Feature 5 | CLASSifiCAtioN
Class penetrates further into naval arena
That ship classification has been well and truly accepted by the naval
community in the past three to four years can be in no doubt, a fact that
is highlighted by the US Navy’s decision to maintain its flagship Littoral
Combat Ship (LCS) vessels in classification after delivery.
T
he US Navy’s decision to keep
the LCS ‘in class’ after delivery
was described by Glenn Ashe,
vice president of government operations
at ABS Americas, as ‘a big step towards
a new maintenance philosophy for naval
vessels’.
Keeping the LCS in class is rightly
being seen as a major vote of confidence
for the concept of naval class, but is
only one of many high profile projects
in which classification societies have
become involved.
‘The goal is to demonstrate the value
of classification so that, in future, all
naval combatants built to ABS Naval
Vessel Rules would be retained in
class,’ Ashe explained, noting that, in
the commercial market, the value of
classification is apparent because of
the sometimes huge financial risk and
technical complexity of modern ships
and rigs, and the acknowledged ability of
class to provide oversight, contribute to
safety and continuity, and provide third
party, independent oversight.
Ashe says classification societies have
‘an eye toward the future’ and he hopes
that, with the LCS vessels firmly placed
within class, the US Navy will continue
the policy of retention in class for its next
major surface combatant programme, the
Land Attack Destroyer DDG 1000, which
is being designed and built to ABS class.
‘In the wake of acquisition reform in
the naval engineering community, many
process engineering changes have taken
place, with ABS working alongside the
A major milestone was achieved in 2007 when the US Navy decided to maintain LCS in
Naval Technical Authorities in the US
class after delivery.
Navy to widen the use of commercial
practices, such as ship classification
society standards,’ Ashe explained, noting ship systems and the classification of the process of building combatants and
that ABS has developed, and continues to combatant ships. maintaining them in service. ‘This signals
develop, its Naval Vessel Rules (NVR) into In Ashe’s view, the development of the a monumental change in mindset and a
a document that has gained acceptance Rules has formed the basis for ‘a new process change for military shipbuilding,’
as the basis of certification for selected era’ in which classification is involved in he explained.
26 Warship Technology January 2008
WT Jan - p26+27+28+29+30.indd 26 08/01/2008 14:25:09
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