Leading classification societies Bureau Veritas (BV) and Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) have signed a three-year co-operation agreement covering the development of joint guidelines for LNG carriers and Offshore Floating Production Units (FPUs).

Pierre Besse, Vice-President Research and Development for BV, says, "We are delighted to have reached this agreement with RS, which will greatly facilitate research into two technologically challenges areas of shipping. The agreement is based on the exchange of information for the mutual benefit of BV and RS, and for the maritime industry generally.

"We will now be able to combine the particular strengths of the BV and RS rules, to produce definitive guidelines which draw on the experience and expertise of both organisations. In addition, the co-operation agreement enables us to exchange information from the results of recent research projects, including those relating - but by no means limited - to operations in Arctic conditions."

Dr. Sergey Koshchy, Senior RS Vice-Director General, noted: "The agreement sets out the key parameters for the co-operation and will help to concentrate our joint efforts in developing guidelines to enhance maritime safety and environmental protection."

Under the agreement, common guidelines for LNG carriers, based on GAP analyses as well as the BV and RS rules and the IMO IGC Code, are expected to be published in first-quarter 2012. These will include the requirement for operating in Arctic areas.

Work on producing common guidelines for FPUs, meanwhile, will start in third-quarter 2011. In addition to the parameters used for the LNG guidelines, these will include feedback gained from work undertaken in connection with a project involving the Shtokman natural gas field in the Russian sector of the Barents Sea, one of the largest in the world.