New Rules

GL and BV Develop New Rules for Inland Vessel

New rules for inland vessels have been developed jointly by Germanischer Lloyd and Bureau Veritas. They have entered into force with effect from August 1, 2006, for all inland vessels with the French and German classification societies and contracted for construction on or after that date. In addition, the rules will apply to existing vessels that have been technically updated and which comply with the necessary safety requirements for inland navigation vessels. The new rules comprise four sections, dealing with: classification and surveys; hull design and construction; machinery, systems and electricity; and additional requirements for notations. They cover survey requirements, class verification and construction rules for modern inland navigation vessels, and make provision for continuing improvements in pushing units, double hulls and dangerous goods regulations. The rules, which will be updated regularly, comply with statutory regulations and are compatible with the ADNR (Regulation for the Carriage of Dangerous Goods on the Rhine) rules. The rules are published on the websites of Bureau Veritas and Germanischer Lloyd.

Electronic Advance Manifest Information

The U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection issued a Press Release stating that it will soon be promulgating its rules on presentation by carriers of electronic advance manifest information. The requirement will be similar to the current requirement that ocean carriers submit manifest information at least 24 hours prior to loading in a foreign port. The differences are that the new rules will require that all advance manifests be submitted electronically and the requirement will apply

LR Provisional Rules for SPS

Lloyd’s Register, in conjunction with Intelligent Engineering, Ltd, has developed a set of provisional Rules for new construction and ship repair using steel sandwich construction. Entitled Provisional Rules for the Application of Sandwich Panel Construction to Ship Structure, the Rules were approved in early 2006 by a specially convened sub-committee of Lloyd’s Register’s Technical Committee, comprising independent experts drawn from across the industry.

BV Updates Naval Rules

Bureau Veritas has joined forces with prominent military ships designers and builders to update and complete its Rules for Classification of Naval Ships. The new rules, which build on Bureau Veritas’s experience with high-technology vessels and materials, will provide designers and builders with a safe, pragmatic, robust and rational framework for military ships of all sizes. Yves Le Gal, head of military developments at BV’s Paris head office, says

U.K. Government revises Finance Bill 2012 to favor UK Shipowning Companies

International accountant and shipping adviser Moore Stephens has welcomed the UK government’s decision to minimize the effect of new rules in Finance Bill 2012 which resulted in a potentially serious trap for existing UK shipowners entering tonnage tax. Finance Bill 2012 originally extended some anti-avoidance rules relating to leasing companies, so that they applied to existing UK shipowning companies chartering out ships which enter UK tonnage tax

Lloyd's Register Boxes Clever

A major research project by Lloyd’s Register (LR) has discovered a means to improve the way containers are handled and carried. Containership owners and managers are forever seeking sleeker and more streamlined ways to load, stack and carry their boxes as vessel sizes continue to expand and economies of scale to match them accordingly. The results of this new research project by LR means that in future, ultra-large container ships (ULCS) using the new method could potentially load

Port Security Program Gets Strong Response

According to Reuters, the TSA has received more than 1,000 documents of feedback on the new rules for workers entering domestic ports, which include fingerprinting and conducting background checks. In late April, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implemented the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program, which included name-based background checks on nearly 400,000 port workers in the United States.

BV Yacht Rules Benefit New Designs

International classification society Bureau Veritas has joined forces with yacht designers and builders to completely reengineer its Rules for Classification and Certification of Yachts. The new Rules, launched today, build on Bureau Veritas' experience with high-technology vessels and materials to provide designers and builders with a safe, pragmatic, robust and rationale framework for yachts of all sizes. Etienne Thiberge

BV Tackles FPSO Cracking

Bureau Veritas has launched new rules for FPSOs which embody extensive recent experience with large floating structures and enhanced spectral fatigue analysis. BV's Rules for the Hull Structure of Production, Storage, and Offloading Surface Units are the most up to date distillation of experience with a wide range of ship and box-shaped FPSOs. They take into account that the units have to remain onsite without dry-docking for twenty-five years, with

New Reporting Requirements for Ships

Most Ships entering U.S. ports will have to provide 96-hour advance notice of arrival (NOA) to the U.S. coast Guard along with crew, passenger, and cargo information under new rules that went into effect October 4. A 24-hour advance notice has been the requirement for ships calling at U.S. ports. As a result of the September 11 tragedy, ships have been directed by U.S. Coast Guard order to provide advance notice plus detailed information about crews, passengers and cargoes.