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The following IACS papers were submitted to MSC 102 and MSC103: 

• MSC 102/12/1 provides comments on the report of the Experts Group on Formal Safety Assessment (MSC 102/12) on the Procedure for identifying safety issues.
• MSC 102/21/17 provides comments on document MSC 102/21/10 proposing a new output to amend the 2011 ESP Code, related to the requirements for ballast tanks on bulk carriers and inspection of void spaces bounding cargo holds.
• MSC 102/21/21 provides comments on document MSC 102/21/9 proposing a new output to amendment SOLAS chapter XII and MSC/Circ.1178.
• MSC 102/INF.20 provides the updated status report of the work undertaken to address the IACS “common” observations as of 29 February 2020.
• MSC 103/5 provides IACS comments on MSC 102 postponed MASS related documents (MSC 102/5/1, MSC 102/5/7, MSC 102/5/27, MSC 102/5/32, and MSC 102/5/18) addressing MASS terminology issues.
• MSC 103/7/2 provides IACS’ comments on the observations of the GBS audit team who performed the second GBS maintenance of verification audit of 11 recognised organisations and IACS’ CSR, as contained in document MSC 102/7/4.
• MSC 103/16/1 proposes modifications to the draft interim guidelines on safe operation of onshore power supply (OPS) service in port for ships engaged on international voyages contained in annex 6 of document SSE 7/21.
• MSC 103/20/3 advises the Committee of the progress of work in IACS pertaining to the strength of the structure of large containerships, forming part of IACS safety initiatives discussed at MSC 95.
• MSC 103/20/15 comments on document MSC 102/22/6 (ISO), which introduces a publicly available specification ISO/PAS 23678 (series 1 to 4).
• MSC 103/ INF.8 updates the Committee on how cyber safety is being further addressed by IACS within the context of MSC-FAL.1/Circ.3 and describes the progress IACS has made on this topic and the future work.
• MSC 103/ INF.9 provides the updated status of the work which has been undertaken to address the IACS “common” observations as of 28 February 2021.

IACS co-sponsored the following papers to MSC 102 and MSC 103:

• MSC 102/2/3 discusses the process of updating the survey guidelines under the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (HSSC) and proposes amendments to MSC.1/Circ.1587 and MSC.1/Circ.1500/Rev.1.
• MSC 102/2/4 discusses the process of updating the survey guidelines under the Harmonized System of Survey and Certification (HSSC) and proposes a joint MSC-MEPC circular.
• MSC 102/21/1 proposes a new output to conduct a focused review of the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Liquified Gases in Bulk (IGC Code), as amended by resolution MSC.370(93).
• MSC 102/21/3 proposes a new output to be included in the biennial agenda of the Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment (SSE) to evaluate the adequacy of fire protection, detection and extinction arrangements on board containerships to fight container fire, with a view to amending SOLAS and the FSS Code, as required.
• MSC 102/21/12 proposes a new output for the review of the guidance associated to SOLAS provisions on safe return to port for passenger ships, as contained in MSC.1/Circ.1369 and other related circulars.
• MSC 103/3/3 proposes refinement of the text of draft new SOLAS regulation II-1/25-1 to address the differences between bilge water detection system and water level alarms.
• MSC 103/3/4 proposes to initiate a revision of resolution MSC.188(79) on the Performance standards for water level detectors on bulk carriers and single hold cargo ships other than bulk carriers as a consequence of the adoption of new SOLAS regulation II-1/25-1.
• MSC 103/3/5 proposes minor modifications to the draft amendments to the Load Line Convention and the IGC Code regarding watertight doors for cargo ships approved by MSC 102.
• MSC 103/16/2 proposes a revision of Guidelines for the maintenance and inspections of fixed carbon dioxide fire-extinguishing systems (MSC.1/Circ.1318) to align with the Revised guidelines for the maintenance and inspection of fire protection systems and appliances (MSC.1/Circ.1432, as amended), particularly with respect to the internal inspection of all control valves of CO2 bottles at a five-year service.

