Classification societies and inspections

Classification societies are private companies originally created to provide insurance companies with information they need to establish insurance premiums for ships. Their mandate is to rate new ships based on predefined technical standards and then to assign the ships a ‘’class’’ according to their design. The certificate of class is valid as long as the ship meets its class’ standards during periodic class visits. Class societies also offer other services, such as ship inspections and surveys, on behalf of government authorities, to ensure compliance with regulations. In Canada, several class societies (e.g. DNV, ABS, Lloyd’s Register, Bureau Veritas, ClassNK) are authorized, under Transport Canada’s Delegated Statutory Inspection Program, to inspect and certify ships. These inspections focus on the ships’ technical compliance with international and national safety and pollution regulations.