All the rules needed on the waves may soon be available on a laptop
computer, thanks to a new database system developed by Lloyd鈥檚 Register.
Rules govern the design, surveying and operation of ships. The International
Maritime Organization鈥檚 rules have the force of law. The states that control
the ports a ship visits may have their own rules. The ship鈥檚 flag state
has its rules. The ship鈥檚 surveyors, such as Lloyd鈥檚 Register, have their
rules 鈥� and finally the owners have more rules.
The mass of regulations mounts up to a stack of paper nearly a metre
high. Lloyd鈥檚 Register鈥檚 database, called Rulefinder, enables users to find
all the relevant rules and to display as many as three at a time.
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The database was a spin-off from a European Community Esprit project
to explore marine applications for computers. Alan Buckland, who developed
Rulefinder for Lloyd鈥檚 Register, said the system was designed to be used
by ship surveyors and naval architects, as well as officers on the bridge.
