The Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has initiated a historic change in the way international standards for ship construction are to be determined and implemented in the future.

IMO said the adoption of the "goal-based standards" (GBS) for oil tankers and bulk carriers means that newly-constructed vessels of these types will have to comply with structural standards conforming to functional requirements developed and agreed by the committee.

This means that, for the first time in its history, IMO will be setting standards for ship construction. The MSC also adopted guidelines that, equally for the first time, give the IMO a role in verifying conformity with SOLAS requirements.

The guidelines establish the procedures to be followed in order to verify that the design and construction rules of an administration or its recognized organization, for bulk carriers and oil tankers, conform to the adopted GBS, said IMO.

The verification process consists of two main elements: self assessment of the rules by the entity submitting them to IMO for verification followed by an audit, to be carried out by experts appointed by the IMO of the rules, the self-assessment and the supporting documentation.

Since the beginning of the 2000s, governments and international organizations had expressed the view that the IMO should play a larger role in determining the structural standards to which new ships are built.

IMO said the philosophy underpinning this move has been that ships should be designed and constructed for a specified design life and that, if properly operated and maintained, they should remain safe and environmentally friendly throughout their service life.

The MSC formally adopted International Goal based Ship Construction Standards for Bulk Carriers and Oil Tankers, along with amendments to Chapter II-1 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), making their application mandatory, with an entry into force date of 1 July 2012.

The new SOLAS regulation II-1/3-10 will apply to oil tankers and bulk carriers of 150m in length and above. It will require new ships to be designed and constructed for a specified design life and to be safe and environmentally friendly, in intact and specified damage conditions, throughout their life.

Under the regulation, ships should have adequate strength, integrity and stability to minimize the risk of loss of the ship or pollution to the marine environment due to structural failure, including collapse, resulting in flooding or loss of watertight integrity.

The MSC further adopted guidelines for the information to be included in a ship construction file.

The "goal-based ship construction standards" was introduced in IMO at the 89th session of the council in November 2002, through a proposal by the Bahamas and Greece, suggesting that the IMO should develop ship construction standards that would permit innovation in design but ensure that ships are constructed in such a manner that they remain safe for their entire economic life.