IACS will also contribute to the discussions under agenda items 6, 18 and 20 related to fuel oil safety, work programme and any other business respectively.

Any enquiries on the above should be sent to Konstantin Petrov, IACS Accredited Representative to IMO, at arimo@iacs.org.uk

The International Association of Classification Societies has named Lloyd’s Register CEO Nick Brown as its Incoming Council Chair. This is the first time that the IACS Chair has been chosen by the Association’s Members and not by rotation, a move that follows governance changes announced in December last year.  As part of those changes, Mr. Nick Brown will take up role on 1st July 2021 and his term of office will run until 31st Dec 2023.

Mr. Brown commented: “I am honoured to have been named Chair of the International Association of Classification Societies. The Association has always been and remains a beacon of safety for maritime through its development of important technical standards and guidelines. The governance arrangements developed over the past years have sent a clear signal to our stakeholders that IACS and its members are committed to ensuring that the classification industry remains an effective force in the maritime sector and I thank the IACS Members for choosing me to oversee the implementation of these important changes.”

As part of the new model, Mr. Li Zhiyuan of the China Classification Society was appointed as Chair of the General Policy Group (GPG) for a three-year period starting 1^st July 2021.  Mr. Li, who also acted as GPG Chair between 2016 and 2017, and his team will be located in IACS Secretariat in London meaning these highly expert, technical specialists will be closer to the IMO and other industry associations thus facilitating a deeper, wider and more consistent cooperation on the key issues facing the maritime industry.

Mr. Brown added: “The current Council Chair, Koichi Fujiwara of ClassNK, has successfully delivered far-reaching change to the governance of IACS while simultaneously ensuring that IACS remained fully responsive to industry needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. I look forward to building on his achievements by ensuring IACS continues to play its role in supporting an industry experiencing times of rapid change and delivering responsive advice to the technical and regulatory challenges posed by decarbonisation and digitisation.”

Robert Ashdown, IACS Secretary General, congratulated Mr. Brown and Mr. Li on their appointments, saying: “The unanimous appointment of the Council and GPG Chairs demonstrates the clear commitment of the IACS members to evolving the Association to meet the needs and expectations of industry and regulators. The significant strengthening of the Secretariat combined with the consistency of longer Chairmanship periods means that IACS is now well positioned to engage at pace and in depth as we continue to deliver on our core mission of safer, cleaner shipping.”

IACS Council Chair Biography

Mr. Nick Brown

Nick joined Lloyd’s Register in 1996 and was appointed CEO in January 2021.

In an extensive career with LR, he has worked as a ship surveyor in Bahrain, Dubai, Finland and Germany before moving to China to spend seven years leading LR’s activities in the country. He has since been Director for Business Development and Innovation, Marine Chief Operating Officer and Marine and Offshore Director.

His focus as CEO is to deliver Lloyd’s Register’s vision of ‘working together for a safer world’, improving the performance and sustainability of our customers’ businesses through LR’s trusted advice, insight and expertise.

Nick is a graduate of Nottingham University, a Chartered Mechanical Engineer and a Member of both the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology.

A high resolution (18mb) portrait photo of Nick Brown is available at https://www.iacs.org.uk/media/8051/nick-brown.jpg

IACS GPG Chair Biography

Mr. Li Zhiyuan

Li Zhiyuan studied naval architecture at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and EMBA at China Europe International Business School. After working as a surveyor in CCS and a technical officer in IMO, he has held various management positions in CCS on international affairs, rule development, new-buildings etc. He chaired IACS GPG in 2016-2017 and led Chinese Delegations to IMO’s DE and SSE Sub-Committees.

