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ClassNK is dedicated to the safety of life and property at sea

Nippon Kaiji, Kyokai, known as NK or ClassNK, has earned an outstanding reputation for its long-standing dedication to safeguarding life and property at sea, and preventing marine pollution through the establishment of universally-recognised standards for the design, construction and maintenance of ships and other marine structures.

The principal work of the society’s expert technical staff is to undertake surveys to ensure the rules which it has developed are applied to newbuildings and existing ships to ensure their safety. The rules cover hull structures, safety equipment, cargo handling gear, engines, machinery, and electrical and electronic systems. ClassNK’s surveyors work in shipbuilding and repair yards and at ports across the world, wherever they may be called upon to examine the condition of a ship.

The last two years have seen a distinct trend towards fewer but bigger additional ships on the register. As of November 2002, the ClassNK register totalled 6350 ships, equalling gross tonnage of 116,778,960gt. Of those, about 80% of the register were flagged outside Japan. Ships flying the flags of Panama, Japan, Singapore, Liberia and Malta accounted for more than 70% of the total number and about 80% of the total gross tonnage classed by the society. Average fleet age was 10.5 years for ships of 100gt and over.

PrimeShip-HULL
On the technical front the society has recently completed the development of the first component of a new direct strength assessment system, reflecting the new strength assessment standard which it has been developing. This new system occupies an important role in the society’s hull strength assessment system group called ‘PrimeShip-HULL’ and is designed to provide the new strength standard with practical application through computerised direct analysis in computer aided designing or engineering. It has been purpose-developed for double-hull tanker structures, but will be further extended to other ship types in the future.

Ships registered to the society that complete successful assessment under the new strength assessment standard will be awarded class notations to the effect. ClassNK is looking forward to seeing a broader application of this tanker design assessment standard using this practical direct assessment tool to demonstrate the higher levels of transparency and rationality which are achieved by using this standard.

Upgraded NK-SHIPS online service
NK-SHIPS is ClassNK’s online information service system for owners and managers of NK-classed ships. It enables users to monitor and check key information relating to ship management, including survey status, periodical survey items and survey due dates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, from anywhere in the world via the internet. NK-SHIPS has recently been significantly upgraded. New and improved functions include a fleet management service which is designed to support survey planning for an entire fleet. NK-SHIPS will display a list of vessels under a user’s control, together with graphs indicating the due dates for each, enabling users to readily grasp the distribution of due dates for the entire fleet clearly and easily. Most information can be displayed as simple text or also in an easy-to-understand graphic format.

Online viewing
The new online viewing of certificates and survey records service will reduce the time and labour needed for arranging, safekeeping and searching for such documents. NK-SHIPS will allow users not only to access past survey information, but also to view a graphic image of the original survey documents and the actual certificates issued as a result of surveys, which can also be readily downloaded and a copy printed if required. Continuous Machinery Survey (CMS) results can also now be readily accessed allowing cross checking, to ensure up-to-date compliance.

The new upgraded NK-SHIPS service requires registration, but can be accessed free of charge using a regular computer and internet browser (no special software is required), providing available information in real time. Complete security of information is provided, allowing users to access information regarding their ships with total confidence. All registered users can obtain data concerning the main particulars of any given ship classed with NK. But users should note that using the free service, they will only be able to search the survey status of the vessels for which they are registered as an owner or a manager.

For further information:
Website: www.classnk.or.jp

www.classnk.or.jp