Russian Maritime Register of Shipping updates rules on automation equipment
RS introduces amendments in Section 12 Automation Equipment in the Rules for Technical Supervision during Construction of Ships and Manufacture of Materials and Products for Ships.
Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) introduces amendments in Section 12 Automation Equipment in the Rules for Technical Supervision during Construction of Ships and Manufacture of Materials and Products for Ships (the Rules for Technical Supervision). The relevant Circular Letter (No. 315-07-1434c) is accessible at rs-class.org in the Online Information – RS Circulars section and enters into force on October 1, 2020.
The main changes regarding survey of automation equipment feature the introduction of categorization of the equipment submitted for RS approval according to a number of parameters, based on conditions of its intended operation. For example, as regards mechanical impact (shock) the following categories are introduced:
G0: equipment intended for installation on berth-connected ships and fixed offshore platforms;
G3: equipment not related to the category G0 intended for installation on floating offshore oil-and-gas production units, ships of no ice class or ships of Ice1, Ice2, Ice3 ice classes;
G5: equipment intended for installation on ships of ice classes Arc4-Arc9, Icebreaker6-Icebreaker9.
Each category is determined by a relevant scope of the RS requirements and rigidity of item tests.
As Vladimir Vikulin, Head of Electrical Engineering and Automation Systems Department, said, such categorization allows for clear determination of permissible operating conditions throughout the whole cycle of survey: from manufacture to installation and operation on board the ship. It shall make the survey of equipment during manufacture and testing more flexible and more understandable for the firms, simplify interaction not only between the firms and RS, but also with the third parties (equipment suppliers, shipyard, shipowner, etc.).
A new interpretation of the requirements for survey of automation equipment in the Rules for Technical Supervision shall contribute to their transparency as well. Content of Section 12 Automation Equipment has been harmonized with the new marine equipment approval and certification scheme (Appendix 1 to Part I of the Rules for Technical Supervision). The requirements are presented in a tabular form and linked to the specific item codes. A list of technical documentation that shall be submitted to RS for review as well as a list of tests that the item of survey shall be subjected to in order to confirm its compliance with the RS requirements are provided for each code.
