Classification society

On September 25, 2012, the French Cour de cassation upheld, in the Erika case, the conviction of the Italian classification society RINA, which had kept the tanker in class until it sank in December 1999. A classification society sets the technical rules for building and maintaining ships, verifies compliance through periodic surveys and grants a class accordingly, certifying that the vessel meets a recognized standard. These bodies are private, often two centuries old, and the twelve leading members of IACS cover most of the world's tonnage. Their role goes beyond the technical. States delegate to them part of the statutory surveys required by international conventions. Banks condition their lending on class being maintained. Hull policies carry a classification clause: cover is suspended or void if class is suspended, withdrawn or changed without the underwriter's agreement. Their liability toward third parties remains an open question, courts being reluctant to turn a certifier into the insurer of last resort for the victims of a sinking. Class closes the information gap between an owner who knows its ship and an underwriter, charterer or banker who will never see it.