Contact: Robert Ashdown, IACS Secretary General
E: robertashdown@iacs.org.uk T: +44 (0) 20 7976 0660

International Association of Classification Societies
Permanent Secretariat 4 Matthew Parker Street, London, England SW1H 9NP

E: permsec@iacs.org.uk; T: +44 (0)20 7976 0660

IACS is pleased to announce that the 2020 IACS Annual Review is now available to download from our website at http://www.iacs.org.uk/about/iacs-annual-review/

This year’s Annual Review contains a wide range of articles on IACS work in 2020 dealing with matters such as Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Remote Surveys and Cyber Safety as well detailed technical pieces on corrosion and stability.  There are also updates on changes to IACS’ governance structure and a commentary on the response of IACS and its Members to the COVID-19 pandemic; as well as updates on IACS Quality work and further developments in the trial of the Independent Quality Assessment Review Body (IQARB).

The Annual Review also contains information on IACS extensive contributions to IMO and our wide-ranging (although virtual) engagement with industry partners, as well as summaries of all new, revised or deleted IACS Resolutions in 2020.  The Annual Report also includes our ‘Class Report’ with data on the IACS fleet.

If you would like to receive a hard copy, please do not hesitate to contact us at permsec@iacs.org.uk

Contact: Robert Ashdown, IACS Secretary General
E: robertashdown@iacs.org.uk T: +44 (0) 20 7976 0660

International Association of Classification Societies
Permanent Secretariat 4 Matthew Parker Street, London, England SW1H 9NP

E: permsec@iacs.org.uk

T: +44 (0)20 7976 0660

Notes to Editors:

1. Dedicated to safe ships and clean seas, the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) makes a unique contribution to maritime safety and regulation through technical support, compliance verification and research and development. More than 90% of the world’s cargo carrying tonnage is covered by the classification design, construction and through-life compliance Rules and standards set by the twelve Member Societies of IACS. 

2. More information on the work IACS has undertaken in response to the COVID19 pandemic can be found on our dedicated web-page http://iacs.org.uk/covid-19/ 

3. More information about IACS can be found by visiting iacs.org.uk and in our Annual Review available online at http://www.iacs.org.uk/about/iacs-annual-review/

• NCSR 8/6 proposes consequential changes to Forms P, E, C and R, as contained in document NCSR 7/WP.5, annex 1 (appendix certificates), dealing with passenger and cargo ship certificates related to the draft amendments to SOLAS chapter IV, as revised in document NCSR 8/7, annex 2.

• NCSR 8/8/1 provides comments on the report of the Correspondence Group on Revision of the Guidelines on places of refuge for ships in need of assistance (resolution A.949(23)).

Any enquiries on the above should be sent to Konstantin Petrov, IACS Accredited Representative to IMO, at arimo@iacs.org.uk.

• PPR 8/7/9 proposes modifications to the draft amendments to MARPOL Annex IV and the 2012 Guidelines prepared by the Correspondence Group on Amendments to MARPOL Annex IV and Associated Guidelines as contained in document PPR 8/7.

• PPR 8/11/2 provides comments on the revised proposed protocol as contained in document PPR 8/11. The IACS paper offers improvements to the draft text addressing several aspects of the protocol, including that the testing of a compliance monitoring device (CMD) should be conducted using samples of treated and untreated (or partially treated) ballast water to evaluate the ability of CMDs to differentiate between viable and non-viable organisms in ballast water. IACS also recommends clarifying the scope of ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation with respect to testing of a compliance monitoring device, and to provide guidance on how to evaluate the appropriateness of ISO/IEC 17025 accredited facility for device testing.

IACS will also contribute to the discussions on the rationale for additional amendments to the guidelines associated with MARPOL Annex IV.

Any enquiries on the above should be sent to Konstantin Petrov, IACS Accredited Representative to IMO, at arimo@iacs.org.uk

The IACS Green Book is designed for daily use and contains all current IACS Resolutions and Recommendations as well as their History and Technical Background. The Green Book is updated whenever a new or revised IACS Resolution or Recommendation is uploaded on the IACS website making it the ideal reference document for anyone wishing to refer to current IACS Resolutions. Because the Green Book only contains current material the file-size is more manageable and so better suited to be downloaded and used in the field.

