Fleet Service

Continuous Survey Programme

The "Continuous Survey Procedure" is the alternative to the special survey procedure for the renewal of class certificates. Using this procedure, the inspections and tests necessary for the periodic and special surveys are carried out continuously throughout the entire class period. The "Continuous Survey Programme" may be applied to the hull, machinery, electrical systems and special equipment of your ships.

The programme has a good potential for reducing inspection costs for class renewal and can optimise the scheduling of maintenance routines. Tests and inspections may be carried out by the crew or service engineers in the absence of the surveyor. All tests and inspections are credited on the basis of documentation, function verification tests and/or inspection of the replaced parts.

Hulls of bulkers, general dry cargo ships, tankers, and product- and chemical carriers are excluded from this programme.

Contact: Carsten Beese

Conversion

Any conversion of a ship classed with Germanischer Lloyd should be planned well in advance. Please provide detailed information to the scope of the intended conversion project (scope, place, date, G/A plan etc.) to Germanischer Lloyd Head Office. For facilitation you are kindly requested to fill in our Questonnaire for Conversion and send it, preferrably by e-mail, to our address coordination-conversion@gl-group.com.

A project co-ordinator will be assigned at GL Head Office (single point of contact) and will handle all matters of the project. You will be informed of his contact details by e-mail after receipt of your first information.

Based on complete information to the scope of an intended conversion a quotation will be prepared and forwarded to you with request to sign and return it.

Note: Only when receiving the signed quotation, GL may start the approval process for drawings and documents. This does ensure that relevant aspects of the conversion project are correctly understood by the parties concerned.

The scope of drawings and documents needed for review/approval is generally described in the submitted quotation or you will receive List of Documents to be submitted for approval.

Please forward these documents as early as possible under consideration of the time when the conversion will start and the fact that the approval process within GL may take several weeks.

Approved drawings and documents are necessary in order to allow our attending surveyor to perform the checks and inspections required on board.

Please forward all drawings and documents of your conversion project to the attention of your assigned co-ordinator. (For facilitation you may use the GL-Tool "global exchange (globe)".

Please send your documents in PDF Format, unprotected and in original size.

Contact: coordination-conversion@gl-group.com

Planned Maintenance System

How can you credit your vessel maintenance supervised by board personnel towards required periodic surveys? With Germanischer Lloyd's "Planned Maintenance System" (PMS), operators can undertake the maintenance of their vessels in intervals according to manufacturers' and class requirements. The planning and scheduling as well as the documentation of the maintenance follows a system approved by Germanischer Lloyd. An annual survey is needed to review the status of the equipment. A special survey every five years verifies that the PMS programme is performing accordingly. The PMS surveys will be harmonised with other periodic surveys.

Contact: Carsten Beese

Condition monitoring

Condition monitoring systems make use of the relation between various operation parameters or diagnosis results in order to gain information about the current condition of the monitored equipment. To qualify for condition monitoring credits, the operator has to submit detailed information regarding the scope and type of monitoring, the limits of the acceptable condition - usually the manufacturer's recommended limits - and the corresponding vessel's maintenance programme. The guidelines for "Machinery Condition Monitoring" (Rules for Classification and Construction, Chapter I-1-17) describe in detail the procedure for such a survey arrangement CM matching the condition-based maintenance procedures on board.

The Condition Monitoring Guidelines also contain the requirements for type approval of condition monitoring systems including hardware, software and a field test of the systems normally on board a vessel in service. Condition Monitoring reduces the overall costs of inspection services and optimises maintenance schedules, reducing the risk of equipment failures or damages.

Contact: Carsten Beese

Condition Assessment Programme

The "Condition Assessment Programme" (CAP) provides expertise regarding the current condition of a component on a vessel independent from the system of classification. It is based upon detailed inspection and function tests, thickness measurements and strength calculations. CAP provides owners and operators with an independent, in-depth assessment and verification of the condition of any vessel built under the supervision of Germanischer Lloyd or another IACS society. GL's CAP is recognised by BP, Statoil, Norsk Hydro and Petronas, among others.

Contact: Matthias Galle

Port State Control

Coastal countries have the right to inspect ships in their national waters to check whether they comply with international conventions. In the event of deficiencies, the port state inspectors are in a position to detain the vessel until the deficiencies have been rectified. In order to avoid problems with Port State Control (PSC), GL advises on the maintenance of vessels in an appropriate way. With GL's maintenance checklist, owners can prepare for technical and operational items to be checked by Port State Control inspectors. "The top ten PSC findings" published by GL shows which equipment PSC has been focussing on within the last two years and how owners can prepare.

Contact: Manfred Schlott

Transfer of class

GL offers a simple, fast and efficient transfer of class process. Dedicated "TOCA surveyors" take care of the specific needs of each individual ship (e.g. ship type, survey complexity, etc.).
Any ship which meets the class requirements of GL can be accepted into our class. Our "Transfer of Class" specialists will guide you through the complete process of classification and statutory certification according to your individual requirements.

Contact: Carsten Beese

Ship recycling

GL offers a smart approach for suppliers, shipyards and shipowners by providing information and tools for the efficient preparation of the Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM). GL supports effective inventory maintenance over the entire life-cycle of the vessel as well the final preparation for the dismantling. Rely on GL's assistance to establish a cost-efficient inventory for new buildings and fleet in service and how to comply with the upcoming "IMO Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships". In addition, GL supports and certifies ship recycling facilities in line with the future IMO convention and the ISO 30000 standards.

Hull Lifecycle Programme

The Hull Lifecycle Programme (HLP) is a class notation aiming at improved monitoring and assessment of the condition of a ship's hull throughout its lifecycle by means of thickness measurements. The class notation is supported by various IT tools and data. HLP is based on a 3-D structural model of the ship created and regularly maintained by GL. It allows systematic and comprehensive data collection and visualisation. Through this, the thickness measurements are available to the owner online. The HLP is also available as an added-value service to non-GL-classed vessels.

Contact: Matthias Galle