On 13 October, the Korean Register (KR) was admitted into the International Naval Safety Association (INSA), to contribute further towards enhancing the safety of naval vessels and environmental protection. 

There was a unanimous consensus for KR’s ascension to membership status at INSA’s Annual General Meeting in Istanbul, Türkiye.KR will officially become a member on 1 January 2023.

Kim Youngsuk, Head of Korean Register’s Naval Business Center said:

“We share the visions and values of INSA and put the safety of naval vessels and environmental protection as our top priorities. As a new member of INSA, we will contribute to enhancing the Naval Ship Code with our accumulated experiences and insights.”

KR, as Korea’s sole international classification society, has specialized Korean naval vessel experience. By joining INSA, the classification society is expected to play a significant role in advancing naval vessel standardization. Alongside fellow INSA members, KR will promote the purpose and results of the latest Naval Ship Code revision and research the expected impact on the industry. Along with these responsibilities, KRexpects to encourage Korean naval vessel exports with its newly-improved international credibility.

For the past 22 years, KR has been an invaluable partner to the Republic of Korea Navy and Korea Coast Guard, developing ‘Naval Ship Rules’ and ‘Standard for Design & Construction’, as well as providing integrated one-stop naval services to ensure the safety ofnaval vessels.. In addition, the classification society has been enhancing civilian-military cooperation.

Due to their sensitive national security missions, naval vessels are often exempt from the minimum statutory requirements for safety and environmental protection, as are otherwise applied to civilian ships under international law.. Nevertheless, the international community realizes the importance and emphasizes the necessity of environmental protection. 

This aim served as the foundation for INSA’s formation in 2008 under the mission of “To protect naval safety and environmental protection through the cooperative production, sustainment and application of codes for design and assurance of naval shipping.”

Currently, INSA members comprise 13 navies (United Kingdom, Norway, Italy, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, South Africa and Argentina) and eight classification societies (LR, DNV, RINA, ABS, BV, TL, PRS, NK).

To date, INSA has developed three naval ship codes covering surface vessels, submarines and naval boats. The codes are ratified within NATO as Allied Naval Engineering Publication (ANEP).     

The three types of ship codes, NSC (Naval Ship Code, ANEP-77), NSubC (Naval Submarine Code, ANEP-102) and NBoatC (Naval Boat Code), are Goal Based Standards, applicable to surface ships, submarines, and small ships (less than 24m). Goal Based Standards are more flexible than Prescriptive Standards and allow for swift adoption of new technologies.

△Image shows KIM Youngsuk, Head of KR Naval Business Center 

attending the INSA Annual General Meeting in Istanbul.