IMO Makes Progress on Goal Based Standards

The 81st session of the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 81), which was held this week, has agreed and continued its work in developing Goal Based New Construction Standards (GBS) for oil tankers and bulk carriers. MSC 81 has approved Tier I (goals) and Tier II (functional requirements) subject to further adjustments that may become necessary in the process of finalising Tier III (verification of compliance). MSC 81 also approved incorporating GBS for oil tankers and bulk carriers in SOLAS chapter II-1. A correspondence group was established to continue to develop the elements of Tier III, the Ship Construction File, and to develop guidelines and details for carrying out a pilot project for the verification process in using the IACS Common Structural Rules.

MSC 81 has also agreed to endorse parallel track work to consider the development of GBS based on a "safety level approach" (previously called "risk-based" or "probabilistic approach"). It has therefore set up a separate correspondence group to determine the current safety level imbedded in the IMO regulations, develop a risk model and consider whether this parallel model for GBS would necessitate a modification of Tiers I and II of the GBS as developed for the time being for oil tankers and bulk carriers. The correspondence group was also requested to consider the relationship between overall failure of the ship and the contributions of different failure modes.

(Source: Intertanko)