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Classification societies demand tighter box ship rules
IN the wake of the splitting in half of an 8,000-TEU MOL box ship has the world's top classification societies have been motivated to adopt extra requirements covering the strength of large containerships by year-end.
New chairman of the International Association of Classification Societies, Philippe Donche-Gay, confirmed that unified requirements for assessing hull-girder strength and analysing the impact of different load configurations will be implemented.
In remarks that have stirred up some controversy within classification society circles, German-Norwegian class society DNV GL said it had rejected containership designs similar to that of the sunken MOL Comfort.
Mr Donche-Gay suggested the comments by DNV GL's head of maritime Tor Svensen had been "premature" and ClassNK's executive vice-president Yasushi Nakamura also took issue with the implied criticism.
Mr Donche-Gay said that until the final results of the MOL Comfort disaster had been released, probably in September, it was too soon to say whether further action on the structural strength of the new generation of box ships would be necessary.
Common structural rules had been rejected because of the time needed to develop them, bearing in mind it took ten years to draw them up for tankers and bulkers, reported Lloyd's List.
The rules will not be applied retrospectively to existing ships, but to newbuildings ordered after the new rules come into force.
New chairman of the International Association of Classification Societies, Philippe Donche-Gay, confirmed that unified requirements for assessing hull-girder strength and analysing the impact of different load configurations will be implemented.
In remarks that have stirred up some controversy within classification society circles, German-Norwegian class society DNV GL said it had rejected containership designs similar to that of the sunken MOL Comfort.
Mr Donche-Gay suggested the comments by DNV GL's head of maritime Tor Svensen had been "premature" and ClassNK's executive vice-president Yasushi Nakamura also took issue with the implied criticism.
Mr Donche-Gay said that until the final results of the MOL Comfort disaster had been released, probably in September, it was too soon to say whether further action on the structural strength of the new generation of box ships would be necessary.
Common structural rules had been rejected because of the time needed to develop them, bearing in mind it took ten years to draw them up for tankers and bulkers, reported Lloyd's List.
The rules will not be applied retrospectively to existing ships, but to newbuildings ordered after the new rules come into force.
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