The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Registry’s annual Classification Society Consultative Committee (CSCC) meeting was held on 5 December 2024 in Athens, Greece. Recognized Organizations (ROs) from around the world were present. RMI representatives from Busan, Fort Lauderdale, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Long Beach, Mumbai, Piraeus, Reston, and Roosendaal offices participated in the meeting.
The annual CSCC meeting is primarily a technical meeting, focused on effective communication and client service across all parties and stakeholders. ROs play an important role in flag State operations, acting on behalf of the RMI Maritime Administrator (the “Administrator”) by providing plan approval, survey, and certification services that facilitate meeting the Administrator’s statutory obligations.
The Administrator’s Technical Department sets the agenda for the meeting based on collected data, technical trends and changes, procedural matters, action items from the previous meeting, and RO collaboration. The Athens meeting opened with introductions and an update on the RMI Registry from Chief Maritime Officer Simon Bonnett. The meeting continued with a series of discussions on: Remote Surveys; Lifting Appliances – International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, Chapter II-1, Regulation 1/3-13; Permanent Means of Access – Annual Inspection by Crew for Oil Tanks on Tankers; International Code of Safety for Ships Carrying Industrial Personnel; and Ballast Water Management before breaking for lunch. Afternoon sessions continued with discussions on: engine room escape routes, revisions to fire protection systems and appliances; an update on fleet operations and port state control matters; European Union Mutual Recognition; and the Hong Kong International Convention for Safety and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships. The meeting concluded with a review of the RO oversight structure and an open discussion and review of action items.
The ongoing period of international regulatory change underscores the importance of CSCC meetings to foster a high standard of client service and quality across the fleet. The annual CSCC meeting fosters strong professional relationships between the flag State and the Administrator’s ROs to support open dialogue and shared vision.
