International Regulatory Framework Updates – Q2 2026

A regulatory development under IMO is the countdown to the Cape Town Agreement – on February 24, 2026, the conditions for its entry into force on February 24, 2027, were met.

The 2012 Cape Town Agreement is an internationally-binding instrument that sets minimum requirements on the design, construction, equipment, and inspection of fishing vessels of 24 meters in length and over or equivalent in gross tons. The Agreement includes mandatory international requirements for stability and associated seaworthiness, machinery and electrical installations, life-saving appliances, communications equipment and fire protection, as well as fishing vessel construction. 

A major development introduced by IACS is the entry into force of the Procedure for calculation and verification of the Energy Efficiency Design Index (PR38 Rev. 6 Jan 2026).

PR 38 establishes the procedure for the calculation and verification of the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for new ships, in line with the IMO EEDI framework. It defines the responsibilities during preliminary and final verification, specifies the documentation to be submitted, and sets out the requirements for the calculation. PR 38 has been updated several times to align with subsequent amendments to the IMO EEDI Guidelines, expanding its scope and refining verification methodologies. REV.6 has been issued following the adoption of MEPC.403(83), to update the versions of some standards.

The latest version of the document is available for download via the link.

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Founded in 1913, Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) is a world-renowned classification society that operates within all spheres of the maritime industry with the goal of improving the operational and environmental safety of marine transportation. RS reviews technical documentation, surveys ships and offshore facilities under construction and in service, certifies vessels and companies for compliance with international conventions, recognizes and certifies industrial products and manufacturers, certifies quality management systems for compliance with international and national standards.

Today, RS is actively expanding its scope of services in the field of engineering and consulting, the development of technical documentation for vessels in service, marine warranty surveys, management system certification and recognition of manufacturers. In addition, RS surveys all container types, including tank containers and offshore containers, confirms compliance of packaging for dangerous goods, as well as renders services on the declaration and certification of dangerous goods and bulk cargoes.