By choosing a service provider that meets all the IACS recommendations, shipowners, operators and managers can be confident that the provider will have the required capability to both comply with relevant national and international regulations and guidelines as well provide effective and rapid technical assistance to a ship in a casualty situation.
In a ship emergency, a safe course of action to protect the ship, crew, cargo and the marine environment may not be obvious. A ship’s crew and management need rapid precise technical information on the behaviour of the ship after the casualty as well as information on the consequences of any proposed remedial actions.
The aim of an emergency response service is to provide rapid technical assistance to Masters and other authorities in a casualty situation by assessing the damage stability and residual longitudinal strength of the ship.
This assistance can only be provided rapidly if:
- A 24 hour all year round emergency response service is available
- The calculation results can be provided rapidly by using computer programs
- Models of the ship are prepared in advance
The IACS recommendations provide additional detail on these core elements and can be downloaded, free of charge, from the IACS website at: http://www.iacs.org.uk/document/public/Publications/ Guidelines_and_recommendations/PDF/Rec._No._145_pdf2856.pdf
International Association of Classification Societies
Permanent Secretariat, 6th Floor, 36 Broadway, London SW1H 0BH, UK
E: permsec@iacs.org.uk T: +44 (0)20 7976 0660 www.iacs.org.uk
Contact: Robert Ashdown, IACS Secretary General
E: robertashdown@iacs.org.uk T: +44 (0) 20 7976 0660
Notes to Editors:
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.