Germanischer Lloyd (GL) has reached another milestone in its continuous growth strategy. 7,000 vessels with 90 million gross tonnages (GT) are currently under the regular technical supervision of GL. The ship crossing the 7,000 ships yardstick is the capesize bulk carrier “E.R. Bayern” of German owner E.R. Schiffahrt.
“This is a milestone in the history of GL,” said Dr Hermann J. Klein, Member of GL’s Executive Board, at the SMM today. “In only three years GL’s fleet has grown by 20 million GT.” The 93.186 GT capesize bulk carrier “E.R. Bayern” was built by Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. The 292-metre long, 45-metre wide ship flies the Liberian Flag.
Growth for 143 years Since its founding in the year 1867, GL has experienced several phases of strong growth. When the first ship classification register was published in October 1868, it counted 272 sailing ships of wood and one of steel. Only five years later, the GL Register reflected 1,870 ships sailing under 19 different flags. In 1914, there were 2,922 ships with 5,503,923 gross register tonnes (GRT) in class. However, the world economic crisis and the First and Second World War took their toll. It was only at the beginning of the sixties that the Register again listed more ships than in 1914.
The expansion of the merchant fleet and the introduction of computer technology in shipbuilding led to a continuous rise in the fleet under attendance. At the 125 year jubilee of the classification society in 1992, there were 4,200 seagoing ships with 18 million GT in class. In 2005, GL attended to the safety of over 5,730 vessels with 50 million GT. Two years later GL’s fleet in service counted 70 million GT.