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International classification society RINA has been given the green light by the Danish Maritime Authority to act on its behalf to carry out plan approval and surveillance during construction on board ships using liquefied natural gas (LNG) as marine fuel. The authorisation is valid for ships flying the Danish Flag.

Andrea Cogliolo, head of innovation, RINA Services, said: "This authorisation recognises RINA's expertise with gas and will allow us to assist owners in Denmark who are actively considering conversions to and newbuildings with LNG fuel. We believe there will be a rapid and accelerating switch to LNG as a fuel in north European waters, but the move to gas must be done safely and with good management of all the risks involved. That is where we can make a real difference, by helping owners and yards to adopt new fuel solutions in a safe and timely manner."

RINA has rules and requirements for the use of liquefied or compressed natural gas (LNG or CNG) on board ship as an alternative to traditional fuels. These rules give the industry a regulatory tool to ensure that the arrangement and installation on board of machinery using this type of fuel are such as to provide a level of integrity, from the point of view of safety and reliability, equivalent to that of a conventional installation.

Cogliolo said that until the new IMO Code for Gas Fuelled Ships is completed, owners and yards must work to class requirements. "We are helping owners move to gas, and we are making sure they avoid the pitfalls as well gaining the benefits," he said. RINA is actively involved in a number of projects to convert existing tonnage or build new vessels with gas fuel and is also facilitating studies for the diffusion of LNG as a fuel in the Mediterranean area.

RINA Services S.p.A. is the RINA Group's company active in classification, certification, inspection and testing services. RINA Group is a multinational group which delivers verification, certification, conformity assessment, ship classification, environmental enhancement, product testing, site and vendor supervision, training and engineering consultancy across a wide range of industries and services.

RINA Group operates through a network of companies covering Marine, Energy, Infrastructures & Real Estate, Transport & Logistics, Food & Agriculture, Environment & Sustainability, Finance & Public Institutions and Business Governance.