IACS publishes 2024 Annual Review, with focus on safety first

The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has published its 2024 Annual Review, which highlights the central role played by IACS in supporting safety standards in global shipping.
 


In a year that marked the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the SOLAS Convention, safety was at the forefront of IACS’s work programme for 2024. This was exemplified by the new Safe Digital Transformation Panel, which began its important work to identify and mitigate any safety risks posed by shipping’s ongoing digital transformation. 
 


Technical and digital advances featured heavily in IACS’s programme for 2024, including the significant challenge posed by new technologies and alternative fuels when it comes to the safety and reliability of engines and other onboard systems. IACS’s work in emerging fields was further highlighted by its work on remote surveys, which included the development of a new Unified Requirement to ensure uniform standards in the conduct of surveys undertaken without the presence of a surveyor.
 


The report also highlights a number of other areas of important work, including safety standards for gas carriers, improvements to the implementation of the Safe Return to Port (SRtP) scheme for passenger ships, and further guidance to support compliance with ballast water management system (BWMS) standards. 2024 also saw extensive consultation with industry and Flag States on the ongoing comprehensive review of the IACS Common Structural Rules, which will continue into 2025 and until their expected adoption in four years’ time.
 


Although digital and technological innovation has been a core focus of IACS’s work, the human element has remained at the heart of IACS safety agenda. As the report explores, IACS has continued to invest heavily in training and guidelines that support the role of people, including the risks posed to and by people in a ship’s lifecycle.
 


Roberto Cazzulo, Chair of the IACS Council, said: “At a time of transformation for our industry, IACS has been at the forefront of setting the standards needed to keep vessels safe and to protect the environment, particularly when the world around us is being reshaped by digitalisation and decarbonisation. This pace of change also requires an agile, rapid response in order to address the technical and safety implications for shipping. Throughout 2024, IACS and our members proved their ability to deliver the expert guidance needed by our industry to help safeguard safety at sea.”