Classification Society, Shipping Register
Classification Societies and Shipping Registries
-The classification societies are responsible for classifying ships. A ship must be classified before it can sail for the merchant navy and before it can be insured along with its cargo.
-A classification society is a non-governmental organization that establishes and maintains technical standards for the construction and operation of ships and offshore structures. The society will also validate that construction is according to these standards and carry out regular surveys in service to ensure compliance with the standards.
List of Classification Societies
Name | Abbr | Date | Head office | IACS | EMSA |
Lloyd’s Register of Shipping | LR | 1760 | London | x | x |
Bureau Veritas | BV | 1828 | Paris | x | x |
Registro Italiano Navale | RINA | 1861 | Genoa | x | x |
American Bureau of Shipping | ABS | 1862 | Houston | x | x |
Det Norske Veritas | DNV | 1864 | Oslo | x | x |
Germanischer Lloyd | GL | 1867 | Hamburg | x | x |
Nippon Kaiji Kyokai | NKK | 1899 | Tokyo | x | x |
Russian Maritime Register of Shipping | RS | 1913 | Saint Petersburg | x | x |
Hellenic Register of Shipping | HR | 1919 | Piraeus | – | x |
Polish Register of Shipping | PRS | 1936 | Gdansk | – | x |
Croatian Register of Shipping | CRS | 1949 | Split | – | – |
China Corporation Register of Shipping | CR | 1951 | Taipei | – | – |
China Classification Society | CCS | 1956 | Beijing | x | x |
Korean Register of Shipping | KR | 1960 | Daejeon | x | x |
Turk Loydu | TL | 1962 | Istanbul | – | – |
Biro Klasifikasi Indonesia | BKI | 1964 | Jakarta | – | – |
Registo Internacional Naval | RINAVE | 1973 | Lisbon | – | x |
Indian Register of Shipping | IRS | 1975 | Mumbai | x | – |
International Naval Surveys Bureau | INSB | 1977 | Piraeus | – | – |
Asia Classification Society | ACS | 1980 | Tehran | – | – |
Brazilian Register of Shipping | RBNA | 1982 | Rio de Janeiro | – | – |
International Register of Shipping | IROS | 1993 | Miami | – | – |
Ships Classification Malaysia | SCM | 1994 | Shah Alam | – | – |
Dromon Bureau of Shipping | DBS | 2003 | – | – | – |
Iranian Classification Society | ICS | 2007 | Tehran | – | – |
Largest Classification Society By tanker
American Bureau of Shipping (USA):
www.eagle.org
Bureau Veritas (FRANCE):
www.bureauveritas.com/wps/wcm/connect/bv_com/Group
China Classification Society (CHINA):
http://www.ccs.org.cn/en/index.htm
Det Norske Veritas (NORWAY):
http://www.dnv.com
Germanischer Lloyd (GERMANY):
http://www.gl-group.com/en/group/index.php
Hellenic Register of Shipping (HELLAS):
www.hrs.gr
Croatian Register of Shipping
http://www.crs.hr/introduction.asp
International Register of Shipping:
http://www.intlreg.org
International Shipping Bureau:
http://www.isbship.com/php/contactDetails.php?con_id=5&linkid=7&contact_id=11
Korean Register of Shipping (KOREAN):
http://www.krs.co.kr/eng/keyservice/TypeApproval/k_TypeApproval_quick.aspx
Lloyd’s Register (GREAT BRITAIN):
www.lr.org
Marshall Islands Ship and Corporate Registry:
http://www.register-iri.com/
NK – Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (JAPAN):
www.classnk.or.jp/hp/en/index.asp
Panama Canal Registry:
http://www.segumar.com/
Polish Register (POLAND):
http://www.prs.pl/index.php?newlang=eng
Registro Italiano Navale (ITALY):
http://www.rina.org/en/index.aspx
Russian Maritime Register of Shipping
http://www.rs-head.spb.ru/en/index.php

Isle Of Man Ship Registry:
http://www.gov.im/dti/shipregistry
Turk Loyd Foundation:
http://www.turkloydu.org/turkloydu/home.aspx?lang=en-GB
International Maritine Organization (IMO):
www.imo.org
BIMCO:
http://www.bimco.org
International Labour Organization (ILO):
www.ilo.org/global/lang–en/index.htm
International Salvage Union (ISU):
www.marine-salvage.com
International Transport Workers Federation (ITF):
www.itfglobal.org/language-selector.cfm
INTERCARGO:
www.intercargo.org
INTERTANKO:
www.intertanko.com
Caribbean MOU:
www.caribbeanmou.org
Black Sea MOU:
http://www.bsmou.org/default2.htm
Indian Ocean MOU:
www.iomou.org
Latin American Agreement:
www.acuerdolatino.int.ar
Mediterranean MOU:
www.medmou.org
Paris MOU:
www.parismou.org
Tokyo MOU:
www.tokyo-mou.org
Panama Canal Commission:
www.pancanal.com
Piraeus Port authority:
www.olp.gr/
Suez Canal:
http://www.rafimar.com/homepage/suez-traffic/daily_traffic.asp
US Coast Guard:
http://www.uscg.mil/default.asp
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