American Bureau of Shipping

Infobox Company
name = American Bureau of Shipping

type = Not for profit
genre = Classification Society
foundation = 1862
founder =
location_city = Houston, Texas
location_country = U.S.
location =
locations = 150 offices
area_served =
key_people = Robert D. Somerville, Chairman&CEO
industry = Shipbuilding
products =
services = Classification
market c

revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
assets =
equity =
owner =
num_employees = 3300
parent =
divisions =
subsid =
homepage = [http://www.eagle.org/ www.eagle.org]
footnotes =
intl = yes

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) is a classification society, with a mission to promote the security of life, property and the natural environment, primarily through the development and verification of standards for the design, construction and operational maintenance of marine-related facilities. At the end of 2006, ABS was the third largest class society with a classed fleet of over 10,000 commercial vessels and offshore facilities.ABS' core service is the provision of classification services through the development of standards called ABS Rules. These Rules form the basis for assessing the design and construction of new vessels and the integrity of existing vessels and marine structures. [ [http://www.eagle.org/news/newsroom-factsheet.html Factsheet from ABS Newsroom] ]

History

ABS was first chartered in the state of New York in 1862, to certify ship captains. It has been involved in the development and improvement of safety standards. Born out of a need for industry self-regulation, ABS published its first technical standards, Rules for Survey and Classing Wooden Vessels, in 1870. When the era of wooden ships gave way to iron, ABS established standards for these structures, published as Rules for Survey and Classing of Iron Vessels. Similarly, when iron gave way to steel, ABS Rules for Building and Classing Steel Vessels were established and published in 1890. These Steel Vessel Rules continue to be revised and published annually. [ [http://www.eagle.org/news/pubs/pdfs/Profile-2004.pdf Company Profile from ABS website] ]

Organization & Management

A tax-exempt non-governmental organization (NGO), ABS has been commissioned by the US government and the USCG to act in many maritime matters that relate directly to the safety of life and property at sea. ABS also supplies similar services on behalf of more than 100 maritime flag States globally. But, by far, the largest body of ABS work comes from fleet owners themselves who contract with ABS for its expertise in classification work. ABS is a not-for-profit corporation that has no capital stock and pays no dividends. All funds generated from fees for classification services are used solely for the performance of such services. A surplus of receipts in any one year is used for the extension and improvement of our services, including research and development. [ [http://www.eagle.org/company/overview.html Company overview from ABS website] ]

ABS is led by Chairman Robert Somerville and is parent to the ABS Group of Companies, a for-profit subsidiary supplying risk assessment and management systems services for marine and industrial clients.

The world headquarters as well as the ABS Americas Division headquarters for ABS are located in Houston, Texas, USA. The divisional headquarters for Europe is located in London and the divisional headquarters for Asia Pacific is located in Singapore. [ [http://www.eagle.org/news/newsroom-factsheet.html Factsheet from ABS Newsroom] ]

ABS has more than 3,300 employees worldwide, and is broadly divided into two groups: Engineering review and Surveying. ABS Engineers work in office buildings in Houston, Hong Kong, Singapore, London, Shanghai, Busan, Yokohama and other cities.Surveyors are employed in ports and shipyards worldwide to verify that ships are built according to the drawings.

ABS is accorded not-for-profit status by the US Government for its classification activities, which comprise the bulk of ABS activities. Other activities are carried out through operating subsidiaries of the wholly owned for-profit affiliate of ABS, the ABS Group of Companies Inc.

ervices

Classification

The responsibility of the classification society is to verify that merchant ships and marine structures presented to it comply with Rules that the society has established for design, construction and periodic survey. Classification itself does not judge the economic viability of a vessel. Neither is the society in a position to judge whether a vessel is ultimately employed according to the stated intended purpose for which it was classed. The classification society records, reports and recommends in accordance with what it has seen at the time of a vessel’s construction and subsequent surveys.If a vessel is found not to comply with the Rules, and the recommendations of ABS are not followed, then the society will suspend or cancel classification. [ [http://www.eagle.org/news/pubs/pdfs/Profile-2004.pdf Company Profile from ABS website] ]

Rules are derived from principles of naval architecture, marine engineering and assosciated disciplines. A new Rule, or a proposed change to an existing Rule, originates with one of the ABS technical committees, from in-service experience, from a new IACS Unified Requirement or from the ongoing research conducted by the technology staff at ABS. Research projects are conducted either directly by ABS or are undertaken jointly with industry, with academic and governmental organizations or with other appropriate partners to best draw on the most qualified sources available.

