Ships_Cat
New member
Re: To Branko ....
I will hang this on Nigel's post, not in response to his post nor to teach him to suck eggs but because it is a convenient place and he is friendly /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.
There seems to be alot of confusion over what the terminology relating to the classification societies means. I do not know what is on any certificate provided by Bavaria but those that have one (if they exist) may make sense using the following. I will use Lloyds as an example but the other main societies are similar (GL, DNV, etc).
First, they provide general quality certification services ie they can certify organisations as complying with the various quality and environmental standards (generally ISO or EN). This can be in any industry, not just shipbuilding and they compete in providing these services against other, but non marine, certification bodies. So, a reference to Lloyds does not need to mean that a product has been inspected by them or its design approved by them, but just that the production and control processes have been certiied as complying with a quality standard.
Second, for vessels they provide design appraisal services where they appraise and certify the design against their design rules. The vessel may then be claimed as meeting the societies design rules but it is not classified.
Thirdly, the vessel may be classified and that is where the Maltese Cross and 100A1 comes in. It is commonly thought by non professionals that the 100 and A1 have some special high ranking meaning (thinking of 100% and calling fine things "A1" I suppose) but it is in fact just general nomenclature.
The Maltese Cross means that the vessel was built under Survey ie a classification society's surveyor attends during the construction.
The 100 means that the vessel is suitable for seagoing service.
The A means that the vessel has been accepted into class and is being maintained to the class requirements.
And the 1, a surprise to many I am sure, means that the anchoring and mooring equipment complies with class requirements.
There may be other letters added to the classification, common ones for smaller vessels are "LMC" = Propelling and essential machinery built under special survey, and "SSC" = designed and built to Lloyd's (UK Lloyds that is not GL) rules for Special Service Craft.
So when a boatbuilder mentions Lloyds (or another) and says no more, it can mean many things. Often the boatbuilder has no idea of what he means either.
John
I will hang this on Nigel's post, not in response to his post nor to teach him to suck eggs but because it is a convenient place and he is friendly /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.
There seems to be alot of confusion over what the terminology relating to the classification societies means. I do not know what is on any certificate provided by Bavaria but those that have one (if they exist) may make sense using the following. I will use Lloyds as an example but the other main societies are similar (GL, DNV, etc).
First, they provide general quality certification services ie they can certify organisations as complying with the various quality and environmental standards (generally ISO or EN). This can be in any industry, not just shipbuilding and they compete in providing these services against other, but non marine, certification bodies. So, a reference to Lloyds does not need to mean that a product has been inspected by them or its design approved by them, but just that the production and control processes have been certiied as complying with a quality standard.
Second, for vessels they provide design appraisal services where they appraise and certify the design against their design rules. The vessel may then be claimed as meeting the societies design rules but it is not classified.
Thirdly, the vessel may be classified and that is where the Maltese Cross and 100A1 comes in. It is commonly thought by non professionals that the 100 and A1 have some special high ranking meaning (thinking of 100% and calling fine things "A1" I suppose) but it is in fact just general nomenclature.
The Maltese Cross means that the vessel was built under Survey ie a classification society's surveyor attends during the construction.
The 100 means that the vessel is suitable for seagoing service.
The A means that the vessel has been accepted into class and is being maintained to the class requirements.
And the 1, a surprise to many I am sure, means that the anchoring and mooring equipment complies with class requirements.
There may be other letters added to the classification, common ones for smaller vessels are "LMC" = Propelling and essential machinery built under special survey, and "SSC" = designed and built to Lloyd's (UK Lloyds that is not GL) rules for Special Service Craft.
So when a boatbuilder mentions Lloyds (or another) and says no more, it can mean many things. Often the boatbuilder has no idea of what he means either.
John
