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The
fundamental objective of vessel classification is to promote safety. Since
their inception, classification societies have set the standards for design,
construction, maintenance, and operation in an effort to ensure that vessels
provide an acceptable level of safety for the people and goods they carry.
To a degree owners may reap an economic benefit from having their vessel
built to class due to, among other things, more favorable insurance ratings
and lower premiums. And while classification is generally a requirement
for vessels in commercial service, many private yacht owners also opt
for it for the assurance of quality and safety that classification provides.
Recognizing
that environmental protection is an important aspect of vessel safety,
classification societies have recently broadened the scope of their efforts
by offering a special class notation to vessels that comply with stringent
requirements for environmentally safe design, construction, and operation.
As of March of this year, the American
Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has offered a class notation known as Environmental
Safety (ES) to any ABS-classed vessel that meets its environmental guidelines.
And since July 2000 the British classification society Lloyd’s
Register (LR) has offered the class notation Environmental Protection
(EP) to vessels classed by any recognized classification society if the
vessel meets LR’s environmental guidelines.
Though
the guidelines set forth by LR and ABS are slightly different, both embrace
the full spectrum of international conventions that relate to marine environmental
quality, such as the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution
from Ships (MARPOL 73/79), along with relevant International Maritime
Organization (IMO) standards. For many commercial ships, compliance with
most of these conventions is mandatory, whereas private yachts are statutorily
exempt from many of the requirements. However, to obtain the EP or ES
designation, a yacht (or ship) must demonstrate compliance even with certain
standards that have not yet been ratified by the international community.
And for any vessel (ship or yacht), application for the EP or ES designation
is entirely voluntary.
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