Lloyd’s Register First to Certify Small Commercial Ships in the Caribbean

Lloyd’s Register (LR) has become the first classification society to certify small commercial ships operating in the Caribbean.

After becoming the first classification society to issue Cargo Ship Safety and Small Commercial Safety Certificates to two Trinidad and Tobago vessels, LR was recently authorised by several Caribbean flag administrations to carry out surveys and issue certificates under new codes on their behalf.

As part of the survey and certification services, LR may undertake surveys for the following:

  • Code of Safety for Caribbean Cargo Ships (CCSS). This applies to ships of under 500gt. The administrations authorising LR are: The Bahamas, Belize, Cayman Islands, Trinidad & Tobago and St. Kitts & Nevis;
  • Code of Safety for Small Commercial Vessels operating in the Caribbean (SCV). This applies to ships up to 24 metres long. The administrations authorising LR are: The Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago and St. Kitts & Nevis.

Both codes were developed under the auspices of the Caribbean Memorandum of Understanding with the support of the International Maritime Organization and other flag administrations, principally the U.S. Coast Guard. The CCSS Code was first adopted in February 1996 and the SCV Code in May 2010.

”This has been quite a significant achievement as LR is the first class society to undertake any of this work on behalf of these flag administrations,” said Wendel George, Lead Surveyor and Marine Management Systems Auditor at Lloyd’s Register’s Trinidad office.

A flag administration is the department of government that has the legal jurisdiction to implement and regulate ships flagged in a particular country.

Now that we are involved in this business for smaller ships, it will serve as a stepping stone for us and shows our leadership in the world. It shows that we are concerned about the entire maritime industry and opens the door for us to meet all of our client’s needs, both large and small,” said George.