IMO’s MSC Gives Nod to Ship Construction Rules from 12 ROs

Ship construction rules for oil tankers and bulk carriers submitted by 12 classification societies comply with the goals and functional requirements set by the International Maritime Organization for new vessels, according to IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC).

The MSC reviewed goal-based standards verification audit reports on 12 Recognized Organizations (ROs) and confirmed that their ship construction rules were in conformity with the goals and functional requirements set out in the International goal-based ship construction standards for bulk carriers and oil tankers.

The MSC also confirmed that ships contracted under the current verified rules are deemed to meet the GBS Standards.

“The completion of this process of developing goal-based standards for oil tankers and bulk carriers, followed by the detailed verification audit process, means that we now have a much closer alignment between the classification societies’ rules and the IMO regulatory process,” Kitack Lim, IMO Secretary-General, said.

The goal-based standards for bulk carriers and oil tankers suggest that ships should be designed and constructed for a specified design life and that, if properly operated and maintained, they should remain safe and environmentally friendly throughout their service life.

Under an International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulation, ships over 150 meters in length must have adequate strength, integrity and stability to minimize the risk of loss of the ship or pollution to the marine environment due to structural failure, including collapse, resulting in flooding or loss of watertight integrity.

The goal-based standards amendments in the SOLAS regulation were adopted in 2010 and entered into force in 2012, with a date of July 1, 2016 set for application to new oil tankers and bulk carriers.

The verification audit process means that all aspects of ship construction for oil tankers and bulk carriers now have to be verified and audited as meeting the established goals, IMO’s MSC said.