Recognized Organization News

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Thursday cited thermal runaway of a cell within a handheld radio’s lithium-ion battery as the cause of a fire on an oil tanker docked in Baton Rouge, La.The Liberian-registered oil tanker S-Trust was docked at the Genesis Port Allen Terminal on November 13, 2022, when a fire on the bridge was sparked by one of the cells in a lithium-ion battery for an ultra-high-frequency handheld radio exploding, the NTSB's investigation found.

Veer Corp. said the American Bureau of Shipping granted an Approval in Principle, seen as a key milestone on its mission to build its fleet of clean, wind-powered ocean-going container vessels. The naval architect team at Dykstra and the project management team at Brookes Bell lead the initiative.“Receiving this AIP from a recognized organization such as ABS sets Veer apart from other conceptual projects.” says Danielle Doggett, CEO at Veer. “We are making significant progress…

The Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) executive committee held its election for three executive positions during their International AGM on October 13. The AGM was hosted in Hamburg alongside a conference that is taking place today and Friday.Connie Roozen, WISTA Netherlands, retains her position as treasurer for another term, whilst two new members were elected as Executive Committee members, Sofia Fu¨rstenberg Stott, WISTA Sweden and Nazli Selek…

The Korean Register (KR) has been appointed to deliver statutory services on behalf of the Government of Brunei. KR will act as a Recognized Organization (RO), with KR surveyors conducting vessel surveys and audits, issuing certificates for Brunei’s flagged ships and ensuring full compliance with the SOLAS, MARPOL, ITC, ILL, and MLC regulations and international conventions.Brunei is a country where the oil and gas industry accounts for 90% of the national economy, as a result…

Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass) has received authorization as a Recognized Organization from the U.S. flag administration, a recognition which delegates authority to IRClass to undertake statutory survey and certification services on US flag ships on behalf of the administration.IRClass has its presence in the US through its office in Houston for around a decade and aims to explore additional business opportunities in the region.

As part of the European Union (EU) Recognized Organization (RO) Mutual Recognition Type Approval scheme, EIZO Corporation has been awarded type approval from Lloyd’s Register (LR) for its 19- and 25.5-inch maritime monitors for an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) with radar applications, the first European certificate for electrical equipment in Japan.The EU RO Mutual Recognition Type Approval scheme covers type approval certification on selected components…

Paris MoU Committee approved the 2018 inspection results and adopted new performance lists for flags and Recognized Organizations (ROs) at its 52nd meeting last month."These lists will take effect from 1 July 2019," said a release from the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (PMoU) on Port State Control (PSC).The “White, Grey and Black (WGB) List” presents the full spectrum, from quality flags to flags with a poor performance that are considered high or very high risk. The list is based on the total number of inspections and detentions over a 3-year rolling period for flags with at least 30 inspections in that period.Regarding the “White, Grey and Black list” for 2018, a total number of 73 flags are listed: 41 on the “White List”, 18 on the “Grey List” and 14 on the “Black List”.

The maritime classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) has been awarded recognized organization status by the Italian flag administration and is now authorized to issue statutory certification on its behalf to all seagoing ships sailing with the Italian flag.In line with its new RO status, LR will establish an Italy branch of LR Group Ltd so the classification society can fully support Italy and the country’s shipowners.As LR will be authorised to work on behalf of the Italian flag Administration, owners of Italian-flagged ships will have the opportunity to work with LR for classification and consultancy services and benefit from LR’s extensive technical expertise.By having RO status…

ABS announced it was assigned Recognized Organization (RO) status by the Canadian Department of National Defense (DND). ABS is now authorized to survey non-combatant vessels and undertake certification activities in key hazard areas identified by the Naval Ship Code.“ABS was selected as the exclusive classification organization for all non-combatant vessels in service with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in 2017 before expanding our class and certification services to the entire Canadian Coast Guard fleet in 2018—and now we have been assigned RO status by the DND…

Indian Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Maritime issues between India and Denmark.The MoU is proposed to be signed during the upcoming visit of the Denmark officials to India in January, 2019.Signing of the MoU will pave way for both countries for exploration of areas for bilateral collaboration in facilitating cross-border cooperation and investments between the maritime sectors of India and Denmark.The agreement will enable both the countries to exchange expertise, publications, information, data and statistics to improve mutual capabilities for ensuring quality shipping…

... one year after the commandant’s Final Action Memo on the El Faro sinking.“… the Coast Guard is ultimately responsible to monitor the performance of third parties that perform delegated functions and also to guarantee the effectiveness of vessel inspections and surveys. Yet the Coast Guard failed to adequately oversee the third party in this case, and the investigation reveals that the Coast Guard has not sustained the proficiency and policy framework to do so in general. The…

The Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) has met for its milestone 100th session, with a busy agenda encompassing maritime autonomous surface ships, fatigue guidance for seafarers, polar shipping, goal-based standards and other agenda items.According to a International Maritime Organization (IMO) press release, the MSC will receive the report of a correspondence group which has been testing the proposed methodology for the regulatory scoping exercise on maritime autonomous surface ships, taking into account different levels of autonomy.Focusing on the human element, the MSC is expected to approve revised guidance on fatigue, a key tool for seafarers and ship operators.

