THE goal-based standards process within the International Maritime Organization has shown that the entire maritime industry is keen to develop safety standards and guidance for designing and building more robust ships with longer design lives than those built under the present rules, according to Jan Jankowski, president of the board at the Polish Register of Shipping.

“This approach probably results from both public pressure to improve safety at sea and the awareness of maritime administrations, classification societies, shipowners and other players in the maritime industry that goal-based standards offer an excellent opportunity to advance/leap from the present safety assurance system to a new level of quality,” he said.

Classification will feel the impact of change, said Dr Jankowski. “But in the opinion of PRS [a non-IACS member], the words of Nobel prize-winner Steven Weinberg — ‘physics thrives on crisis’ — can also be attributed to class,” he added. “Classification societies shall ‘thrive’ within the new safety assurance system under development.”

The current safety assurance system at sea “has not been successful in protecting against major catastrophes at sea”, said Dr Jankowski.

He said class issues under discussion today were mainly the result of the class-assumed reactive approach to the development of safety standards, and the fact that class competes in terms of classed tonnage.

“New regulations are developed in reaction to casualties, with general conclusions drawn from individual cases in accordance with the classic inductive approach,” he said. “The number of exceptions appearing with time leads to the proliferation of regulations, which are difficult to absorb by the maritime industry.”

Meanwhile, the commercial approach, with the focus on profit, meant rules were treated as commercial property “so that the rules accessible to the maritime industry are like ‘black boxes’,” he added.

Dr Jankowski did not comment on suggestions that a complaint from PRS sparked the European Commission competition inspectors’ raids on European IACS members this time last year.

However, he said: “Uncontrolled commercial activity normally leads to monopolistic practices and to the crystallisation of cartels. IACS monopolistic practices entering the safety domain, which remains a key responsibility of governments, have most likely triggered the reaction of DG Comp resulting in the EC raids.”

Goal-based standards represent the most important venture undertaken by the industry to improve the safety assurance system, he said. “These standards will totally transform the present state to the required level,” he added. “They transfer the responsibility for determining the required level of safety from private organisations [classification societies] to an inter-governmental body [IMO]. Goal-based standards in the form of ‘safety level’ assume that the goals are defined by safety objectives. It is further assumed that the objectives will be achieved when each ship function satisfies the risk level set for that function.”

PRS has a classed fleet of 635 seagoing ships totalling 2.09m gt, together with 1,822 inland waterway vessels and docks, 299 seagoing yachts and 2,962 motorboats.

PRS is involved in 28 major newbuildings being built to dual class in China between 2008 and 2012 including handy and panamax size bulk carriers and three multi-purpose vessel newbuildings being built to single PRS class.

During 2008, a solar-driven water tram was constructed and delivered to PRS class and a second is due for delivery this year.

Recent PRS activities have included the development of onboard computer packages to enhance safety at sea.

“More than 40 are installed and operated on different ship types,” said Dr Jankoswki.

PRS has started three joint projects in co-operation with ABS — time variant reliability of ageing bulk carriers, ship dynamics and safety in extreme seas, and high loading rate.

Lloyd's List, 27 January 2009