Guide for Building and Classing

International Naval Ships

Notices and General Information

January 2023
GUIDE FOR BUILDING AND CLASSING

INTERNATIONAL NAVAL SHIPS

JANUARY 2023

NOTICES AND
GENERAL INFORMATION

American Bureau of Shipping

Incorporated by Act of Legislature of
the State of New York 1862

 2023 American Bureau of Shipping. All rights reserved.

ABS Plaza
1701 City Plaza Drive
Spring, TX 77389 USA
Notices and General Information

CONTENTS
Introduction........................................................................................................................ 1
TABLE 1 Applicable Editions of Booklets Comprising January 2023
International Naval Ships Guide ............................................... 3
TABLE 2 Division and Numbering of Rules and Guides.......................... 4
Change Notice (2023)........................................................................................................ 5
TABLE 3 Summary of Changes from the July 2022 Guide ..................... 5
Definition of Terms Used Throughout the Guide .......................................................... 6

ABS GUIDE FOR BUILDING AND CLASSING INTERNATIONAL NAVAL SHIPS . 2023 ii
Notices and General Information

Introduction
1. The year 2023 edition of the Guide for Building and Classing International Naval Ships consists
of the Parts shown in Table 1. Content has been added as necessary to extend its applicability to
military vessels and other Government owned vessels in non-commercial service. The following
is provided for information regarding each Part:
a) Part 1: The purpose of the generic title ABS Rules for Conditions of Classification (Part 1)
is to reflect the expanded contents of PART 1, as a result of including consolidated
requirements for “Classification” applicable to all types of and sizes of vessels, barges and
specific shipboard arrangements/systems, etc., except for those in offshore service, as
specified in the Foreword to Part 1. Additional specific requirements are contained in
Chapter 11 of Part 1.
b) Part 2: The purpose of the generic title ABS Rules for Materials and Welding (Part 2) is to
reflect the common applicability of the requirements to all ABS-classed vessels, other
marine structures and their associated machinery, and thereby make PART 2 more readily
a common “PART” of various ABS Rules and Guides, as appropriate.
c) Part 3: The ABS Guide for Building and Classing International Naval Ships (Part 3) is
based upon other existing ABS Rules and Guides to inherently incorporate baseline standards
for hull design, construction, safety and environmental protection expected of all
commercial vessels worldwide.
d) Part 4: The ABS Guide for Building and Classing International Naval Ships (Part 4) is
based upon other existing ABS Rules and Guides to inherently incorporate baseline standards
for machinery design, construction, safety and environmental protection expected of all
commercial vessels worldwide.
e) Part 5: The ABS Rules for Building and Classing Marine Vessels (Part 5A, 5B, 5C)
contains structural requirements for specific vessel types (tankers, bulk carriers, container
carriers, liquefied gas carriers, passenger carriers, chemical carriers, and vessels intended
to carry vehicles) that are normally classed in accordance with ABS Rules for Building
and Classing Marine Vessels. The inclusion of this existing Part 5 in the ABS Guide for
Building and Classing International Naval Ships is mainly for its potential application to
certain naval ships (e.g., Oilers) and will require special consideration when applying its
requirements since they were intended for application to commercial vessels and are
therefore based heavily upon SOLAS and other IMO Convention standards; no
modifications have been made to it at this time to tailor its applicability to military vessels
or other Government-owned vessels in non-commercial service.
f) Part 6: The ABS Guide for Building and Classing International Naval Ships (Part 6)
provides requirements regarding those optional notations offered by ABS that are most
frequently requested and/or considered to be most applicable or unique to military vessels
and other Government owned vessels in non-commercial service. A complete listing of
available optional notations is on the ABS website (www.eagle.org). The requirements in
Part 6 apply in addition to the basic requirements for Classification, but only apply for
those optional notations that are requested.
g) Part 6: The ABS Guide for Building and Classing International Naval Ships (Part 6)
provides requirements regarding those optional notations offered by ABS that are most
frequently requested and/or considered to be most applicable or unique to military vessels
and other Government owned vessels in non-commercial service. A complete listing of
available optional notations is on the ABS website (www.eagle.org). The requirements in
Part 6 apply in addition to the basic requirements for Classification, but only apply for
those optional notations that are requested.

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Notices and General Information

h) Part 7: The purpose of the generic title ABS Rules for Survey After Construction (Part 7)
is to reflect the common applicability of survey requirements to all ABS-classed vessels,
other marine structures and their associated machinery.
2. The numbering system applied in the Guide is shown in Table 2.
3. The primary changes from the July 2022 Guide are identified and listed in Table 3. The effective
date of the indicated Rule Changes is 1 January 2023, unless specifically indicated otherwise.
4. The effective date of each technical change since 1993 is shown in parenthesis at the end of the
subsection/paragraph titles within the text of each Part. Unless a particular date and month are
shown, the years in parentheses refer to the following effective dates:

(2000) and after 1 January 2000 (and subsequent years) (1996) 9 May 1996
(1999) 12 May 1999 (1995) 15 May 1995
(1998) 13 May 1998 (1994) 9 May 1994
(1997) 19 May 1997 (1993) 11 May 1993

For certain changes that have a major impact on shipyards, designers and vendors, ABS has
instituted a two-year Rule cycle to give the industry more time to prepare for these changes. The
text of these changes will appear in a box along with the effective date just under the existing
requirement.

