Tor E. Svensen, Chief Operating Officer of DNV Maritime, is this year the chairman of IACS, the International Association of Classification Societies. In this capacity he recently addressed, among others, the shipowners associations in Singapore and Hong Kong.

In his presentation, Tor E. Svensen discussed the importance of a strong classification society with regards to the technical and environmental challenges facing the industry.
“Class will play an increasingly important role as the shipping industry responds to external demands and takes its own steps for responsible self-regulation,” said Svensen, reflecting on his current role as chairman of the International Association of Classification Societies.
“Unity within IACS and the confidence of the industry at large means that we have a unique purpose within the whole maritime regulatory regime. At my first meeting – after taking up this actual position – with Secretary General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos of the IMO (International Maritime Organisation), he emphasised that class must play a leading role in dealing with the technical and environmental issues facing the shipping industry,” said Tor E. Svensen.
Global expectations placed on shipping are rapidly changing. Multi-faceted environmental issues are but one example of intensified scrutiny of the maritime industry. “Where class plays a role is in its ability to translate safety and environmental objectives into regulations and standards drawing upon our unique technical competence and the experience collected by following the ship throughout its life cycle,” he noted, elaborating that class has assumed the role of “a competent technical body playing an independent role while maintaining the trust and confidence of all stakeholders – not least of which is the public at large.”
The number one priority is to retain the trust and confidence that IACS and class at large have cultivated. Secondly, class needs to foster a focus on quality and competence. Thirdly, IACS must reinforce its role as a ‘maritime technology bank’, a term coined by CCS’ Li Kejun. Finally, class is in a unique position to provide concrete insights, utilising feedback from the thousands of ships in operation.
All of these functions or purposes mean that class can play a mediating role in avoiding a fragmentation of regulations. Flag and port states are inherently focused on national interests in addition to global practices. Otherwise IMO and IACS are the unifiers of practice.
“We need basic global standards in the maritime industry. IMO has acted, and will act, to tighten global regulations. We want the regulatory process to be as painless as possible in implementation while still meeting stakeholder demands,” Tor E. Svensen concluded.
Text: Matthew Flynn

Date: 2008-01-30