SHIP CLASSIFICATION
Ship classification is ‘the process of verifying ship standards against a set of requirements. The requirements are laid down in the rules established by the classification society. Classification implies that the ship is surveyed during construction on the basis of design approval, tested before taken into service and surveyed regularly during its whole operational life until scrapping.’ National authorities (flag authorities) have responsibility for the total safety control of ships flying their national flag. This includes fire protection and fire fighting, lifesaving equipment and safety management systems. Many national authorities have delegated this responsibility to classification societies authorising them to work and certify on their behalf.
Classification societies issue rules setting requirements for the design, construction survey and testing of vessels. Many regulations in the international maritime conventions have been adopted in the class rules. In general, rules cover the structural strength and where relevant the watertight integrity and integrity of essential parts of the vessel’s hull and its appendages, and the safety and availability of the main functions in order to maintain essential services Furthermore, the rules provide requirements for certification of materials, components and systems for use on ships approved by a particular classification society.
Adhesive bonding is still a relatively new joining process in shipbuilding with limited or no previous experience. Currently, there are very few classification rules or requirements for approval of adhesively bonded joints which in turn discourages many to consider adhesive bonding as part of their design. Most approvals today are based on case-by-case approval.
In response to radical new ship designs, classification rules now permit the use of risk based assessment as a means of showing compliance with rule requirements. This is based on the guidelines for Formal Safety Assessment published by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) (2002). Alternatives to, or deviations from, requirements in the rules may now be accepted when the overall safety and reliability level is equivalent to or better than that of current rules. In this assessment one needs to demonstrate equivalent safety, in particular fire safety. It is therefore important to involve flag authorities in the process.
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