Page 40: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 1993)

SAFETY AT SEA

Germanischer Lloyd:

R&D Helps Pave The Way For Safety by Stephen Gumpel, principal surveyor,

Nortti America, Germanischer Lloyd

Since its foundation in March 1867, the prime purpose of

Germanischer Lloyd (GL) has been a professional dedication to the high- est standards of safety at sea. In the early 1970s that aim was enhanced by GL's working arrangement with the German ministry for research and technology. This relationship has provided us with a research and scientific base in ship technology which we have been able to use to enhance safety at sea in many ways.

The arrangement began as a joint venture between the shipbuilders, shipowners, suppliers, universities and Germanischer Lloyd. In 1976 we were appointed by the ministry to participate in all research and development (R&D) in ship and maritime technology supported by it. In 1991, our role was signifi- cantly enhanced to that of project manager for ship technology, which includes the administration of re- search funds. In this role, to the end of 1992, we have been involved in 134 projects concerned with ship technology, many of these being di- rectly connected with ship safety.

It has been a fruitful arrange- ment for those involved, one result being the large scale Ship-of-the-

Future project which gained distinc- tion worldwide and advanced ship safety in a number of aspects.

GL is also much involved in the follow-up R&D program dubbed

A MEDICAL EMERGENCY

AT SEA COULD COST

YOU THOUSANDS

OF DOLLARS & HOURS

OF PRECIOUS TIME.

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PROTECT YOUR PROFITS. Your profits are your bottom line. Preventing possible setbacks can save you thousands of dollars in the long run.

SOS MARITIME® SERVICES is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to help vessels at sea in the sudden event of an emergency. Doctor advice and referrals are on-hand to help in any situation, day or night. Protect your people now, so your company and profits are protected later.

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International SOS® Assistance

P.O. Box 11568

Philadelphia, PA 19116

Phone 215.244.1500

Fax 215.244.2227

Telex 271349 "Ship Operation System" (SHOPSY), which is due for comple- tion in July 1994. This is also being sponsored by the ministry for re- search and technology, and its re- sults are intended to further en- hance the safety and reliability of seagoing vessels. It is intended to set the fundamentals of ship opera- tion for the future, including ad- vances in automatic collision avoid- ance. • Safety Through Quality

We recently launched an inde- pendent, specialist subsidiary com- pany to meet the growing demand for the certification of quality as- surance systems for sea transport, as well as for ship components and design. The new company, GLQZ, has a staff of 63 auditors and ex- perts with special training and ex- perience, based in different coun- tries throughout the world. Audits will be carried out in the local lan- guage of each country.

The demand for accreditation by an impartial body has been growing rapidly as quality assurance sys- tems are an emerging factor in the competitiveness of companies and in ensuring maximum safety at sea.

The Single European Market has heightened the importance of qual- ity assurance systems as an ele- ment in safety and competition, and

GLQZ is certifying systems in ac- cordance with ISO 9000.

In 1991, GL became the first Ger- man body authorized to certify qual- ity assurance systems by both the

Dutch and German government agencies, recognizing GL as an in- dependent body for certifyingin com- pliance with Euronorm 45012. GL first began to assess quality assur- ance systems when certifying prod- ucts in the 1960s, and set up its own office for this purpose in 1988. • Targeted Safety Campaigns

Show Promise

To achieve maximum safety at sea, our campaign to raise safety standards in bulk carriers is show- ing some very positive results. Our special task force of surveyors deal- ing with the safety problems of older bulk carriers has been hard at work since its formation in 1991. Up to

January 1,1993, and with the agree- ment of owners, 60 bulk carriers of more than 10,000-gt each and over

Figure 1 /

LNC -ta iker. /

V container - ship / 15 years of age have been subjectec to an extraordinary survey. Eleven have left the GL register since the new surveys were instituted. The specially qualified surveyors are lo- cated in many parts of the world, including the U.S.

The survey results are analyzed at our headquarters in Hamburg.

The results, supported by investiga- tions by other organizations on an international basis, have made a substantial contribution to pinpoint- ing the main causes of ship loss and damage. Ultimately, the findings will result in new rules and instruc- tions for periodical surveys for bulk carriers and elderly vessels of other types.

It is interesting to note that to maintain the highest standards of ship safety under our class, GL turned down applications for 267 ships of nearly 600,000-gt in 1992.

Similarly, due to our high standards, 319 ships of some 1.3 million gt left our register during that year. • Tanker Safety: Determining

Collision Resistance

Since 1983, GL has been involved in determining the collision resis- tance of ships in a research program on tanker safety sponsored by the

German ministry for research and technology. GL was the first classi- fication society to develop an index number to express the collision re- sistance of a ship. The require- ments for the issuing of this index number have been included in GL

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