The Classification Society Korean Register (KR) and Swiss Climate EcoCare GmbH has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to provide enhanced International Maritime Organization (IMO) Data Collection System (DCS) services to the maritime industry.According to a release, the MoU was signed in Hamburg, Germany on 22nd Nov 2018 in presence of Philipp Ahrenkiel, Managing Director at Swiss Climate EcoCare GmbH and Michael Suhr, Technical & Commercial Director at Korean Register, Germany. The MoU was signed with a special focus on mutual cooperation to provide IMO DCS services to the maritime industry.The International Maritime Organization has recently implemented a carbon dioxide emissions regime.

The number of seafarers in India has seen an unprecedented growth of 42.3% due to various policy level changes brought in by the Government in the last four years, said a Minister in India.According to Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State for Shipping, Road Transport & Highways, Chemical & Fertilizer, from 108,446 seafarers in 2013, India now has 154,349 seafarers. India now provides 9.35% of the global seafarers and ranks 3rd in the list of the largest seafarer supplying nations in the world.At present, there are 17 lakhs seafarers globally including the 154,349 Indian seafarers. The Maritime Agenda of 2010-2020 had set a target for…

The provider of ballast water treatment solutions for ship builders Ecochlor announcef the complete harmonization of United States Coast Guard (USCG) Type Approval to their International Maritime Organization (IMO) Type Approval for their line of Ecochlor Ballast Water Treatment Systems.During Ecochlor’s USCG Type Approval amendment process, minor updates and improvements were made to aspects such as documentation, available filter models, and control system software, said a press release from the company.Once the USCG Type Approval amendment was complete, Ecochlor worked with DNV GL as the Recognized Organization for the Norwegian Maritime Authority to harmonize all aspects of the USCG approved system with the existing IMO Type Approval.

This month we caught up with Jeong-kie Lee, Chairman and CEO of the Korean Register and also the Chairman of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), for his insights on the dominant trends moving the maritime industry into the future.The maritime industry has been challenged, to say the least. Today, where do you see challenge? Where do you see opportunity?The maritime industry is in a state of extreme upheaval, with private and public organizations having to deal with a wide range of ever changing…

Classification society ClassNK has released ClassNK MRV Portal (IMO DCS), a software service for the reporting, monitoring and verification of shipping CO2 emissions in line with the IMO DCS regulations that will come into effect in 2019.The implementation of fuel consumption data reporting regulations has been ongoing in an effort to reduce GHG emissions and the EU-MRV (European Union - Monitoring, Reporting, Verification) regulations for ships operating in the EU area began in 2018. The upcoming IMO DCS regulations require all globally operating ships over 5,000GT to collect fuel consumption data and create an annual fuel consumption…

Leaked fuel that contacted a hot surface in the engine room was determined to be the immediate cause of a fire that burned for three days aboard the auto and passenger vessel Caribbean Fantasy in August 2016.According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), who reported their findings Tuesday, the fire started in the main engine room of the 614-foot long, Panamanian-flagged vessel, when fuel spraying from a leaking flange contacted the hot surface of the port main…

ABS has been authorized as a Recognized Organization (RO) for Italy, giving the organization the ability to carry out statutory reviews and certifications on behalf of the Italian Flag Administration. “This authorization strengthens our offering to Italian flag vessel owners and provides a compelling option as they consider their classification and RO partner,” says ABS Chairman, President and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki. Working closely with Italy’s Ministry of the Environment and Protection of Land and Sea and Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, this authorization allows ABS to verify compliance of Italian flag ships with the major international safety and pollution prevention programs: the International Load Line, SOLAS and MARPOL Conventions.

Turk Loydu has been authorized by Panama Maritime Authority, the world’s leading maritime administration, to conduct survey and certification activities for Panama flagged ships. Worlds No.1 maritime administration Panama Maritime Authority and Turkish classification society Turk Loydu has signed an authorization transfer protocol in Istanbul on 7th November 2017. In accordance with the signed authorization Turk Loydu will be able to issue classification certificates and conduct statutory surveys and certification services for Panama flagged ships. Panama Maritime Authority Merchant Marine Directorate General Manager Fernando Solorzano…

Panama Maritime Authority has authorized Dromon Bureau of Shipping (DBS) as a Classification Society, Recognized Organization (RO) and Recognized Security Organization (RSO) to perform class and statutory certification services on behalf of the Flag Administration. The agreement was signed by Fernando Solorzano, General Director of Merchant Marine of the Republic of Panama and Andreas Nicolaou, Managing Director of DBS. The signing ceremony took place on 24th of November 2017 at the presence of Honourable Jorge Barakat Pitty, Minister of Maritime Affairs of the Republic of Panama, Ms Yaritza Romero, Chief of Staff of Panama Maritime Authority and the top Management of DBS.

ABS said it was awarded a Third-Party Organization (TPO) contract by Cenac Marine Services, owner and operator of a fleet of inland and offshore vessels, to support compliance with U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Subchapter M requirements. The contract establishes ABS as Cenac’s sole TPO, providing oversight of their Internal Survey program and additional support with ABS surveyors when required. “Tugboat owners and operators are urgently seeking and evaluating options for Subchapter M compliance,” said ABS Americas Division President, Jamie Smith.

It’s been a full year since the International Maritime Organization (IMO) launched the Polar Code to enhance the protection of seafarers and the environment in Arctic and Antarctic regions. As ship owners and operators now work to ensure compliance, Viking Life-Saving Equipment says it stands ready to throw them a lifeline. The global provider offers a complete range of safety solutions for passenger and cargo vessels operating under the Polar Code. “Like the Poles themselves, Polar safety is uncharted territory to many operators.