On 26 September, the maritime community celebrates the World Maritime Day established at the initiative of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). In his annual address on this occasion, Koiji Sekimizu, Secretary General to the International Maritime Organization emphasized that in order stable development of the maritime transport system could be achieved the efforts should be concentrated on safety, environment protection as well as efficient operation and cost-effective use of resources.
Environmental safety of shipping is composed of many factors and requires for agreed measures on the part of all the parties to the process. As an internationally recognized classification society, Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) actively promotes the ideas of international cooperation and mutual understanding in the sphere of safety standards. The principle of minimising the maritime transport impact on the environment is contemplated by RS as an indispensible condition of shipbuilding and shipping further development.
In order to implement high safety standards at sea, RS participates in the activities of international organizations, develops and elaborates its rules and regulations with due regard for statutory requirements. RS cooperates with the maritime administrations of 70 flag states under whose authorization it holds ship surveys for compliance with the requirements of the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention, International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships and International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems on Ships.
Besides, RS has developed additional requirements for controlling and limiting operational emissions and discharges from ships, preventing the transfer of harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens with ballast water. In case of ships complying with the above requirements, RS assigns additional distinguishing marks ECO and ECO-S to their class notations.