Classification societies
The European Commission recognises 13 classification societies. These are the so-called Recognised Organisations (RO). The Netherlands’ Administration has authorised 8 RO’s to act on its behalf. The working method and procedures are laid down in an agreement combined with a mandate. It concerns inspections and certification required by the international conventions, such as SOLAS, MARPOL, Tonnage Measurement, Load Lines, and ILO 152 on Dutch seagoing vessels. You can find the list of appointed RO’s below.
Scope of authorisation
The documents below show the scope of inspections and certification for the classification societies.
In cases of conditions found substantially not in accordance with the applicable instruments, the RO shall withdraw the full term certificate on behalf of the Administration and issue a short- term certificate or, in applicable cases, issue an exemption or a statutory condition, describing the required measures or supplementary equipment and the time limit for permanent repairs or rectification. To avoid unnecessary delay and outside office hours, RO is allowed to issue short term certificates without prior consultation of the Administration.
In those cases RO shall inform the Administration afterwards. See statement below in case local authorities require confirmation of this arrangement.
Instructions classification societies
To perform inspections on Dutch vessels, the Netherlands’ Administration has drafted instructions for the RO’s , called Instructions to RO.
You find these Instructions to RO and further Information concerning The Netherlands’ legislation and requirements, here: Netherlands Regulatory Framework (NeRF).
For non-convention ships, please see: Inspections and Certification Non-Convention ships no. 2. For flagged vessels, please see: Transfer of ships to Netherlands' registry no. 6. In the event that a ship is (temporarily) unable to comply with its certification, please see Reporting and procedure for non-compliance no. 15.
The Netherlands Shipping Inspectorate has authorised the RO’s to perform the renewal Unattended Machinery Space (UMS) surveys. Some vessels have initially been surveyed and approved for UMS by the Netherlands Shipping Inspectorate and are not approved for UMS by the classification society. In addition, newer vessels have been assigned UMS based on national requirements after satisfactory survey by the RO’s.
For known vessels, please see the Unattended Machinery list below. A dedicated checklist is to be provided on board for these vessels. Evidence must be available that the relevant alarms and other functions are checked and tested every 4 months.