When an owner first requests that a vessel or structure be classed, the shipyard or design agent presents drawings and calculations to ABS for a systematic detailedreview for compliance with the Rules. ABS engineers review the plans to verify that the structural and mechanical details conform to the Rule requirements.

After a design has been approved by ABS engineers, ABS field surveyors attend the vessel at the shipyard from keel laying to delivery.The surveyors verify that the approved plans are followed and the Rules are adhered to. During the construction of a vessel built to ABS class, surveyors witness, at the place of manufacture or fabrication, the tests of materials for the hull and certain items of machinery as required by the Rules. They also survey the building, installation and testing of the structural and principal mechanical and electrical systems.

When completed, a vessel undergoes sea trials attended by an ABS field surveyor. The vessel is then presented to the ABS Classification Committee which assesses the vessel’s compliance with the Rules based on the collective experience of the Committee members and recommendations from the ABS staff. The Classification Committee is composed of ABS Members drawn from the maritime industry, United States Coast Guard and ABS officers. When accepted by the Committee, formal certification is issued to the vessel. The vessel’s classification information, characteristics and other particulars are then entered into the ABS Record – the electronic register of vessels classed by ABS maintained and updated on the ABS web site.

ABS Rules require that every classed vessel be subject to periodic surveys to determine whether it is maintained in accordance with classification standards. Surveys are based on a five-year cycle of Annual Surveys, an Intermediate Survey to be completed between the second and third years of the five-year period, and a comprehensive Special Survey including dry docking at each fifth anniversary from the time of the vessel’s delivery.

Certification

ABS also offers certification to specified standards. Whereas classification requires periodic surveys of the classed vessel or offshore unit throughout its life, certificationverifies that the item conforms to designated standards at a specified time. Certification can establish compliance with ABS, national, international, industry or other standards.

Offshore & Energy Services

ABS also develops standards for the design, construction and operational maintenance of offshore drilling and production units and for gas carriers of all types. These standards cover Jackup rigs, TLPs, Drilling Units, offshore facilities, installations, pipelines, risers, mooring systems, FPSOs and SPMs.

tatutory Services

ABS also acts as a Recognized Organization on behalf of more than 100 governments. A Recognized Organization is authorized by a flag State to conduct plan review and statutory surveys on ships registered under that flag on behalf of the nation’s maritime administration. Typical regulations include the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), SOLAS, MARPOL regulations, and the Load Line Convention. In addition to the national or international tonnage certificates, Panama and Suez Canal tonnage certificates can be issued by ABS on behalf of those authorities.

Naval Vessel Standards

The ABS Rules for Building and Classing Naval Vessels are developed for naval vessels. The standards address the bulk of hull, mechanical, electrical, environmental and safety related criteria for the vessels.

Prestige Oil Spill

The "Prestige" was an oil tanker whose sinking in 2002 off the Galician coast caused a large oil spill. The spill polluted thousands of kilometers of coastline and more than one thousand beaches on the Spanish and French coast, as well as causing great damage to the local fishing industry. For the world maritime industry, a key issue raised by the Prestige incident was whether classification societies can be held responsible for the consequences of incidents of this type. In May 2003, the Kingdom of Spain brought civil suit in the Southern District of New York against the American Bureau of Shipping, that had certified the Prestige as "in class" for its final voyage. The "in class" status states that the vessel is in compliance with all applicable rules and laws, not that it is or is not safe. On 02 January 2007, the docket in that lawsuit (SDNY 03-cv-03573) was dismissed. The presiding judge ruled that ABS is a "person" as defined by the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (CLC) and, as such, is exempt from direct liability for pollution damage. Additionally, the Judge ruled that, since the United States is not a signatory to the International CLC, the US Courts lack the necessary jurisdiction to adjudicate the case. Spain's original damage claim against ABS was some $700 million.

See also

* Classification Society
* International Association of Classification Societies
* Prestige oil spill

External links

* [http://www.eagle.org American Bureau of Shipping - ABS corporate Classification website]
* [http://www.abs-group.com/ ABS Group of Companies - ABS non-Classification services]
* [http://www.absconsulting.com/ ABS Consulting - Risk and marine consulting]
* [http://www.absinfolink.com/ ABS Infolink - Information Technology]
* [http://www.abs-ns.com/ ABS Nautical Systems - Fleet management software]
* [http://www.iacs.org.uk/ IACS - International Association of Classification Societies]

References