Classification Society

A Classification Society is a non-governmental technical organisation that establishes rules for the design, construction and operation of ships; surveys ships during construction and in service to verify compliance with those rules; and issues Class certificates attesting to compliance. Class certificates are essential for ship financing, insurance and trading.

The major class societies are members of IACS (International Association of Classification Societies):

• DNV (Norway)
• ABS (American Bureau of Shipping)
• Lloyd's Register (UK)
• Bureau Veritas (France)
• NK / ClassNK (Japan)
• RINA (Italy)
• CCS (China)
• KR (Korea)
• RS (Russia)
• IRS (India)

Class societies are often delegated by flag state administrations to certify compliance with international conventions (SOLAS, MARPOL) — so they wear two hats: rule-makers and government auditors.