IACS calls for co-operation to encourage quality shipping

Excessive inspections and a growing number of regulations are doing little to improve safety at sea, according to Robin Bradley of IACS. Speaking on the first day of the Lloyd's List Events Tanker Safety conference in London on 21 September, Bradley said that although politicians and the public are looking to class to eliminate sub-standard ships, this expectation can far exceed the actual role and reach of classification societies. According to Bradley, the solution lies in a more efficient implementation of rules and better co-ordination of inspections. "The way to go is for class and IACS to convince the industry of the quality and reliability of their work, and for the industry to agree to combine the diverse inspections and vettings and concentrate them on class as far as possible," he said. He added that class has very limited possibilities to give economic incentives to encourage quality shipping. "This is where we need co-operation with our other partners, particularly the insurers," he said.