Author: ICS Class

Following the accession of Finland, which brought the combined tonnage of contracting States to the treaty to 35.1441%, with 52 contracting Parties, the Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC) will enter into force September 8, 2017. Under the Convention’s terms, ships will be required to manage their ballast water to remove, render harmless, or avoid the uptake or discharge of aquatic… Read more →

The Liberian Registry announced that has passed the historic milestone of 150 million gross tons, confirming its position as the second largest ship registry in the world, behind Panama, in terms of numbers of ships and gross tonnage. Following registration of the 43,301 gt bulk carrier SBI Jive, owned by the Scorpio Group, the Liberian-flag fleet currently numbers 4,167 vessels… Read more →

Despite the fact that the Greek-owned fleet is the world leader in terms of ship numbers and capacity as well, the Greek flag has dropped to third according to the annual report of the Greek Shipping Cooperation Committee in London. Compared with other registers, the Greek flag is not only expensive but also overloaded with bureaucracy. Thus, ships turn down the… Read more →

In response to growing traffic through the waterway, the Panama Canal has announced that it will launch a state-of-the-art vessel scheduling and maritime resource management system to further optimize costs, improve safety and increase the overall efficiency and reliability of the service it provides. “For more than a century, the Panama Canal has enjoyed a proud legacy of innovation,” said… Read more →

IMO Secretary General highlighted IMO’s objectives for the year forward during his opening remarks at the Panama Maritime event, an event held to celebrate Panama on the 100th anniversary of its ship registry. Mr Kitack Lim noted that a big challenge for shipping is to remain sustainable, while meeting the demands for enhanced safety and environmental performance, at the same… Read more →

We are pleased to present the ICS Class-Annual Report (2016) We hope that you find in this 2016 annual report a useful resource of information for you and may be reproduced in whole or part subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgement and distribution to ICS Class clients. This annual report summarizes the main activities of the ICS Class during… Read more →

The Panama Canal has issued advisory in order to inform on Mooring Line Requirements. In particular the ACP states that vessels are required to have six manila or synthetic mooring lines forward and six aft, in good condition prior to commencing transit. In addition, vessels transiting the Neopanamax locks are required to have four of the six lines forward and four of… Read more →

The review and modernization of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety system (GMDSS) continues this week at the fourth session of the Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communication, Search and Rescue (6-10 March). The GMDSS requirements in SOLAS Chapter IV were adopted in 1988 and ensure an integrated communications system using satellite and terrestrial radiocommunication systems. The meeting is expected to develop… Read more →

Korean Register, an IACS member classification society, has opened a new ICT (information communications technology) Center to enhance the application of advanced information and ICT across the maritime and ship classification industries. The new high-tech facility has been launched in response to demand from the Korean shipbuilding and marine transport industries, keen to be more competitive in a challenging market…. Read more →

The Member Authorities of the Tokyo MOU carried-out a concentrated inspection campaign on Cargo Securing Arrangements from the 1st September 2016 through the 30th November 2016. The purpose and goal of the CIC was to gain knowledge on the compliance of ships with applicable Cargo Securing requirements and to assess the overall safety of ships seafarers engaged in cargo securing… Read more →