Turk Loydu has finally obtained membership at the International Association of Classification Societies after several years of occasionally fraught talks.
According to a statement from the IACS on Wednesday, the Istanbul-based classification society joined with immediate effect following a “thorough and robust application process”.
That included audits conducted last year by independent accredited certification body Dekra, with the participation of IACS observers.
Turk Loydu met the most crucial requirement in March 2023, when it received a statement of compliance under IACS’s quality management certification system.
Turk Loydu, which ranks in the high-performance category of the Paris MOU, has been trying to get an IACS membership for years.
In early 2018, the Turkish classification society even claimed that the IACS unfairly blocked an attempt to join its ranks by changing its membership criteria. IACS strongly contested that interpretation of events, attributing its raising of standards to the changing regulatory environment.
Talks resumed after Lutfu Savaskan took over as general manager of Turk Loydu in September 2018.
“It was a difficult job for me ... but finally we did it,” Savaskan told TradeWinds.
“I visited IACS offices in London every third month. We were completely open to them, we created a good channel of communication.”
The “exhausting” auditing procedure was additionally delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We lost two years in the Covid period,” Savaskan said.
Going global now
Taking advantage of its more elevated status as an IACS member, Turk Loydu now plans to expand its business.
“We try not to be limited to Turkish owners, we’re trying to be a global player now,” Savaskan said.
The company will step up its game not only to meet increased obligations under IACS but also to widen its footprint in new geographical areas.
Turk Loydu, which currently has a limited number of foreign offices in countries such as China, Romania and Azerbaijan, plans to gain a presence in Western Europe, the UK and the Mediterranean.
It will also now make moves to gain recognition by major flag states to make it easier for the ships it covers to register under them.
The company has also set up a tripartite agreement with the IACS and European Union authorities for audits to obtain approval from the European quality assurance body QACE.
Turk Loydu currently classes around 500 ships, most of which are owned by Turkish owners.
However, IACS membership does not assure that the entire Turk Loydu fleet is in full compliance with all IACS resolutions.
A small part of the fleet consisting of 18 older vessels identified on Turk Loydu’s website is excluded.
In line with IACS membership criteria, these vessels will have to achieve full compliance within three years. During this time, Turk Loydu will maintain a non-voting membership status. If the Turkish classification society is unable to ensure compliance within the given timeframe, it will be necessary to declassify these ships.
“This is not a big fleet ... we’re going to handle it,” Savaskan said.
