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Print articleClass societies ring the changes
Providing training for companies – and even competitors – is becoming a way of expanding services and winning new business
 Vietnamese yards are getting orders for larger and more complex ships |
As the number of ships coming out of the world’s yards continues to rise, there is a corresponding need for a rise in the number of surveyors and inspectors to assure quality, both as the ship is built, and to ensure that standards of maintenance are met throughout its working life. As in every area of shipping, the challenge is finding people with both the training and the enthusiasm to meet these demands.
VR expands cooperation agreements
The Vietnam Register of Shipping, for example, faces major challenges if it is to keep pace with the rapidly increasing shipbuilding industry in its country. Vietnam aims to be the fourth-biggest shipbuilding nation in the world after China, South Korea and Japan, and last year saw a 44 per cent increase over 2006. Increasingly, these vessels are large oceangoing bulkers and tankers. The orderbook even includes LPG carriers and containerships, normally ordered from “high-tech” South Korean or Japanese yards, and yards will have the capacity to build VLCCs within the next two years.
At the moment, most ships built in Vietnam are classed by overseas societies – Graig’s series of 16 diamond-class bulkers, for example, was classed by DNV. A series of cooperation agreements between the Vietnam Register and other classification societies, however, is aiming to change this by encouraging the transfer of skills between East and West. Earlier this year, for example, a cooperation agreement was announced between ABS and the Vietnam Register. The aim of the agreement is to expand the services provided by the local classification society, whilst also increasing ABS’ involvement in the region. “The Vietnam Register has a great deal of experience with smaller, coastal ships and some offshore installations, but the changing nature of the nation’s shipping industry means they must now expand their horizons and capabilities.
This agreement will allow ABS to assist them in meeting that challenge while, at the same time, giving greater access to the expanding Vietnamese market,” said Christopher Wiernicki, ABS president. ABS and the Vietnam register already had an existing agreement; the new cooperation, however, is much furtherreaching, and includes a programme whereby VR surveyors will be trained according to the ABS programme. “We have been very impressed with the technical capabilities of ABS and also by their extensive training programmes offered through the ABS Academy,” said VR general director Nguyen Van Ban. “We are looking forward to working closely with the survey and engineering staff of ABS as they expand their activities in Vietnam. We have much to learn, but also much to offer.
In a similar agreement last year, VR and Bureau Veritas agreed to cooperate on a wide range of services including classification/certification surveys of construction, transformation and major repairs of vessels and offshore structures. Again, training formed a major part of the deal, with an agreement that VR surveyors will take part in Bureau Veritas’s training programme, and will work on secondment with Bureau Veritas.
RINA to train Carnival inspectors
In another move to expand the expertise of classification societies beyond its usual limits, Italian classification society RINA has contracted with Carnival Corporate Shipbuilding, the newbuilding arm of Carnival Cruises, to train its newbuilding superintendents.
The three-year contract will provide Carnival’s inspection teams with training in health, quality and safety, CCS organisation, and technical subjects such as fire protection, materials, machinery and plants, coating definition, maintenance and repair, marine metallurgy, welding, piping systems and HVAC, electrical and automation systems and USPHS (United States Public Health Service) requirements.
This basic training module will be followed by specialist courses that will cover specific fields in more detail. According to Martin Vos, quality manager of Carnival Corporate Shipbuilding: “Carnival group has an extensive newbuilding programme, currently 17 ships in five yards. These are highly complex and closely regulated ships, many of which are breaking new ground technologically. It is vital for us to work with good partners, and vital that our inspection staff are well trained and can ensure the quality and integrity of the newbuilding process. RINA has experience in passenger ship newbuilding and we have a long relationship with them so it is a sensible step to tap their experience to train our people.”
Antonio Pingiori, head of the marine division of RINA, says, “Carnival is a key client of ours, we have worked with them on developing and classing some of the world’s most innovative cruiseships, and this collaboration with them to ensure their superintendents can bring the best in oversight to the shipyards is an important step for both of us.”
Italian Navy goes green
Commercial ships are by now more than familiar with having to comply with MARPOL regulations, but naval ships remain exempt. Despite this, the Italian Navy’s training ship Amerigo Vesupucci has now become one of the first MARPOLcompliant naval ships after receiving MARPOL certification from RINA, and the rest of the fleet is set to follow suit over the next few years.
The 1931-built vessel is now compliant with MARPOL Annexes I (prevention of oil pollution), IV (prevention of pollution from sewage) and V (prevention of pollution from garbage). The classification project will continue with the MARPOL certification of the whole Italian Navy fleet, including recent newbuildings such as the Cavour aircraft carrier and the FREMM frigates. The latter also comply with MARPOL Annex VI, which covers prevention of air pollution.
