1969 IMO granted IACS ‘consultative status’. The fact that it is the only nongovernmental
organization with observer status at the IMO neatly illlustrates the
ambiguous position of the class societies, hovering somewhere between the
commercial shipping industry and governments.
In addition to their role as regulators, the major classification societies represent
the largest single concentration of technical expertise available to the shipping
industry. An example of a classification society helps to illustrate the nature of the
structure. Lloyds Register, the largest classification society, has over 3,900 people,
of whom half are qualified engineers, operating from 260 offices world-wide.
These staff perform classification against its own rules (around 6,600 ships
annually); statutory certification against international conventions, codes and