Classification Societies
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The role of Classification Societies
The purpose of a Classification Society is to provide classification and statutory services and assistance to the maritime industry and regulatory bodies.
The vast majority of commercial ships are built to and surveyed for compliance with the standards laid down by Classification Societies. These standards are issued by the Society as published Rules.
A vessel that has been designed and built to the appropriate Rules of a Society may apply for a certificate of classification from that Society, and will be assigned a class on satisfactory completion of the relevant surveys. For ships in service, the Society carries out surveys to verify that the ship remains in compliance with those Rules. Should any defects that may affect class become apparent, or damages be sustained between the relevant surveys, the owner is required to inform the Society concerned without delay.
More than 50 organizations worldwide define their activities as providing some form of marine classification services; however, not all meet the definition given in Appendix 1. Some that do (listed in Appendix 2) form the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). It is estimated that the Members of IACS collectively class over 90 percent of all commercial tonnage involved in international trade worldwide.
Scope of classification
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.
Assignment, maintenance, suspension and withdrawal of class
Ships are subject to a through-life survey regime if they are to be retained in class. 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.
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.
Classification surveys
Each classed vessel is subject to a specified programme of periodic surveys after delivery. These are based on a five-year cycle and consist of annual surveys, an intermediate survey and a class renewal/special survey (held every 5 years). The rigour of each specified survey increases with the age of the vessel.
The class renewal surveys/special surveys include extensive in-water and, in most cases, out-of-water examinations to verify that the structure, main and essential auxiliary machinery, systems and equipment of the ship remain in a condition which satisfies the relevant Rules.
The intermediate survey (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.
At the time of annual surveys, the ship is generally examined. The survey 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.
Statutory Classification of Ships
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is an umbrella convention concerned with many aspects of the sea and its uses, including the granting of registration of a ship by a State.
Once a ship is registered, the flag State has certain duties laid out in UNCLOS. In particular, under Article 94, the flag State must “effectively exercise its jurisdiction and control in administrative, technical and social matters over ships flying its flag” and take “such measures for ships flying its flag as are necessary to ensure safety at sea.”
Under the auspices of the IMO, International Conventions have been agreed which set out uniform requirements in order to facilitate the acceptance of a ship registered in one country in the waters and ports of another. These requirements are commonly referred to as ‘statutory’ requirements. Broadly, they cover four distinct areas:
1) Aspects of the ship’s design and its structural integrity – load line and stability in the intact and damaged condition, essential propulsion, steering equipment, etc.; 2) Pollution control with regard to normal ship operation; 3) Accident prevention, including navigational aids and pollution and fire prevention; 4) The situation after an accident (fire, flooding) including containment and escape.
Some or all of these may also be covered in a particular Class Society’s Rules.
SOLAS Ch II-1, Reg 3-1 states that, in addition to the requirements of the other (SOLAS) regulations, ships shall be designed, constructed and maintained in compliance with the structural, mechanical and electrical requirements of a Classification Society which is recognised by the Administration in accordance with the provisions of regulation XI/1, or with applicable national standards of the Administration which provide an equivalent level of safety.
Where the result of the classification survey is taken as evidence of compliance with the corresponding statutory requirement, e.g. load line or safety construction (hull, machinery, boilers, electrical equipment, etc.), this survey is de facto given the status of a statutory survey on behalf of the flag Administration, if the Society is acting as its recognised organization in this respect.
Recognised Organizations
SOLAS and the other International Conventions permit the flag Administration to delegate the inspection and survey of ships to a Recognised Organization (RO). This is in recognition of the fact that many flag Administrations do not have adequate technical experience, manpower or global coverage to undertake all the necessary statutory inspections and surveys using its own staff.
The degree to which a flag State may choose to delegate authority to a RO (Class Society) is for each flag State to decide, with the authority granted being clearly identified in the relevant memoranda of understanding agreed between the Class Society and the Administration. In most cases the RO is empowered to require repairs or other corrective action to a ship and to withdraw or invalidate the relevant certificate if the necessary action is not taken (e.g. SOLAS Chapter I, Reg 6).
The RO is responsible and accountable to the flag Administration for the work that it carries out on its behalf. The principles of the inspection and survey work are to a very large extent the same as in respect of classification surveys, that is, the verification by the RO that a ship is in compliance with applicable requirements at the time of the survey or inspection. The scopes of these inspections and surveys are laid down by the relevant national laws based on International Conventions to which the Government is a signatory, together with additional instructions that may be issued by the flag Administration.