5. The listing of CLASSIFICATION SYMBOLS AND NOTATIONS is available from the ABS
website www.eagle.org for download.

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Notices and General Information

TABLE 1
Applicable Editions of Booklets Comprising January 2023 International
Naval Ships Guide
Notices and General Information January 2023
Part 1: Rules for Conditions of Classification January 2023*
Part 2: Rules for Materials and Welding January 2023*
Rules for Testing and Certification of Materials
Rules for Welding and Fabrication
Part 3: Hull Construction and Equipment January 2023
Part 4: Vessel Systems and Machinery January 2023
Part 5A: Specific Vessel Types January 2023*
(Booklet 1) General Hull Requirements (IACS CSR Part 1) (on and after 1 July
2022)
Part 5B: Specific Vessel Types January 2023*
(Booklet 1) Ship Types (IACS CSR Part 2) (on and after 1 July
2022)
Part 5C: Specific Vessel Types January 2023*
Chapter 1 & 2 Oil Carrier
Chapter 3 & 4 Bulk Carrier
Chapter 5 & 6 Container Carrier
Part 5C: Specific Vessel Types January 2023*
Chapter 7 Passenger Carrier
Chapter 8 Liquefied Gas Carrier
Chapter 9 Chemical Carrier
Chapter 10 Vehicle Carrier
Chapter 11 Water Carrier
Chapter 12 Liquefied Gas Carrier with Membrane
Tanks
Chapter 13 Vessels Using Gases or other Low-
Flashpoint Fuels
Chapter 14 Fire Fighting Vessels
Chapter 15 Oil Recovery Vessels
Chapter 16 Escort Vessels
Chapter 17 Vessels Under 90m (295 ft) Intended
for Towing
Chapter 18 Fishing Vessels
Chapter 19 Vessels Intended to Carry Bulk Cargoes
without Upper Wing Tanks and Lower
Wing Tanks
Part 6: Optional Notations January 2023
Chapter 1 Strengthening for Navigation in Ice
Chapter 2 Bridge Design Notations (NBL,
NBLES, NIBS)
Chapter 3 Hull Girder Ultimate Strength
Assessment
Chapter 4 Naval Ship Safety Certificate
Chapter 5 Mission Threats Protection
Chapter 6 Underway Replenishment
Part 7: Rules for Survey After Construction January 2023*

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Notices and General Information

* Note: The latest edition of these Rules is to be referred to. These Rules may be downloaded from the ABS website at
www.eagle.org, Rules and Guides, Downloads or may be ordered separately from the ABS Publications online catalog
at www.eagle.org, Rules and Guides, Catalog.
Parts 5A, 5B, and 5C are parts of the ABS Rules for Building and Classing Marine Vessels.

TABLE 2
Division and Numbering of Rules and Guides
Division Number
Part Part 1
Chapter Part 1, Chapter 1
Section Section 1-1-1
Subsection (see Note 1) 1-1-1/1
Paragraph (see Note 1) 1-1-1/1.1
Subparagraph 1-1-1/1.1.1
Item 1-1-1/1.1.1(a)
Subitem 1-1-1/1.1.1(a)i)
Appendix Appendix 1-1-A1 or Appendix 1-A1-1
Note:
1 An odd number (1, 3, 5, etc.) numbering system is used for the Rules. The purpose is to permit future insertions of
even-numbered paragraphs (2, 4, 6, etc.) of text and to avoid the necessity of having to renumber the existing text and
associated cross-references, as applicable, within the Rules and associated process instructions, check sheets, etc.

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Notices and General Information

Change Notice (2023)

