New IACS Chairman, Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV GL, speaking in London, has announced a series of initiatives designed to ensure that IACS provides the support its stakeholders need in a rapidly changing industry.
“As the digital transformation of the industry accelerates, IACS must continue to remain a synonym for quality. We must uphold the high standards we have set, but make sure that we are providing the support the industry needs to respond to the challenges of today and of the future”, Ørbeck-Nilssen said.
The most important part of the coming year will be to implement the IACS Council decision to improve the quality and transparency of internal benchmarking, performance and membership criteria,aligning it with the IMO, to bring a greater sense of continuity to the association.
As Mr Ørbeck-Nilssen explained, the industry is becoming more an more complex ahead of digitalization, which transforms systems and the way they interact together.
“Because of this, Class needs to be adaptable and flexible in our delivery and thinking. IACS members should be enabled to provide the services that our stakeholders require in the digital age, as these are essential for competitive and safe operations.”
As part of his time as Chairman, Ørbeck-Nilssen will also be initiating a review of IACS Resolutions to identify and remove elements hindering the development of new technologies, including ship autonomy. In addition, IACS will commence work on developing procedures relating to the deployment of electronic certificates, while continuing to support the IMO’s work in promoting their use throughout the industry.
Modernising survey methods and enabling the use of new technologies will be another focus area. Ørbeck-Nilssen is overseeing the evaluation and further development of the results of the newly established working group reviewing the implications of new survey technologies and techniques, including CBM (condition based monitoring) and RMD (remote monitoring and diagnosis), with a view to developing IACS guidelines and recommendations that enable the data from these new techniques to be used more widely in the survey process.
“To help the shipping industry continue to play its vital role in world trade, we need to work on initiatives that enhance the ability of IACS members to offer innovative, relevant and efficient services,” said Ørbeck-Nilssen. “By doing so we can leverage the unique technical capabilities of our members and work with regulators and stakeholders, to ensure that shipping continues to advance in terms of safety, efficiency, and environmental responsibility.”