ABS has signed a formal co-operative agreement with the US Navy?s Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) which calls for joint development of ABS Naval Vessel Rules (NVR) to support the design and acquisition of ?naval combatant ships? and craft. This is similar to the well established agreement between ABS and NAVSEA for the construction of Military Sealift Command (MSC) operated ships.
The strategic partnership created by this agreement broadens the working relationship between NAVSEA and ABS by allowing the class society to provide further technical support and guidance for the Navy?s shipbuilding programs while allowing the Navy to focus its in-house engineering resources more fully on the higher risk mission-related aspects of emerging US ship designs.
Essentially the agreement addresses a number of issues such as technical authority, rule development and approval, rule maintenance and procedures for rules application on individual programs. These rules will provide the technical basis and authorization for ABS certification of selected ship systems and, where appropriate, will facilitate classification of combatant ships by ABS as supported by public law. NAVSEA points out that technical authority continues to be retained fully by the Navy.
ABS has been working with the US Navy for many years to combine prior naval experience with its existing approach to rule-making, merging naval requirements with commercial standards to produce stand-alone rules that are tailored to the needs of the military. In addition to the ?naval vessel rules? under joint development via this agreement, ABS is supporting the development of several innovative new vessel types through its ?high speed naval craft guide?.