RINA Provides Three New Class Notations

RINA has met shipowners' needs to demonstrate that their vessels exceed basic regulatory requirements by providing three new Additional Class Notations. The three notations, covering fatigue life, permanent means of access for inspections and ballast water treatment, will all be available from January 1, 2008 for those ships which meet the higher criteria set by the voluntary standards. FATIGUELIFE assigned to ships designed for a fatigue life greater than Y years, where Y is to be greater than 20 years. The Notation requires that the fatigue life calculated for the Special Structural Details specified in the Rules is not less than Y years. PMA assigned to Bulk Carriers of 20,000 gt or more and Oil Tankers of 500 gt or more, which are provided with Permanent Means of Access complying with SOLAS Regulation II-1/3-6, as amended by Resolution MSC 151(78), with the associated BWM-E assigned to ships complying with the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ship's Ballast Water and Sediments by means of a Ballast Water Exchange system. The notation is followed by either Sequential, Flow Through or Dilution depending on the system used. BWM-T: assigned to ships complying with the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ship's Ballast Water and Sediments by means of a Ballast Water Treatment system.