What Does “Class Approved” Actually Mean for Marine Galley Equipment?
“Class approved” can mean two different things, and confusing them causes real delays at survey. Type approval means a specific product model has been tested and certified by a classification society. Class approval means a specific installation, on a specific vessel, has been accepted by a surveyor as compliant. A galley oven can be type-approved by the manufacturer and still fail class approval if it wasn’t installed, wired, or documented the way that vessel’s class rules require.
What is the difference between “type approval” and “class approval”?
Type approval is issued to the manufacturer, once, for a product model. It confirms the equipment itself — its materials, construction, and performance — meets a classification society’s technical rules. Class approval is issued to the shipowner or shipyard, per vessel, for a specific installation. It confirms that particular unit was fitted correctly, on that particular ship, in line with that ship’s approved drawings.
In practice: a type-approved refrigerator can still be rejected at survey if it was installed without the required fixing points, fire dampers, or documentation package for that vessel’s class.
Does galley equipment actually need classification society approval?
Often yes, but not always in the way people assume. Structural fixing of heavy equipment (ovens, cold rooms, dishwashers) typically falls under the vessel’s general structural and stability rules. Galley fire suppression systems fall under a specific standard — ISO 15371, which covers fire suppression systems for galley cooking equipment — and are checked against SOLAS Chapter II-2 fire safety requirements. Electrical equipment is checked for frequency, voltage, and IP rating compliance. Not every single kitchen item needs its own certificate; what matters is whether the installation satisfies the vessel’s approved fire, electrical, and structural drawings.
Which classification societies matter for galley equipment sourcing?
| Society | Headquarters | IACS Member | Typically relevant for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lloyd’s Register (LR) | United Kingdom | Yes (founding member, 1760) | UK/European-flagged vessels, one of the oldest and most widely recognized societies |
| DNV | Norway | Yes | Norwegian/European vessels, strong presence in offshore and renewables |
| Bureau Veritas (BV) | France | Yes | French-flagged vessels, EU Marine Equipment Directive (MED) work |
| ABS | United States | Yes | US-flagged vessels; currently the largest society by classed tonnage |
| Türk Loydu | Turkey | Yes | Turkish-flagged vessels, Turkish shipyards, NATO-adjacent naval projects |
Is Türk Loydu recognized internationally?
Yes. Türk Loydu is a full member of IACS (the International Association of Classification Societies), the body that sets unified technical standards across the 12 societies that between them class roughly 90% of the world’s commercial shipping tonnage. A Türk Loydu certificate is not a local or secondary document — it carries the same IACS-backed technical recognition as an LR or DNV certificate for the vessel types it covers. For a buyer outside Turkey, this matters most when the vessel is Turkish-flagged or built at a Turkish shipyard where Türk Loydu is the primary surveying society.
What should you ask a supplier before ordering class-relevant galley equipment?
- Which classification society is this vessel classed under?
- Does the equipment need type approval, or just correct installation to satisfy class approval?
- Can the supplier provide the technical documentation package (material certificates, electrical specifications, fire safety data) the surveyor will ask for?
- Is the equipment’s frequency, voltage, and fixing method already matched to the vessel’s actual specification, not a generic default?
What documentation should arrive with the equipment?
At minimum: material certificates (confirming stainless steel grade), electrical compliance data (voltage/frequency), and — for anything touching fire suppression or structural fixing — a reference to the applicable class rule or IMO standard (e.g. ISO 15371, SOLAS II-2). If a supplier can’t produce this on request before the order ships, it typically means the paperwork will need to be chased down later, during survey, when delays are far more expensive.
At OnlyMaritime, every galley, cold room, and laundry system we supply is documented against the classification society your vessel is classed under — Lloyd’s Register, DNV, Bureau Veritas, or Türk Loydu — with material certificates and electrical specifications ready before the equipment ships, not requested after installation.
Sourcing equipment for a specific classification society and want to confirm documentation requirements before you order? Contact us with your vessel’s class and we’ll confirm what’s needed.