IACS Welcomes Türk Loydu into Membership

Türk Loydu stands as Turkey’s national organization, representing nearly every sector contributing to the nation’s economy. IACS membership of Türk Loydu is a source of pride and an avenue for growth, development, and contributing to our beloved nation on the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic.

Türk Loydu’s commitment to excellence has been a long-standing journey. In 2001, it became the first nationally accredited organization, to adhere to ISO 17021 standards. By 2006, it had earned a place on the prestigious Paris MoU High-Performance List and received approval from the European Union. In 2011, it was formally recognized as a classification society by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), the foremost global authority in the classification market. Today, Türk Loydu has achieved official IACS membership.

Founded in 1962 by the Chamber of Marine Engineers, Türk Loydu has classed nearly 3,000 vessels and contributed significantly to vital projects that drive Turkey’s economy. Over its 61-year history, Türk Loydu has left its mark on more than 60 major projects. These include iconic landmarks such as the Istanbul Airport, Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, Osman Gazi Bridge, 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, High-Speed Train, TCG Anadolu Ship, Nene Hatun Drill Ship, Rize-Artvin Airport, and numerous football stadiums.

Since 2017, Türk Loydu’s subsidiary, Türk Loydu Uygunluk Değerlendirme Hizmetleri A.Ş., has been providing classification, legal certification, testing, inspection, documentation, and approved organization services. With its ample physical facilities and commitment to development, Türk Loydu continues to progress rapidly.

Their services are vessel classification, flag state services, and support for service providers. They also provide approval for shipyard layout and organization, ensuring efficient and safe ship operations, ship recycling, marine warranty survey services, advanced engineering solutions, certification, inspection, and greenhouse gas emission verification.

Additionally, Türk Loydu actively engages in surveillance activities and offers specialized training programs. Türk Loydu is committed to promoting organizational resilience, and we provide appraisal services, testing, and analysis, as well as contribute to research and development.

IACS, founded in the 1930s and officially established on September 11, 1968, is a global organization dedicated to ensuring the safety of ships and the preservation of clean seas. With its unique contributions to maritime safety and regulations through technical support, compliance verification, and research and development, IACS plays a pivotal role in the industry. It governs over 90% of the world’s cargo tonnage, establishing classification, construction, and lifelong compliance standards.

To join IACS, ships and organizations must meet specific criteria. This includes adhering to the industry’s gold standard, known as the Quality System Certification Scheme (QSCS). To meet this standard, an independent, external accreditation is necessary. Ships, whether in service or under construction, undergo vertical contract audits.

Additionally, Head Office and Survey Location audits are conducted. Applicants must also show they meet functional requirements outlined by the IMO for constructing Bulk Carriers and Oil Tankers. Various other criteria assess their capability to offer classification, statutory services, and support all aspects of IACS’ activities.

IACS members developed the Quality System Certification Scheme (QSCS) in the early 90s, and compliance with QSCS has been a consistent requirement for all IACS members. Over the past 25 years, QSCS has evolved and grown to become the recognized ‘gold standard’ for classification societies.

QSCS’s main objective is to ensure that every classification society following QSCS has established an internal quality management system meeting the requirements in IACS Quality Management System Requirements (IQMSR), now in its 10th version. IQMSR is the benchmark against which classification societies are audited. It is built on ISO 9001:2015, with added specific requirements relevant to the work of classification societies.

Audits of IACS members and those seeking IACS membership are performed by independent accredited certification bodies (ACBs). These ACBs must meet clear and transparent criteria to maintain a high standard of auditing consistently applied to all IACS members and applicants.

For a list of ACBs verified by IACS as compliant with QSCS requirements, along with detailed information on IACS QSCS, please refer to IACS Procedures Volume 3.