JBP issues second draft

The Joint Bulker Project (JBP), made up of Bureau Veritas, CCS, ClassNK, GL, KR, RINA and RS, has made available on its internet website the second draft of Common Structural Rules for Bulk Carriers.

The second draft has been largely amended and improved compared to the first version in July 2004. One of the driving forces behind this extensive revision has been the overwhelming interest and comments received from the industry. These comments, as well as those of the Technical Committees of IACS members, the results of calculations on existing designs, and a review of damage cases, have been taken into account.

A period of four months is available to interested parties for comments on the second draft, before August 1, 2005. In December 2005 the draft will be submitted to the IACS Council for adoption as IACS common structural rules, with entry into force on 1 January 2006.

The text of the second draft of the rules, together with updated calculation tools and comments and answers received, is available on the JBP website www.jbprules.com