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Below is the link to Swiss Lloyd for the purpose of vessel certification.

http://www.swiss-lloyd.org/en/ Their website states:

 

"Swiss Lloyd has been founded in 2004 as society for the inspection and certification of recreational craft and accredited as inspection and certification body with the Swiss State Secretariat of the Economy and as a certification body in the Principality of Liechtenstein. Swiss Lloyd is acknowledged as Notified Body with the European Union under the registration number NB 2285."

 

I notice it says "recreational craft," so it might not be appropriate for everyone, but it is a heck of a lot cheaper than ABS and many other classification societies.  Also note that it uses the term "certification" instead of classification.  At some point we'll need to explore if SL cert is adequate for some types of commercial operation and also what the implications are regarding insurance.  My guess is that SL would not be appropriate for carrying passengers for hire, but that would probably depend in large measure on what a particular insurance company would recognize.  The answers can certainly change over time.

 

If anyone has additional information or experience regarding classification or certification, please feel free to share it.

 

On 24 June 2011 Carsten sent an email containing the following regarding Swiss Lloyd certification for manned submersibles:

 

Swiss Lloyds is a relative new classification society.
The idear is to make it possible to class and as result insurance small vessels like megayacht tender, small sport boats and psubs. So you can carry guest with it. The big ones like ABS, GL, NV etc. are much to expensive for a psubs and normaly cost more than the sub. A tzypicak figure here is 50.000 to 60.000 euro (70-85.000 USD)

The class cost for a two seater submarine will be around 6000 Euro means around 8000 USD.
The idear is that the owner/builder of the sub first write a very good technical description and operating manual.

Than you send this book/file to the inspector. So the most work is at the builders side.
The inspector will read this manual carefully. And for sure he will come with questions..
After check out all question and maybe some upgrade the subs and the manual, he will come for a inspection - in general two days.
One day to inspect the boat and checked allout and a long long disscusion how the qwner like to operate there sub from a technical point.
And one day for diving with it and test all safety issues.

The rules are mostly the same as on the big classification but the decision based on the expierence and the report of the inspector.
Not so much on the written rules. The simple reason for this it that each sub will be checked out as individual.
Small subs can not full fill all class rules - but the can do something to get a EQUAL safety status.
The check out has its centerpoint not so much on the material properies - this can be easy check out with the standard classification rules.
The centerpoint of intresst is more relate to the operational build in safety gears, equipment and checklist and the safety protocols.

Sample: On the last inspection we found after a disscusion with the builders that the foreign operators take not so much care than the builders like to see.
There is a possibilty that the guys for examle just forget in the evening to close the oxygen vale. And on the next morning the hole boat is flooded with oxygen. Can you imagine that it can be happen that an operator take no care? We discuss automatic vales, signal horns and other technical solutions.. But the solution is now that the main bottles are untouched. And a pretty small bottle for only day use is on board. The operator has to remove this bottle every evening from the boat and if he take no care on this it do not matter so much - because in the evening after a day of operation the bottle will be nearly empty. The other pro on that is that the main storage is untouch, and he has to refill the small bottle on a regual base each day. So the storage on the beginning is allways 100%.

We develop other simple rules for small subs which cost not much, just brain work. And we did this for each single sub and - quick.

all the best Carsten