The IACS Blue Book meanwhile, is an electronic library of all technical resolutions adopted by IACS as a result of its technical work and remains the core reference work for the Association containing, as it does, all previous revisions of IACS publications and historical data. It is updated and published once a year. Together, these IACS publications illustrate well how the aims and objectives of IACS are delivered for the benefit of international shipping and contain:

• IACS Unified Requirements which IACS members incorporate into their Rules
• Unified Interpretations of IMO convention requirements which IACS Members apply uniformly when acting on behalf of authorizing flag Administrations, unless instructed otherwise
• Procedural Requirements governing practices among IACS Members
• Recommendations relating to adopted resolutions that are not necessarily matters of Class but which IACS considers would be helpful to offer some advice to the marine industry
• Quality Documents containing QSCS (IACS’ Quality System Certification Scheme) description, Quality Management System Requirements, Audit Requirements, ACB (Accredited Certification Bodies) requirements and other quality procedures
• IACS Charter and IACS Procedures which define the purpose, aim and working procedures of the Association

In 2020 in response to approaches from a number of Member states, the IMO Secretary General and several industry associations, IACS issued addendums to a number of IACS PRs in response to the COVID-19 situation. These addendums are also included in the Blue book and Green book.

These publications are of interest to Ship Designers, Consultants, Shipbuilders, Classification Societies, Ship-owners, Shipbrokers, Insurers, Associations, Accredited Certification Bodies, flag States, Port State Control, MOUs and the shipping industry at large and are available for download, free of charge, at www.iacs.org.uk/publications

A fast-moving maritime landscape requires the constant development of responses and solutions which, to be effective, entails a consistency of effort often over several years.  To identify evolving issues quickly and then resolve and implement the appropriate responses over a longer period, IACS has adopted a package of measures to do just that; speeding up reaction times by simplifying the voting requirements and having issues pre-considered by the Chair’s office, whilst ensuring the focus on delivery can be sustained by an elected Chair in post for a two-year term (renewable).  In parallel, having a GPG Chair elected for a three-year term and located in London, together with a supporting team, brings these highly expert, technical specialists closer to IACS’ key stakeholders including the IMO and other industry associations.

The consistency in representation provided by a two-year Chair, a permanent Secretary General and a GPG Chair in post for three years will reinforce the establishment and maintenance of key industry relationships.  Deeper and wider cooperation will allow potential issues to be identified early while also providing time for solutions to be discussed and worked through in a more consistent fashion at both the policy and technical levels.

These external facing measures are complemented by efforts to streamline IACS internal decision as both the number and pace of new initiatives continues to increase.  As a technical standards-setting body, the results of which are embedded into IACS Members’ own Class Rules, IACS needs to balance the need for robust adoption criteria with the need to minimise bureaucracy.  Moving to simple majority voting for most decisions achieves this while the robustness of that process is protected by having any such majority decision also being dependent on it being comprised of members who collectively represent fifty per-cent or more of IACS’ total registered gross tonnage.

To assist in reaching early agreement on measures, a ‘Chair’s Office’ comprised of the Chair, three Council members, the Secretary General and GPG Chair, will act in an advisory capacity to the IACS Council.  The three Council members will rotate annually and be reflective of the make-up of the IACS membership, including its geographical spread, and so together with the standing members, will provide a balanced and indicative assessment of issues under discussion.

Elections for the Council and GPG Chairs will take place in the first half of next year and the term of office for both will begin on 1 July 2021.  The new voting arrangements will also enter into force at that time as will the reconstituted Chair’s Office.  Commenting on these developments, IACS Council Chair, Koichi Fujiwara said  “this significant organisational restructuring is the result of a sustained and collective effort by the IACS Members who are determined that IACS remains well positioned to work with its partners in the successful delivery of its core mission of achieving safer and cleaner shipping.  These changes bring IACS closer to its stakeholders at a time when the key challenges facing the maritime industry require a sustained and joint effort by all concerned if they are to be successful.”

