More productive and stronger technical leadership
IACS’ strategy fosters increased technical output
By Zhiyuan Li , Immediate Past Chair, General Policy Group
IACS’ technical work mainly falls into two categories:
To accomplish this, IACS has established and evolved a unique and well-functioning technical work structure (Figure 1). This drives the implementation of IACS’ strategy.
As part of the organisational change implemented in 2021, the GPG Chair and team are now based in London, which has facilitated deeper, wider and more consistent co-operation with the IMO and other industry associations on the key issues facing the maritime industry.
On decarbonisation, following the establishment of the Safe Decarbonisation Panel in 2022, 2023 saw good progress on, among other things, the development of Unified Requirements (UR) in support of battery power, hydrogen and carbon capture while a UR on ammonia as a fuel was being finalised at the end of 2023 for approval and publication at the beginning of 2024.
With the scale and pace of digitalisation within shipping and shipbuilding accelerating, IACS recognises and emphasises the associated new safety risks to the ship and personnel when implementing the many and varied benefits of digital solutions. To support industry in managing these risks – and in recognition of the multi-decadal nature of the challenge – IACS decided to establish a new Safe Digital Transformation Panel (SDTP) at the end of 2023 which replaces the Cyber System Panel, EG/MASS, EG/ DATA and SG/Complex Systems and aims to handle all IACS’ digitalisation activities within a single forum in a holistic manner.
As with the Safe Decarbonisation Panel, IACS’ new SDTP will focus its attention on the safety implications that accompany increasingly digitised ships, working closely with stakeholders to ensure that its work programme is carefully tailored to meet the needs and priorities of the global maritime communities.
Technical outcomes
Reflecting the tremendous efforts of colleagues within and beyond IACS and the organisational changes mentioned above, a greater number of technical outcomes were achieved in 2023.
For technical requirements development, GPG approved a total of 100 new or revised Resolutions and Recommendations in 2023 for implementation and application by IACS Member Societies. This total is comprised of one CSR RCN, 52 Unified Requirements, 24 Unified Interpretations, 6 Procedural Requirements and 17 Recommendations. They include RCN 2023 to CSR, UR H1 on Control of Ammonia releases in Ammonia fuelled vessels, UR S35 on Buckling Strength Assessment of Ship Structural Elements, UR M82 on Type Testing Procedure of Explosion Relief Devices for Combustion Air Inlet and Exhaust Gas Manifolds of I.C. Engines Using Gas as Fuel, UI SC300 on Containment of fire: details of fire insulation of duct penetrations, UI GC39 on Interpretation of 2014 IGC Code with respect to additional bunkering manifold equipment on LNG bunkering ships, REC 175 on SEEMP/ CII Implementation Guidelines, REC 176 on Measurement of Underwater Radiated Noise, and REC 177 on Shipbuilding Quality Standard for Machinery and Piping Systems, etc. For more details, please see Section 10 of this Annual Review and IACS website.
To support IMO in its development, implementation and interpretation of statutory regulations, IACS also put a considerable amount of resources into planning, discussing, drafting and submitting 50 independent or joint submissions to IMO meetings in 2023, and sent 148 experts to attend IMO meetings as well as its Working Groups, Drafting Groups and Correspondence Groups. In this regard, it is noted that IMO MSC 107 approved the IACS-initiated Proposal for a new output to facilitate a regulatory framework to support the safe delivery of IMO’s strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships and made it a continuous one, which showed IACS has positively caused an overarching agenda to be set at the IMO Committee level, and indicated the importance Member States have attached to this work for the years to come.
On top of the two main work areas, IACS also issues and regularly reviews its Position Papers on key topics for the industry which provide background to the subject matters, IACS’ position on the subject and a summary of actions that IACS has taken. Last year, four IACS position papers were newly developed or revised, covering hot issues such as Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships, developing and implementing technical measures to reduce GHG emissions from ships, safety aspects of alternative fuels, and container ship safety.
In addition, IACS has close ties with other intergovernmental bodies, including:
International industry associations such as:
and international standard bodies such as ISO; and co-operates and collaborates on various issues through meetings, joint working groups, liaisons and visits. For example, IACS has a yearly policy level meeting with the ILO Director of the International Labour Standards Department and participates in the Special Tripartite Committee. At EU level, IACS is actively engaging in and contributing to Expert Groups, including the European Sustainable Shipping Forum, the Passenger Ship Safety Expert Group, the Marine Equipment Directive Expert Group and the Stakeholders Advisory Group on Maritime Security.
Within the industry, IACS is leading several Joint Industry Working Groups (JIWGs) such as the JIWG on Future Proofing the Maritime Safety Regime which addresses the opportunities and risks associated with the deployment of complex novel technology on board ships in the context of the existing SOLAS survey and certification regime, the JIWG on Technology Readiness Levels to discuss and develop a common understanding for the technology readiness level of low GHG emission technologies, and the JIWG on Safe Decarbonisation to discuss and develop a common understanding for the safety aspects of decarbonising technologies and fuels.
A large team
To achieve all this, IACS calls on the large amount of work undertaken and time expended by its seven dedicated Panels, nine Expert Groups, and 38 Project Teams, which form the foundation of IACS’ technical achievements. Only the work of the Panel chairs, secretaries, and Project Teams managers and members fall within IACS’ technical budget; the work of all Panel members, Expert Group chairs and members, and other Small Groups, Task Forces and Joint Working Groups, as well as IACS representatives to external meetings and events, are not covered by IACS’s technical budget. The following budgeted man-days – a small portion of the total technical labour involved – indicate the scale of IACS’ technical work:
To summarise, 2023, the Chinese zodiac year of the Rabbit, proved to be a year of prosperity for IACS. The hard work undertaken by IACS Members combined with its continual organisational evolvement have produced more productive technical developments and stronger technical leadership.
With a great deal of substantial technical work underway and even more to come under IACS’ six-year long-term strategy – which is particularly focused on safe decarbonisation and digitalisation, as well as the human element and the role of surveyors and technical staff dealing with novel technologies – more concrete achievements are expected in 2024.
Read more from IACS' 2023 Annual Review