History of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping

History

The Russian Maritime Register of Shipping history is inextricably linked with the history of Russia as a maritime power. In 1696 the order of Russian tsar Peter I initiated the creation of the Russian fleet. Over the next centuries it developed rapidly: the number of ships in creased and their technical characteristics improved. In this regard, the classification of ships became considerably more complex, requiring the creation in Russia of an independent classification society. 

31 December, 1913 is accepted as the foundation date of the first Russian classification society. The order of Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia approved the Charter of the Classification Society "Russian Register", RS being the successor of it. Today RS is one of the world leading classification societies.

31 December 1913 establishment of classification society Russian Register
1915 the first RS rules for the Construction of Sea-Going Steel Ships issued
1916 the first Russian Register of Ships “Russian Register. A List of Ships” issued
1923 The Charter of Russian Register approved
1924 Russian Register renamed into USSR Register
1930 the first Rules for the Classification and construction of Sea-Going steel Ships and the first Rules for Welding in Shipbuilding issued
1935 USSR Register recognised by international classification societies
1945 permanent offices of USSR Register abroad established
1 November 1969 USSR Register becomes a member of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS)
1973 to 1974 USSR Register chairs in IACS
1984 implementation of the automated fleet registration system
1990 to 1992 USSR Register chairs in IACS
1992 USSR Register renamed into Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS)
1993 development and implementation of the internal quality management system in compliance with ISO 9001 standard
1996 recognition by the European Union
1996 The first RS in-house newsletter issued
1997 RS becomes a member of the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (INTERTANKO), International Association of Dry-Cargo vessel owners (INTERCARGO), Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO)
2001 to 2002 RS chairs in IACS
July 2007 RS enters the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (Helmepa)
January 2008 RS becomes a member of the Tanker Structure Cooperative Forum (TSCF)
June 2008 RS recognised under the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods on Inland Waterway (ADN)
September 2009 The RS Quality Management System certified by an independent certification body
November 2009 RS becomes a member of the International Tank Container Association (ITCO)
2011 to 2012 RS chairs in IACS
March 2012 The RS Technical Committee established
October 2012 RS implements the unified electronic document management system
December 2012 RS accredited by the GOST R, Unified National Accreditation and Voluntary Certification System
2013 RS celebrates the 100th anniversary