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"Through this IRM project, we have been able to marry emerging risk tech- nologies with our vast practical experi- ence. In the process, we produced sever- al pioneering risk-based guidance docu- ments for the industry: a Guide for risk evaluation for the classification of marine facilities; guidance notes on the review and approval of novel concepts and emerging technologies; and Guides for performing surveys using risk-based inspection and reliability-centered main- tenance."

This internal evolution has also con- centrated ABS' efforts to improve the manner in which safety standards are applied and maintained throughout a vessel or offshore structure's operational life. "Life cycle management and opera- tional performance are two key items that are impacted by how various sys- tems or components interact," Wiernicki says. "They require a systems approach to the ship or offshore unit, tying togeth- er technical capabilities - structures, machinery and dynamic load-and- response behavior - with risk-based approaches to determine how design, maintenance and operations interact to affect a vessel over the course of its life. "As vessel designs advance, and vir- tually everything about their operation grows more complex and more chal- lenging, the question for owners and operators becomes, 'What information from the classification process regarding hull and mechanical integrity also has an impact on vessel performance?' In con- sidering operational safety, our efforts are focused on how that question can be most effectively answered, and deter- mining what information can be relayed to the master, while operating the ship, that can help the vessel avoid previously identified operational or structural haz- ards."

ABS has a rich history of technologi- cal leadership marked by numerous industry firsts from the first Rules for all welded vessels to developing the first standards for the carriage of LNG to approving the designs for a succession of containerships, from the advent of containerization until the present, each recognized as being the largest of its time. In the offshore sector ABS estab- lished the first MODU Rules and classed the first TLP and the first spar among many other industry firsts.

This technology leadership, he notes, is also reflected in ABS' impact on the joint effort of ABS, DNV and LR to develop Common Rules for tankers which is nearing completion. "In the JTP (Joint Tanker Project) or

Common Structural Rules (CSR) proj- ect, the three societies sought to elimi- nate the growing external pressures being exerted on all class societies to compete on steelweight," he explains. "Under the Common Rules, we have jointly agreed to raise the bar in terms of structural integrity, at the same time shifting competition from steelweight to service delivery and added value."

Key elements of the approach adopted by the JTP are the application of dynam- ic loads to the net ship scantlings and the formal consideration of fatigue. "This is the same approach that was pioneered through ABS SafeHull more than 10 years ago," says Wiernicki. "It is apply- ing a rational assessment to the structure based on fundamental engineering prin- ciples that will result in more robust ships in the future."

In doing so, the Common Rules address one of the most cited weakness- es in the current approach to classifica- tion Rule-making.

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Profile: Chris Wiernicki (Continued on page 36)

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