Bureau Veritas simplifies ship certs

Claude Maillot, ships in service director, Bureau Veritas, said: “Bureau Veritas’ new certification system once more makes the ship’s Certificate of Classification a simple one page document. Everything else is online in a standardised and easy to access format. That cuts down the chances of error, confusion and fraud and enables us to add new services to make life more efficient for ship owners and operators.”

All the other information which used to be attached as annexes is now updated electronically and can be accessed by owners and by charterers and port authorities if given access by the owner.

Authorised users can go to www.veristar.com and print off what they need on the Ship Status system. The new Ship Status is made up of a number of sections (ship particulars, owner/manager information, cargo and ballast capacities, class and statutory status, planned inspection items, one year survey planner, continuous and/or PMS lists, regulatory information, BV contacts).

The new Ship Status system should also help with planning maintenance and surveys. There is a graphical presentation of all surveys, audits, recommendations, non-conformities and planned maintenance and continuous survey items due in the next 12 months.

The new system also allows the ship’s staff to update the central record via VeriSTAR Info when planned maintenance items have to be done by a specific date. The item is then verified by a BV surveyor on the next ship visit.

Mr Maillot added: “It sounds simple, and simplicity is what we want to deliver, but we can only do that now IT has caught up with the requirements of shipping.”