Robert Ashdown, IACS Secretary General, continued “This comprehensive package of measures marks an important step in IACS’ ongoing commitment to support the maritime sector through the detailed, technically sound and apolitical input for which it is renowned; and to doing so in a more  responsive and timely manner.  I look forward to working closely with our industry colleagues as we implement these changes in the coming year.”

Contact: Robert Ashdown, IACS Secretary General
E: robertashdown@iacs.org.uk T: +44 (0) 20 7976 0660

International Association of Classification Societies
Permanent Secretariat 4 Matthew Parker Street, London, England SW1H 9NP

E: permsec@iacs.org.uk

T: +44 (0)20 7976 0660

Noting the work IACS Members undertake in verifying compliance with the implementation of IMO-agreed requirements on behalf of IMO Member States (in their capacities as Recognized Organizations), and to provide greater clarity for all industry stakeholders, IACS has submitted the following papers:

MEPC 75/3/4 proposing the deletion of the draft new paragraph 20.3.2 of MARPOL Annex VI which, if adopted, would introduce a new responsibility for Member States to report attained EEDI data and related information for ships already delivered.  The proposed modifications should avoid the creation of an unnecessary administrative burden for Member States.   This paper also requests confirmation by  the Committee that the reporting of attained EEDI and related information for passenger ships, other than ro-ro passenger ships and cruise passenger ships with non-conventional propulsion, should not be covered by the new draft regulation 20.3 of MARPOL Annex VI.

MEPC 75/11/3 (together with co-sponsors) proposing the revision to paragraph 6.5.5 of the draft Model agreement for the authorisation of Recognized Organizations acting on behalf of the Administration, with a view to its practical and clear implementation.

IACS will also contribute to the discussions under agenda item 3 (Amendments to Mandatory Instruments), agenda item 6 (Energy Efficiency of ships), and agenda item 10 (PPR 7 Sub-Committee report).

Further, IACS will stand ready to provide its advice to Member States on agenda item 7, the reduction of GHG emissions from ships, aiming to support the agreement on short-term measures in accordance with IMO’s strategy and timeline on the reduction of GHGs from shipping.

Any enquiries regarding the above should be sent to Mr Konstantin Petrov, IACS Accredited Representative to IMO, at arimo@iacs.org.uk

Noting the work IACS Members undertake in verifying compliance with the implementation of IMO agreed requirements on behalf of the IMO Member States (in their capacities as Recognized Organizations), and to provide greater clarity for all industry stakeholders, IACS has submitted, or co-sponsored, papers on the following issues to MSC 102:

• MSC 102/7/5 highlights the significant impact of the pandemic on ships originally scheduled to be delivered before 1 July 2020, which were not designed and constructed in accordance with the requirements of SOLAS regulation II-1/3-10 (GBS for bulk carriers and oil tankers) and proposes a draft MSC circular containing a unified interpretation of SOLAS regulation II-1/3-10 concerning the term “unforeseen delay in the delivery of ships” with a view to harmonizing the interpretation of the provisions for the application scheme thereof with the unified interpretation to regulation 1.28 of MARPOL Annex 1. In this  context it is noted that due to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic the IMO Secretary General issued Circular Letter 4204/Add.7 on “Guidance concerning unforeseen delays in the delivery of ships”, drawing attention to paper MSC 102/7/5 among others.

• MSC 102/14/1 proposes revisions to paragraph 6.5.5 of the draft Model agreement for the authorization of recognized organizations acting on behalf of the Administration, with a view to its practical and clear implementation.

IACS will also contribute to the discussions under agenda items 3, 7, 15, 17 and 19 related to amendments to mandatory instruments, GBS, CCC 6, SDC 7 and SSE 7 Sub-Committees, respectively.

Any enquiries on the above should be sent to Mr Konstantin Petrov, IACS Accredited Representative to IMO, at arimo@iacs.org.uk