Bureau Veritas and Russian Maritime Register of Shipping

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) February 21, 2011 --
Leading classification societies Bureau Veritas (BV) and Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) have signed a three-year cooperation agreement covering the development of joint guidelines for LNG carriers and Offshore Floating Production Units (FPUs).

Pierre Besse, Vice-President Research and Development for BV, says, “We are delighted to have reached this agreement with the RS, which will greatly facilitate research into two technologically challenges areas of shipping. The agreement is based on the exchange of information for the mutual benefit of BV and RS, and for the maritime industry generally.
“We will now be able to combine the particular strengths of the BV and RS rules, to produce definitive guidelines which draw on the experience and expertise of both organizations. In addition, the co-operation agreement enables us to exchange information from the results of recent research projects, including those relating – but by no means limited - to operations in Arctic conditions.”

Dr. Sergey Koshchy, Senior RS Vice-Director General, noted: “The agreement sets out the key parameters for the cooperation and will help to concentrate our joint efforts in developing guidelines enhancing the maritime safety and environmental protection”
Under the co-operation agreement, common guidelines for LNG carriers, based on GAP analyses as well as the BV and RS rules and the IMO IGC Code, are expected to be published in first-quarter 2012. These will include the requirement for operating in Arctic areas.

Work on producing common guidelines for FPUs, meanwhile, will start in third-quarter 2011. In addition to the parameters used for the LNG guidelines, these will include feedback gained from work undertaken in connection with a project on the Shtokman natural gas field in the Russian sector of the Barents Sea, one of the largest in the world.

Bureau Veritas is a global leader in conformity assessment and certification services. Created in 1828, the Group has around 48,000 employees in 1,000 offices and 330 laboratories located in 140 countries. Bureau Veritas helps its clients to improve their performance by offering innovative services and solutions in order to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructures, and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection, and social responsibility.
www.bureauveritas.com for corporate information

www.veristar.com for marine information.

Established in 1913, Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) is one of the leading classification societies. Recognised by the European Union. Member of IACS. The RS activity is aimed at ensuring high standards of maritime safety and minimizing the negative impact of human activities on the environment through scientifically based risk assessment and risk management procedures.
www.rs-head.spb.ru

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