Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) will present the entire range of its services at Nor-Shipping 2017, the international exhibition of shipbuilding, ship repair and maritime transportation to be held on 30 May − 2 June in Oslo.
To assist shipowners, the Register develops normative documents enabling to effectively prepare the ships for compliance with the requirements of new international legal instruments. The Guidelines on Application of the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code) entered into force on 1 January 2017 constitutes immediate interest for the RS customers. The document allows each shipowner to independently determine the list of the applicable Polar Code requirements for the particular ship, provides the detailed survey procedure for polar class ships, specifies the scope of necessary documents depending on the ship's category as well as evaluation of operational conditions. Moreover, the document contains the detailed correspondence of the Polar Code requirements to similar requirements of the RS Rules, distinguishing marks and descriptive notations in the class notation on various aspects − ship structure, stability, machinery installations, fire protection, life-saving appliances, safety of navigation, communication and pollution prevention measures.
RS is developing its ice competence by actively carrying out scientific research that will form the basis of the requirements for assigning corrosion and wear allowance when determine the thickness of the outer shell plating of ice class ships depending on the selected protection methods (protective coatings, application of clad steel, electrochemical protection, etc.), as well as the requirements for coatings (application technology, evaluation of technical condition in operation, repair, etc.) Today, the normative documents of classification societies do not specify the ratio between the corrosion addition and wear allowance and the type and properties of the applicable outer shell protection.
Due to the necessity of ensuring development and functioning of subsea piping system in the Russian sector of the North Caspian that unites site structures and facilities of V. Filanovsky, Yu. Korchagin and Rakushechnoe oil fields, the Register draws attention to development and updating the requirements for subsea pipelines. Effective and safe intersections of subsea piping routes of various purpose and electric cables as well as shore crossings of pipelines will become the subject of a new research. This will improve operational safety of subsea pipelines and the quality of the RS services on subsea pipelines classification.
Repair of subsea pipelines, calculation procedure of short-circuit currents in ship electrical power systems as well as the requirements for repair of ship metal structures, machinery, arrangements and propellers using composite and polymeric materials are among the latest research issues.
Composite materials also hold promise in container manufacture, in particular, for the manufacture of tank containers for aggressive media transportation (sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric and orthophosphoric acids). RS was the the first among the classification societies to develop and implement the requirements for tank containers with FRP shells to its Rules.
Comprehensive normative base based on the fundamental scientific research enables the Register to participate in the leading projects on design and construction of the unique sophisticated ships in the world. A number of ships are being constructed under the RS survey, such as a series of the unique Arctic gas carriers of "Christoph de Margerie" type as well as a series of Arctic Shuttle Tankers of project 42K with the prototype ship "Shturman Albanov" honoured with the prestigious international industry award Marine Propulsion Awards 2017 in the nomination 2016 Ship of the Year Award.