The classification society RINA has helped spotlight the importance of environmental sensitivity with its voluntary Green Plus status. It’s now expanding its sustainability focus with two additional class notations. Specifically, they are Environmental Footprint and Fire Survivability.
RINA Environmental Footprint encompasses a yacht’s lifespan, so to speak. It involves practices undertaken in her construction and operation, even in her “recycling,” as the class society terms disposal. (Just as there are ship-scrapping facilities, so, too, are there ones for yachts. However, we have yet to hear of a shipyard specializing in megayacht scrapping, or owners seeking this solution.) RINA assigns specific environmental impacts to each life milestone. Each of these impacts is quantifiable, RINA asserts. Furthermore, yachts striving to achieve RINA Environmental Footprint will have an impact on the shipyards and suppliers that built and/or refitted her. RINA says social factors regarding working conditions, especially eco-oriented ones, will be outlined. The classification society expects that motivated shipyards will continue to invest in employees’ situations.
The second new class notation, RINA Fire Survivability, is particularly applicable to megayachts. It augments existing requirements for fire protection. Points will be awarded for measures that improve the fire-fighting systems onboard, for example. They’ll also be given for reducing the fire load of protected spaces and installing fire divisions whose burn rates exceed minimum time requirements.
Both RINA Environmental Footprint and RINA Fire Survivability are being rolled out this year.
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