IACS Members generally do not undertake ‘statutory’ work on ships that they do not themselves class. The significant exceptions to this policy are International Safety Management (ISM) Code and International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code certification.
List of Ship Inspections and Surveys
- Annual surveys by classification society are a vital part of ship’s trading eligibility. Various certificates require annual endorsement after the class surveyor verifies that the conditions, functioning and operational and maintenance requirements of the vessel are complied with. After the class surveyor verifies the same he endorses the certificates for annual survey, namely Safety equipment survey, International oil pollution prevention certificate survey, International air pollution prevention certificate survey, and Safety Radio Survey. The criteria for inspection are laid by classification societies acting as recognised organisations on behalf of flag states so that requisite certificates are revalidated or issued in line with international regulations. Every flag has streamlined its requirements and thus accordingly the classification society develops a checklists of inspection program to harmonise the same.
- An additional survey can be carried out after a condition of class has been imposed on a vessel or major failure in critical equipment has been detected which can endanger seaworthiness and safety of the vessel. Some examples are hull breach, propulsion or steering gear failure. Thus, after repair or remedial measure the classification society carries a thorough inspection/survey and then reissues or re-endorses the certificate.
- Dry dock surveys or intermediate surveys/inspections are more extensive form of annual surveys in which several other functional, operational aspects and maintenance routines of shipboard equipment are verified.
- A safety construction survey will be focused on structural strength of the vessel. It will be assessed for any excessive corrosion of deck or hull, along with condition of watertight doors, bilge pumping and drainage systems, fire protection equipment and fixed and portable fire fighting equipment. Condition of steam lines on deck, anchors chain and cables, and means of emergency escape are also checked.
- Prior assignment of load line to the vessel, a load line survey is carried out, during which, a vessel’s structural strength is checked for cracks or deformations in hull identified, various openings such as hatches, machinery space openings or any other openings on deck are watertight. Deck lines, load lines and draft marks are also painted.
- A cargo ship safety equipment survey pertains to conditions and management of safety system onboard. Muster lists, lifejacket donning instructions, survival craft launching instructions, and muster stations are to be updated and posted in required locations, arrow markings for emergency muster stations, condition of lifeboats, its equipment and launching appliances.
- The 5-yearly dry or dry dock surveys are the toughest of these in which a thorough inspection and testing as per the guidelines of classification society is conducted.
- Tanker and Gas industry is often subjected to Terminal Safety Inspections. A terminal safety manager or representative visits the ship and ascertains safe operations as per terminal requirements.
- International Management Code (ISM) for Safe operation of ships and pollution prevention lays down functional requirement for a Safety Management System to establish procedure for an Internal audit and management review, according to which an internal audit is being carried out by the ship managers, operators, bare boat charterers , or owners operating the ship or any third party authorised to carry out such an audit. The audit verifies maintaining the condition of the ship and equipment between surveys, documented procedures and instructions such as following procedures with the help of company specific permits, checklists and instructions. It also incorporates checks to ensure procedures provided for safe navigation as well as operation and maintenance of several important and critical shipboard equipment.
- The External Safety audit or more popularly known as Annual ISM Audit by flag state is carried out on similar pattern as the internal audit. On basis of qualifying the ability to meet specific requirements for Safety and pollution prevention, a Safety management certificate is issued which is subjected to Annual verification, Intermediate Verification or additional verification. During an audit, designated crew members and officers are also questioned about familiarisation with shipboard equipment as well as company guidelines and policies regarding ISM Code.
- OCIMF SIRE inspections or more popularly known as vetting inspections are well known in tanker industry (SIRE is Ship Inspection Report Programme). Its major goal is to expand the availability of ship inspection information. OCIMF has established a Vessel inspection Questionnaire (VIQ) for oil tankers and CDI checklist for Chemical tankers based on Chapters, of which, various areas of shipboard operations, management system and other requirements laid down are inspected and the results are uploaded on the SIRE website.
- Port State Inspection is done by Administrations to verify that the foreign flag ships calling at their ports comply with mandatory rules and regulations. A Port State may detain a ship from proceeding to sea, if there are clear grounds of serious deficiencies concerning the operational requirements of international conventions (e.g. SOLAS, MARPOL). Often port states enter into an MOU, under which, they carry CIC’s or Concentrated Inspection Programme and set a target of particular number of ships calling the ports within their MOU regions and inspect them for a specific shipboard operation, procedure or equipment.
