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spurred class to move past traditional, hardware-focused roles and into new ?software? responsibilities regarding on-board management systems. ?Today the industry has a much broader spectrum, as it?s not just the hardware anymore, but also the software, and we have new regulations related to the ISM and ILO coming down the pipe,? said Tim Protheroe, President, Regional Marine Manager, Lloyd's Register North America, Inc. (LR).?Owners are looking to partner with class to assist them inmeeting their business objectives. We are no longer just the surveyor onboard issuing a certificate, maintaining class and maintaining statutory. It now goes far beyond that, and class? move from technical inspection into consultancy has been a major feature in the changing role of class. Consultancy cov- ers a very broad spectrum of activity, and it is driven by an expectation from our owners in how they want to work with classification. We see now the need to be engaged with many different areas ? the environment, sustainability and human factors ? to name a few.? Uniquely, Wiernicki sited the global adoption of Common Structural Rules for tankers and bulk carriers ? the dominate portion of the world fleet by percentage ? as a driver for a changing class. He explains: ?The rules mean that class no longer finds itself competing for contracts on the basis of ?As we have just come to the other side of our 250th anniversary, it is interesting to reflect and look back at what has changed in the industry in that period. Obviously, the changes are dramatic; in just the past 15 years there has been an exponential growth in technology and regulation. Another key social/political issue is the environment.? Tim Protheroe, Lloyd?s Register North America Inc. (LR) MP #4 (18-33):MP Layouts 11/8/2011 1:40 PM Page 33