JUNE 10, 2013 — Genoa, Italy, headquartered classification society RINA has launched new rules for Offshore Support Vessels, new environmental notations covering cargo handling and transhipment operations and a new guide on complete ship model calculation of passenger ships.

All these initiatives were approved at a meeting of RINA’s technical committee held in Genoa this week.

OSV Rules

RINA's Offshore Support Vessels (OSV) Rules have been developed in response to requests from shipyards and operators.

Ships complying with the new rules are assigned the service notation Offshore Support Vessel followed by at least one of the following service features defining the specialized service:

supply for OSVs specially intended to provide facilities and assistance for the performance of offshore activities.

tug for OSVs specially equipped for towing.

salvage tug for OSVs specially equipped for towing having specific equipment for salvage.

escort tug for OSVs specially equipped for towing and having specific equipment for escorting ships or other units during navigation.

fire-fighting for OSVs specially intended and equipped for fighting fire.

oil recovery for OSVs specially equipped with fixed installations and/or mobile equipment for the removal of oil from the sea surface and its retention on board, carriage and subsequent unloading.

diving support for OSVs equipped to support diving operations, which are provided with a diving system.

cable laying for OSVs specially equipped for the carriage and/or laying, hauling and repair of submarine cables.

pipe laying for OSVs specially equipped for the carriage and/or laying, hauling and repair of submarine pipes.

In addition, in order to better describe the specific technical capabilities, equipment and arrangements, RINA has established a number of additional service features and additional class notations that may be assigned to an OSV, such as anchor handling and dynamic positioning.

Environmental Notations

RINA has introduced new requirements for the certification and the evaluation of the environmental impact of dry cargo handling systems. These respond to demands from transhipment and bulk port operators in sensitive areas which wish to demonstrate environmental responsibility and high standards of minimising airborne pollution from cargo handling.

The following two new additional class notations may be granted:

GC CARGO HANDLING (Green and certified cargo handling systems):

to ships provided with systems for handling solid bulk cargo which may be source of sea or air pollution (e.g. those handling coal, iron ore, sulphur, etc,), designed, tested and installed  according to Part F Ch 7 Sec 6 to minimize their environmental impact.

GREEN PLUS T:

to transhipment units:

• intended to operate at a fixed location
• complying with the provisions for the assignment of the GREEN PLUS notation and
• complying with the provisions for the assignment of the GC CARGO HANDLING (Green and certified cargo handling systems) notation.

Guide on Complete Ship Model Calculation of Passenger Ships

RINA has launched a guide aimed at shipyards and ship designers which details the procedures for the structural analysis of passenger vessels.

The structural arrangement of passenger ships presents significant differences with respect to other ship types, the most important being the presence of several decks contributing to the hull girder longitudinal strength.

The contribution of each deck to the longitudinal strength strictly depends on the actual arrangement and cannot be evaluated on the basis of a simplified beam analysis. The level of contribution of each of these elements is to be obtained through a finite element analysis of the whole ship.

The purpose of the Guide is to detail the procedure for the above analyses, taking into account the general arrangement of the longitudinal elements (side, decks, bulkheads) and the specific characteristic of passenger ships (windows, openings, recesses, pillaring systems).

The new rules and amendments will enter into force on July 1, 2013 and January 1, 2014.