News 10 Aug, 2017 Onboard Repairs - Compliance with Class and Statutory Requirements - A P&I Perspective Recently an entered vessel carried out repairs to a part of the vessel’s structure that fell within the ambit of Class. However, Class had not been notified of the original damage nor of the planned repairs. The repairs were carried out without Class in attendance. Moreover, the quality of repair was substandard and was causative of subsequent damage to the vessel’s cargo. The cargo claim was substantial. There was also a question whether the P&I cover had been prejudiced on the basis of a breach of Classification Society rules. This case represents a timely reminder to Members of the potential need to involve Class in repairs and that in accordance with the Club’s Rules 20A, 20F and 38-2(vii), compliance with Classification Society rules and statutory requirements are both conditions of P&I cover. Classification Societies develop their rules with the objective of ensuring that a vessel’s structural strength and integrity, along with the reliability of function of shipboard equipment and systems, are effectively maintained during its operational life. Continuing conformity with Class rules is verified by means of regular surveys, when Classification surveyors visit vessels to perform onboard inspections.  It is not realistic to expect that the entire vessel and all its machinery, without exception, will be closely examined during these inspections; the regular survey is rather a sampling process based on the surveyor’s practical experience, Classification and statutory guidelines, and the actual age and condition of a particular vessel. Non-periodical - also called occasional - surveys are required in all other Class-related cases. It is the responsibility of the shipowner to maintain and repair the vessel in periods between regular surveys. Moreover, the shipowner is required to inform the corresponding Classification Society as soon as any dama