seatec - Finnish marine technology review 2/2013 | Page 39

New generation in Lloyd´s Register in Finland The MLC is keeping Lloyd’s Register staff in Finland busy “T he ILO Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006) will enter into force on 20 August 2013. The convention is of importance for the whole maritime industry and for all seafarers worldwide”, Ms Päivi Björkestam, Field Operations Manager for Finland says.  “Auditing the MLC is making Lloyd´s Register in Finland very busy this summer. The classification societies are not only technical specialists, but also work to help secure the working conditions for sea farers”, Ms Björkestam notes. “The Convention prevents social dumping by updating and consolidating most of the ILO minimum standards concerning seafarers’ working conditions, accommodation, health care and social protection. I see that we are going in the right direction. From the beginning of my career I have taken a holistic approach to ship design and operational safety. When I started to study naval architecture at the Helsinki University of Technology in Otaniemi I had an interest in promoting quality shipping operations and the safety of life at sea. Lloyd´s Register has offered me the possibility to work with these ideas in maritime industry since 1994”, she says. “In this business I have also learned to take a global viewpoint. The maritime industry is the world’s first genuinely global industry, which requires an international regulatory response to Ms Päivi Björkestam and Mr Christopher Ridgewell in Helsinki city center June 2013. the entire industry.”  “Classification and certification has been part of our business for centuries. The services we provide are an essential link LLOYD’S REGISTER AND LNG AS A FUEL in the safety chain of the marine industry. However we also pro- Lloyd’s Register’s Rules for Natural Gas Fuelled Ships is a gener- vide consultancy services and training which help clients identify al framework for using LNG as a fuel in ships. Viking Grace is business risks and go beyond basic compliance.” one of the most advanced ships classified with these rules and “Through our classification Rules and Regulations, we set safety and environmental standards for the design, construction Lloyd’s Register and Wärtsilä are two of the main players in the LNG-as-fuel space. and operation of ships. Our certification services are divided in- “Environmental impact and fuels are important questions. to a number of core areas, covering the needs of owners, oper- Today and in the future I think that LNG will play an important ators, regulators and equipment manufacturers. Today our tech- role. Trials of other fuels such as methanol could lead to their nical expertise is meeting the demand for ships that are designed adoption by ship owners” Mr Ridgewell says. and operated to perform bet ѕȁ