THE LOCAL office of
Lloyd's Register of Shipping
is Jocated in the BC. Rail

‘building on West Esplanade,

which affords itself an advan-
lageous position to waterfront

-aClivities.

By David Shirlaw
Contributing Writer

The company has occupied this
location since 1983, before that it
~was.. located’ in Vancouver's
“Marine Building on Burrard Street
¢ for $2 years.

The North Vancouver office
currently has a staff of eight: five
surveyors and three administrative
support staff under the leadership
of principal surveyor Glenn Cobb.

“In the words of Cobb, “This is
not Lloyd's of London.”

Most people have heard of the
famous insurance firm based in
London:

~The name “Lloyd's” came from

. a coffee house on the London

waterfront, which opened in 1691.
Many influential marine under-
writers met to discuss business at
this coffee house.

Over the years the original ‘col-
~ fee house group evolved: into an
* Schange for marine and other
types! ‘of insurance.

[vis run ina similar fashion to

es be ¥ stock exchange by its members

on a cooperative: basis.

Typically, most member firms
-will insure a percentage of a risk,
often around 2% cach.

When ‘someone says they are .
insured by. Lloyd's of London, .
they are insured by several men-
bers of the cooperative.

Lloyd's Register of Shipping
itself was originally an offshoot of

' Lloyd’s, having initially been set: i

up as a Society of Underwriters i in.
“1760.0

Today. Lloyd" s is the standard.
by. which ships built: in: various

‘4~ Wednesday, July 5, 1995 - North Shore News

Local Li

‘Company ensures ship safety

The percentage of foreign and
domestic work done by the com-
pany is approximately 50-50.

Lloyd's five surveyors are all

Javal Architects and 9 Marine
Engineers.

New employees are required to
sign a mobility clause in their con-
tract so that they. may be moved
anywhere inthe world during the
course of their curecrs, |

Cobb, a 21-year. veteran, was
transferred from: the U.K. to
Canada in 1978, His initial post-
ings included Montreal before
arriving in Vancouver in 1982. |.

When the company’s surveyors

‘arrive at work in the morning, they

are never sure where they will be

THURSDAY, FRIDAY,
SATURDAY, SUNDAY
9:20, AM - 6:00 Pi

i

“countries are : measured. ,, Itcis 8.

“known as-a- classification society,

"of which there ‘are many, Lloyd’s ’

-being the largest in the world with
about. 21% of. the world’s, mer- «
chant fleet. Ma,

:; Because Vancouver” ‘is such a

large. seaport; most..classification’

- societies from. around ‘the. :world
have representatives located here:
AY classification society . certi-

". fies a vessel for what it is going to
do and where it'is intended to sail.

For example, , if anew ship. was
built: 0 carry © grain
- Vancouver to Japan, the clas
“tion society would determine the
safety features required: by inter-

“national law and ‘how much cargo’
“it could safely carry at different

times of the year due to seasonal *
“weather paiterns., ’
The ship would have to be cer-
tified by the surveyors of the clas-
. Sification society to obtain permis-
“sion to sail from a port and to
‘obtain insurance for the voyage. -
Lloyd's Register acts on behalf .
of over 100 governments lo ensure .

the:'safety of various types of. ae

‘water craft.’

The ‘myriad ‘of duties per-|
formed by the North Vancouver;
‘office include: ~~, i

surveys of foreign, vessels in

=: “port here}... o

mt “ing ferties and Ug). bate

achts;.~:
“Various craft
‘ Beaufort. Sea

used in’ the’

iB industrial inspections on behalf

of. overseas clients: . 7
i certifying the North Varicouver-

produced . “Newtsuit”’ for. diving

‘@ house plants

° and much more.
© Come in soon”
-for best, selection.

at lunch time,

A typical day may find one sur-
veyor in Prince Rupert and anoth-
er on u helicopter to Victoria.

Cobb chuckles when asked if
he knows how many ships he has
been on over the course of his
career,

“| lost. count after several hun-
dred.” he'says.

AH Lloyd's staff are
Shore residents.

North

David Shirlaw is a West
Vancouver writer with 20 years of
experience working in’ the B.C.
maritime industry. -

He will ‘occasionally be con-
tributing articles to the North
Shore. News featuring people and
businesses invoived with the North
Shore's waterfrout,

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