GBS take shape at IMOs MSC

Basic principles and goals for goal-based standards (GBS) for new ship construction were agreed in principle by IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) when it met at the Organization’s London Headquarters for its 80th session from 11 to 20 May 2005.

Other important issues on the MSC agenda included the adoption of revised provisions for subdivision and stability in SOLAS chapter II-1 Construction – Structure, subdivision and stability, machinery and electrical installations, continued work on passenger ship safety and consideration of issues surrounding the implementation of the maritime security measures adopted by IMO.

The five-tier system on which the development of GBS is being based consists of goals (Tier I), functional requirements (Tier II), verification of compliance criteria (Tier III), technical procedures and guidelines, classification rules and industry standards (Tier IV) and codes of practice and safety and quality systems for shipbuilding, ship operation, maintenance, training, manning, etc. (Tier V).

The MSC agreed in principle with the basic principles of goal-based standards and with the Tier I goals developed by the Working Group on Goal-based New Ship Construction Standards.

The agreed basic principles state that IMO goal-based standards are:

1 broad, over-arching safety, environmental and/or security standards that ships are required to meet during their lifecycle;

2 the required level to be achieved by the requirements applied by class societies and other recognized organizations, Administrations and IMO;

3 clear, demonstrable, verifiable, long standing, implementable and achievable, irrespective of ship design and technology; and

4 specific enough in order not to be open to differing interpretations.

The Tier 1 goals are based on the premise that, for all new ships, “ships are to be designed and constructed for a specified design life and to be safe and environmentally-friendly, when properly operated and maintained under the specified operating and environmental conditions, in intact and specified damage conditions, throughout their life”.

The Working Group also made progress on developing the Tier II functional requirements, agreeing that for new oil tankers and bulk carriers in unrestricted navigation (the ship is not subject to any geographical restrictions (i.e. any oceans, any seasons) except as limited by the ship’s capability for operation in ice); the specified design life is not to be less than 25 years and they should be designed in accordance with North Atlantic environmental conditions and relevant long-term sea state scatter diagrams. Other functional requirements for these ship types were agreed by the Working Group, including those relating to structural strength, fatigue life, residual strength, protection against corrosion and so on.

The MSC approved the work plan for future work on GBS and agreed to establish a Correspondence Group to develop draft Tier III criteria for the verification of compliance.

The work plan for future work includes; consideration of the probabilistic risk-based methodology in the framework of GBS; completion of Tier II – functional requirements; development of Tier III – verification of compliance criteria; implementation of GBS; incorporation of GBS into IMO instruments; development of a ship construction file and consideration of the need for the development of a ship inspection and maintenance file; and consideration of the need to review consistency and adequacy of scope across the tiers.