. Once
adopted, these interpretations are applied by each IACS member
society, when certifying compliance with the statutory regulations
on behalf of authorizing flag states.
IACS has consultative status with the IMO, and remains the only
non-governmental organization with observer status which also
develops and applies technical rules that are reflective of the aims
embodied within IMO conventions. The link between the
international maritime regulations, developed by the IMO and the
classification rule requirements for a ship’s hull structure and
essential engineering systems is codified in the International
Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
ORGANIZATION:
IACS is governed by a Council, with each member represented
on the Council by a senior management executive. The position
of Chairman of the Council is rotated between the members on an
annual basis. Reporting to the Council is the General Policy
Group (GPG), made up of a senior management representative
from each member society. The GPG develops and implements
actions giving effect to the policies, directions and long term plans
of the Council. The chair of GPG is taken by the Member holding
the Council chair. Much of the technical development work of
IACS is undertaken by a number of working parties (WP), the
members of which are drawn from the technical, engineering,
survey or quality management staff of the member societies.
There are more than 50 organizations worldwide which define
their activities as providing marine classification. Those
classification societies that meet the conditions of membership
may apply for membership of IACS. To remain a member, all
members are required to demonstrate continued compliance with
quality standards as determined by periodic audits.
MEMBERSHIP as on Feb., 2017.

 American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)

 Bureau Veritas (BV)
 China Classification Society (CCS)
 Croatian Register of Shipping (CRS)
 Det Norske Veritas Germanischer Lloyd (DNV GL)
 Indian Register of Shipping (IRS)
 Korean Register of Shipping (KR)
 Lloyd's Register of Shipping (LR)
 Nippon KaijiKyokai (NK/ClassNK)
 Polish Register of Shipping (PRS)
 RegistroItalianoNavale (RINA)
 Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS)
Classification Surveys:
CS provides a list of rules and guides to the public. For example

 Generic Rules for Classification, Materials, Welding and

Survey after Construction
 Rules for Building and Classing Steel Vessels (2016)
 Rules for Building and Classing Mobile Offshore Drilling Units
(2016)

In case of Admiralty cases whether Class can be held responsible

or not? for example case of Oil tanker “Prestige” – ABS class

The Prestige was an oil tanker whose sinking in 2002 off

the Galician coast caused a large oil spill. The spill polluted
thousands of kilometers of coastline and more than one
thousand beaches on the Spanish and French coast, as well as
causing great damage to the local fishing industry.
For the world maritime industry, a key issue raised by the Prestige
incident was whether classification societies can be held
responsible for the consequences of incidents of this type. In May
2003, the Kingdom of Spain brought civil suit in the Southern
District of New York against the American Bureau of Shipping,
that had certified the Prestige as "in class" for its final voyage.
The "in class" status states that the vessel is in compliance with
all applicable rules of the classification society, not that it is or is
not safe.
On 2 January 2007, the docket in that lawsuit (SDNY 03-cv-
03573) was dismissed. The presiding judge ruled that ABS is a
"person" as defined by the International Convention on Civil
Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (CLC) and, as such, is exempt
from direct liability for pollution damage. Additionally, the Judge
ruled that, since the United States is not a signatory to the
International CLC, the US Courts lack the necessary jurisdiction
to adjudicate the case. Spain's original damage claim against
ABS was some $700 million.
Spain appealed, and the appellate court returned the case to the
originating District Court. The resulting New York ruling, released
in August 2010, held that there was no existing precedent to
assign a duty on behalf of the coastal state.
In India a boat tragedy which killed > 40 tourists in Kerala
Thekkady tragedy: Two senior officials remanded to
custody
Two officials arrested in connection with the Thekkady boat
tragedy that claimed 45 lives on September 30 were on Thursday
remanded to judicial custody by a court in Idukki district.
N. A. Giri, the Technical Director of Chennai-based company that
built ‘Jalakanyaka’ boat operated by Kerala Tourism Development
Corporation and K. K. Sanjeev, a surveyor of the Indian Register
of Shipping, were produced before Peerumedu Magistrate Court
which remanded them to judicial custody till October 28. The
arrests were made on the basis of findings of the police and
forensic probes that the tragedy could have been averted had
some structural flaws of the ill-fated vessel been detected before
it was put to use at the tourist centre.
Investigations had also revealed that proper tests were not
conducted and normal procedures were not followed before giving
it water worthy certificate.
Earlier, the driver of the boat, a sub-crew, chief inspector of boats
and a forest watcher were arrested and remanded. All of them
had been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to
murder.
REMARKS:
Classification symbol whose meaning is the same within all ABS Rules
and Guides. Example: Vessels have been built under ABS survey
Vessels have not been built under ABS survey Hull and Equipment: À
A1 A1 Machinery, boiler and systems À AMS AMS Shipboard
automation systems À ACCU

A1
is a classification symbol that, together with the Maltese Cross À
symbol, indicates compliance with the Hull requirements of the ABS
Rules or their equivalent for unrestricted ocean service and survey by
the Bureau during construction of the vessel. The symbols À A1 may be
followed by appropriate vessel type notation such as Oil Carrier, Bulk
Carrier, Fuel Oil Carrier, Ore Carrier, Passenger Vessel, Vehicle Carrier,
Container Carrier, Towing Vessel, Refrigerated Cargo Carrier, Liquefied
Gas Carrier, etc. The Maltese Cross À symbol will be omitted for vessels
that have not been built under survey by the Bureau
ABS class notation ACCU what does it mean?
ACCU indicates that a self-propelled vessel is fitted with various degrees
of automation and with remote monitoring and control systems to
enable the propulsion machinery space to be periodically unattended
and the propulsion control to be effected primarily from the navigation
bridge. Where periodically unattended propulsion machinery space is
intended, the provisions of class rules (Example ABS Rules for steel
vessels, Part 4, Section 4-9-4 ) are to be complied with. Upon
verification of compliance, ACCU will be assigned.