Although there is no obligation to class naval vessels, the practice is becoming less rare. RINA developed a set of Rules for the Classification of Naval Ships in 2002, while BV announced in its 2006 annual report that it had extended New Rules for Navy Ships to include a chapter on aircraft carriers, and had landed what it described as “major orders” for both frigate and aircraft carrier work over the course of the year.
Korean Register brings in “flying squad”
The Korean Register of Shipping (KR) has established a “flying squad” of surveyors in a move to reduce Port State Control (PSC) detentions of its classed fleet, particularly in the Paris MOU region. Whilst KR’s record is comparable with other IACS members, newly elected chairman and ceo, Oh Kong-gyun, is determined to eliminate sub-standard ships under its class at all costs.
 Increasing numbers of naval vessels are being built to class rules |
As part of this drive, KR has established a “flying squad” of experienced surveyors dedicated to assisting vessels categorised as requiring “special attention” during PSC inspections. In addition, pre-inspection services for its classed vessels scheduled to enter a port where PSC inspection is expected, are now being offered. In combination with the longterm strategy of increasing local representation in Europe and Africa, a measure being actively pursued involves opening more offices in Europe and Africa. KR hopes that these new initiatives will eliminate port state control detentions of KRclassed vessels throughout the world.
Bureau Veritas looks to list
Bureau Veritas has announced that it is to list on the Paris stock exchange by the end of this year, provided that market conditions remain favourable. This would make it the first publicly listed classification society. The announcement was made at BV’s AGM, following reports of a 12 per cent increase in consolidated revenue for 2006, to o1,846 million – the seventh successive year that the society has posted double-digit growth. According to Bernard Anne, managing director of BV’s marine division, it is likely that BV’s current owner, Wendel Investissement, will maintain a majority interest.
LR warns on ship size limits
As the first 10,000+ TEU containership comes off the blocks in Korea, Lloyds Register (LR), which classed the ship,, has warned that while the planned Panama Canal extension offers significant new opportunities and trading patterns for containerships, the increasing size of vessels could lead to port restrictions. A survey commissioned by LR and carried out by Ocean Shipping Consultants found that increasing demand for the economies of scale offered by large post-panamax ships has already led to a large leap in orders for ships with declared capacities of over 8,000 TEU. As a consequence, the expansion of the Panama Canal by means of new and larger locks is now likely to lead to a complete redefinition of container trades.
The research suggests that US East Coast ports will benefit substantially from the changes, and will form a vital element in the likely reshaping of trade patterns. With larger ships able to transit Panama, routes between Asia and the US East Coast will be the most cost-effective means to move freight in and out of the American Midwest. Central to the success of the revitalised trades will be the ability of ships to call at New York.
A concern highlighted in the study is that ships entering the most important of the New York and New Jersey container terminals will need to pass under the Bayonne Bridge. With an air draught of 46 metres (151 feet), this bridge currently poses a problem for nearly all postpanamax ships currently in service and on order. It is understood that the 75-year-old bridge will eventually be raised, but this will be an expensive and lengthy operation. In the meantime, the height restriction imposed is a serious issue for the container trades.
“This is a very significant issue that must not be overlooked,” says OSC director, Andrew Penfold. “On the one hand, a New Panamax ship (NPX) delivered today would create significant employment prospects – on a competitive cost basis – in the Asia-Europe trades, and this could drive operators towards committing to larger ships, as many have done to date. On the other hand, however, operators might very well see an inability to enter New York as a significant limiting factor.”
 Bridge height may be an issue for ships calling at New York, says LR |
There are now more than 350 postpanamax ships on order. The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has advised that an NPX vessel would have dimensions of 366 by 49 metres on a 15-metre draught. The new research suggests that this would enable ships with a capacity of 12,500 teu to transit the new canal locks, carrying seven or eight tiers of containers on deck. To meet the current air draught restrictions in New York, however, a postpanamax containership would need to be limited to five tiers on deck.
This requires a new approach to design – probably incorporating a “one third forward” bridge arrangement to maximise the ship’s container capacity. According to David Tozer, business manager – container ships at LR, Lloyd’s Register is proposing an interim design solution that will help operators looking to include New York on their Asia-East Coast services while the air draught under the Bayonne Bridge remains at 46 metres. When the Bayonne Bridge is raised, it will then be a ”relatively simple matter to convert these ships to carry seven or eight tiers on deck by increasing bridge and funnel heights,” said Tozer.
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