Page 12: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (July 2000)

Safety Matters

ABS Introduces SafeShip

Scrutiny surrounding the carriage of cargo at sea, particularly on the quality of tonnage enlisted to transport poten- tially hazardous materials, is higher than ever. In the wake of high-profile disas- ters such as Erika, which left not only beaches and water but the reputation of many in the shipping industry soiled. leading companies usually step up.

This is the case with the American

Bureau of Shipping, one of the handful of highly regarded classification soci- eties in the world. At the recent Posido- nia exhibition. ABS introduced Safe-

Ship, a program designed to apply advanced technology to reduce risk in the design, construction and mainte-

The new force in marine solutions.

Rolls-Royce has long been associated with the world's finest and most reliable marine power systems. Following the acquisition of the Kamewa and Ulstein groups, we now produce, install and maintain total marine system solutions for both naval and commercial customers all around the globe.

With our enhanced product range, we provide integrated systems and solutions that are based on leading edge products and are supported by the industry's most comprehensive, worldwide aftermarket network.

This coming together of strengths signifies the dawning of a new era and an unrivalled force in marine solutions.

Circle 262 on Reader Service Card nance of a new and safer generation of cost-efficient vessels. "The recent high profile Erika and

Leader L casualties have clearly identi- fied a need within the industry for better tools to gather and interpret data critical for maintaining the structural integrity and minimizing the risk of structural failure of a vessel throughout its service life," said Frank J. Iarossi, chairman and CEO of ABS.

ABS SafeShip is designed to not only provide a method of collecting this information, starting with the initial design and drawings, but also of apply- ing the most advanced, dynamic based assessment of the hull structure at any time throughout the vessel's life. "The central elements within ABS

SafeShip had been developed to improve the manner in which ABS assessed and recorded the structural condition of ABS classed vessels. With

ABS SafeShip we are giving the owner, at no cost, the most complete set of tools available that can be used to plan and implement a through-life structural integrity management program," Iarossi said. "SafeShip is not a product but rather a specific approach to vessel design, construction and maintenance that will promote a safety culture for the ship, for the owner and ultimately with- in the industry." Free enrollment in the

ABS SafeShip program is open to all new and existing vessels designed to meet ABS SafeHull criteria.

How It Works

Enrollment in the ABS SafeShip pro- gram begins when a vessel is ordered to

ABS SafeHull criteria. SafeShip then takes the engineering first principles approach from SafeHull and builds a complete through-life integrity manage- ment system. Once SafeHull identifies the more highly stressed areas, the new

ABS Guide for Enhanced Hull Con- struction Monitoring establishes specif- ic criteria for both tolerances and inspections of these areas during con- struction to avoid subsequent structural problems in operation. On delivery, a structural database is created utilizing

ABS SafeNet Hull Maintenance. Speci- fied as-built drawings are entered into the ABS SafeNet Vessel Drawings sys- tem, providing life cycle storage and easy updating of this crucial informa- tion. In service, ABS SafeNet Hull

Maintenance and Survey Status mod- ules are used to manage the structural condition of the vessel. These allow an owner to monitor and predict the condi- tion and capability of a ship as it ages in a more complete and accurate manner than previously possible. "As the vessel ages, by using ABS

SafeShip the owner will have the tools to rationally predict fatigue sensitive

Maritime Reporter/Engineering News