CONDITION OF ASSIGNMENT AND ITS

PERIODIC INSPECTIONCONDITION OF
ASSIGNMENT:-
These are the conditions which must be met before free
board is assigned to a ship and load line certificate is
issued following a load line survey. Free boards are
computed assuming ship to be a completely enclosed and
watertight/ weather tight envelop. The convention then
goes onto recognize the practical need for opening in the
ship and prescribe means of protection and closure of
such openings. These are called condition of assignment,
since the assignment of computed free board is
conditional upon the prescribed means of protection and
closure of openings such as hatchways, doorways,
ventilation, air pipes, scuppers etc. Following are the
conditions which must be met before assigning the load
line:
1) Enough structural strength should be possessed. 2)
Enough reserve buoyancy should be possessed 3) Safety
and protection of crew. 4) Prevent entry of water into
hull. Ships are surveyed annually to ensure that
they fulfill the condition of assignment. Most of the
condition of assignment is concerned with the water tight
integrity of the ship. Hull construction should meet the
highest standard laid down by the classification society.
This ensures protection against flooding of the ship. The
superstructure and the bulkheads must be strengthened
sufficiently. Some of the condition of assignment which
contributes towards water tight integrity are:-1)
Hatchways 2) Machinery space openings 3) Details of
opening in free board 4) Details of opening in super
structure deck 5) ventilators 6) Cargo ports 7) Air pipes 8)
Scuppers 9) Side scuttles 10) Inlets and discharges. All of
the above parameters ensure watertight integrity and
protection against flooding ofcompartment. If above are
not watertight then during rough weather water can enter
into the areas below main deck causing to reduce the
free board. So, condition of assignment very
much contributes towards water integrity of the ship. Also
if green sea effect is not reduced and water is being
accumulated on the deck, it can cause free board to
reduce and add free surface effect.

Flag of Convenience:
FOC is a business practice whereby a ship’s owners register a merchant
ship in a ship register of a country other than that of the ship owners,
and the ship flies the civil ensign of that country, called the flag state.

Background:
Merchant ships have used “false flag” as a tactic to evade from enemy
warships. Examples can be found as early as Roman era through to
Middle Ages. Following the American Revolutionary War,
merchantmen flying the flag of the fledgling United States quickly
found it offered little protection against attack by Barbary pirates -
many responded by seeking to transfer their registry back to
Great Britain. The use of false flags was frequently used by the
British during the Napoleonic Wars and the United States during
the War of 1812. During the mid-19th century, slave ships flew
various flags to avoid being searched by British anti-slavery
fleets. However, the modern practice of registering ships in
foreign countries to gain economic advantage originated in the
United States in the era of World War I, and the term "flag of
convenience" came into use in the [Link] are also referred as
“open flag”.

Reasons(Advantages):
1). Strict safety standards 2). Reduction in operation cost 3). Avoid
laws which protect wages and working condition of mariners 4).
Avoid national as well as flag state’s tax liability 5). Anonymous
owners 5). Reduce GT to avoid actual dock dues.

Disadvantages:
1). Weak or no Admiralty law which may be a problem in case of
dispute 2). Crew protection 3). ITF’s inspection campaign 4). Under
PSC net at all times.

The drilling platform Deepwater Horizon flew a Marshallese flag of convenience.[37]

Criticism:
There are a number of common threads found in criticisms of the
flag of convenience system. One is that these flag states have
insufficient regulations and that those regulations they do have
are poorly enforced. Another is that, in many cases, the flag state
cannot identify a shipowner, much less hold the owner civilly or
criminally responsible for a ship's actions. As a result of this lack
of flag state control, flags of convenience are criticized on
grounds of enabling tax avoidance, providing an environment for
conducting criminal activities, supporting terrorism, providing poor
working conditions for seafarers, and having an adverse effect on
the environment.
Present status:
Top 10 Flags: Panama, Marshall Islands, Liberia, Hong Kong,
Singapore, Malta, Bahamas, China, Greece and Japan.
As of 2010 the list of FOC as per ITF are - Antigua and
Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia,
Burma, Cambodia, the Cayman Island, Comoros, Cyprus,
Equatorial Guinea, Georgia, Gibraltar, Honduras, Jamaica,
Lebanon, Liberia, Malta, the Marshall Islands, Mauritius,
Mongolia, Netherlands Antilles, North Korea, Panama, Sao Tome
and Príncipe, St Vincent, Sri Lanka, Tonga, Vanuatu, and the
French and German International Ship Registers.