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RS speaks at the III International Conference Materials and Technologies for the Arctic

22.12.2023
RS speaks at the III International Conference Materials and Technologies for the Arctic
RS image.

At the III International Conference Materials and Technologies for the Arctic held in early December in St. Petersburg, Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS, Register) introduced the requirements for ice-resistant coatings designed for ice class ships and icebreakers. Presenting at the event was Sergey Kordonets, Principal Specialist-Expert of the Rules Development Department.

Ice-resistant coatings are used to protect the hull from ice friction and low temperatures in the process of operating ice class vessels. Requirements for such coatings were introduced by RS in 2013 as part of the conditions for assigning the WINTERIZATION(DAT) class notation. In 2019, the requirements were enhanced: RS reduced the allowances for the abrasion and corrosion of ice-class ship and icebreaker hulls via ice-resistant coating. Part XIII of the 2023 version of RS Rules included requirements for the properties, application and testing of this technology.

Sergey Kordonets listed the tests mandated by RS Rules. In particular, ice-resistant coating must withstand abrasive and impact loads, resulting from ice navigation, as well as retain elasticity under the influence of sharp temperature changes. Along with their protective anti-corrosion properties, the advantages of applying such coatings include decreased hull-ice friction, improving the vessel's efficiency and operational characteristics even in heavy ice conditions. To date, RS has already approved nearly 40 ice-resistant coatings.


Additional information:

Founded in 1913, Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) is a world-renowned classification society that operates within all spheres of the maritime industry. The organization’s main objectives are to enhance the safety standards of human life at sea, ensure the safe navigation of ships and the secure transportation of cargoes by sea and inland waterways, as well as to develop standards for environmental protection.

RS reviews technical documentation, surveys ships under construction and in service, issues documents and certificates for vessels, offshore facilities, ship machinery, equipment and devices; conducts measurements of ships and floating facilities; carries out surveys to ensure compliance with international conventions; certifies industrial products and manufacturers, quality management systems, sustainability management and occupational health and safety management systems in compliance with ISO standards. RS surveys general cargo containers, thermal containers, tank containers, platform containers, offshore containers, etc.

RS Engineering and Consulting Center combines essential theoretical foundations and the extensive practical experience of RS experts, embodying a fundamentally new approach of not only providing consulting services for maritime industry organizations, but helping create new solutions at the stage of preliminary design consideration via a dialogue with clients.