TABLE 3
Summary of Changes from the July 2022 Guide
EFFECTIVE DATE 1 January 2023 – shown as (2023)
(based on the contract date for new construction between builder and Owner)
Part/Para. No. Title/Subject Status/Remarks
PART 3 Hull Construction and Equipment
3-1-2/3.3 General Requirements To include the requirements for the details of interfacing bimetallic
inserts.
3-1-2/5.1 General Requirements To provide specific guidance on when Z quality steel is required and
on certification of non-Z grade plate to Z quality based on the through
thickness test.
3-2-14/23.19.2, Rudders and Steering Equipment To address bolting arrangements that are equivalent to fitted bolts
25.7 and 25.15.5 (such as a combination of holding bolts and shear elements) and to
maintain consistency between the requirements for azimuth thrusters
and podded thrusters due to the recent changes in the section on
podded thruster.
3-2-18/5.1 Protective Coatings To clarify that the Guidance Notes are not mandatory to be complied
with.
PART 4 Vessel Systems and Machinery
4-1-1/Table 3 Classification of Machinery To update rule references in 4-1-1/Table 3, items 30 through 34 and
other items.
4-2-1/1.1 Diesel Engines To update references to the Exhaust Emission Abatement Guide to
Part 6, Chapter 3 of the Marine Vessel Rules.
4-2-2/5.3 Turbochargers To clarify that other test speeds may be needed to capture the worst
case.
4-2-3/7.7.5 Gas Turbines To specify that the safety devices of gas turbine should also be based
upon FMEA.
4-3-1/9.5 Gears To require manufacturer's records of shrink fitting of pinions/gears/
wheel rims on to the shafts to be reviewed for compliance to approved
drawings and fitting instructions.
4-3-2/7.3.2(a)vi Propulsion Shafting To add a commentary for the definition of relative misalignment
slope.
4-3-4/9.1.3, Table Steering Gears To replace the word "Hydraulic Lock" with "Hydraulic Locking" and
1 add definition for Hydraulic Locking.
4-3-5/13.1 Thrusters To clarify the requirement of testing of the thrusters as an assembly.
4-3-9/5.17.2 Contra-Rotating Propellers (2015) To address provisions or recommendations regarding EALs because
of their widespread use/adoption.
4-4-1/1.9, 1.13.5, Boilers and Pressure Vessels and To clarify the requirement that welding procedures are to be submitted
7.3 Fired Equipment to ABS Materials Group for engineering review.
4-6-1/Table 1, General Provisions To update references to the Exhaust Emission Abatement Guide to
7.3, 9.1 Part 6, Chapter 3 of the Marine Vessel Rules.
4-6-2/5.5.3 Metallic Piping To align with IACS UR P2, to consider sleeve connections made of
stainless steel in case crevice corrosion is prevented with selected
material, and to consider the industry practice applying sleeve
connection of stainless steel for NaOH pipe.
4-6-5/11.1, 11.15, Piping Systems for Internal To specify that where the engine OEM agrees with such installation
13.3.2ii) Combustion Engines with an engineering justification, the crankcase vent manifold may be
installed on the main deck, and to update references to the Exhaust
Emission Abatement Guide to Part 6, Chapter 3 of the Marine Vessel
Rules.
4-8-1/5.5.5 General Provisions To specify that the semiconductor converters for adjustable speed
motor drives for essential services are also to be reviewed.

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Part/Para. No. Title/Subject Status/Remarks

4-8-2/3.9, 7.11.2, System Design To keep the minimum sound pressure level consistent with 7.2 of LSA
11.13.1(f), Code, to clarify that other strategic points are taken to mean the
11.13.1(g), location from where emergency situations are intended to be
11.14.1iii) controlled and the general alarm system can be activated, in line with
MSC/Circ.887, to revise 4-8-2/3.9 so that it is only applicable to
>500GT vessels certificated for international voyages, and to
reference the minimum conductor size requirements of 4-8-3/9.4.
4-8-3/9.4 Electrical Equipment To incorporate the applicable requirements from 4-8-2/7.11.2 of
current INSG.
4-9-6/19.7, ACCU Notation To provide relaxation of F.O. temperature requirements for main
Tables 1, 2, 3B, engines using a single fuel of distillate oil and other low flash point
4, 5B fuel and to specify the required number of additional portable fire
extinguishers for the ACCU notation.

Definition of Terms Used Throughout the Guide

Naval Vessel: This term is used to broadly refer to Government owned vessels in non-commercial service;
primarily vessels whose purpose is for safety, security and/or defense. As such, it applies to vessels of the
Navy, the Coast Guard, or other Government agency of a country; the main differences from commercial
vessels being: (1) such vessels are not required by law to comply with national or international codes or
standards with which commercial vessels must comply, and (2) in many cases such vessels are equipped and
outfitted for combat or related military missions which requires vessel systems, functions, and capabilities
to address operational scenarios not encountered by commercial vessels.
The criteria in this Guide was developed around the following features/characteristics/assumptions with regard
to the vessels to which this Guide applies: surface vessels, non-nuclear, welded steel construction, welded
aluminum construction, areas of composite structure (other than primary structure), mono-hull, displacement
type (however, the Guide does address dynamically supported vessels), no restrictions on length, IMO/SOLAS
not mandatory (if invoked in whole or in part it is invoked by choice/policy of the Naval Administration),
unrestricted service (but criteria is included to allow for lesser service routes), fitted with systems that
support aircraft operations, combat operations, or other military-unique missions.
Naval Administration: The department, directorate, bureau or command to whom the National Government
has delegated authority over the acquisition, acceptance, maintenance and technical requirements of naval
vessels, and who acts on the Government’s behalf in all matters relating to the procurement and support of
the vessels. In the case where these authorities are invested in separate departments within the naval
organization, the term “Naval Administration” means the ensemble of departments having those authorities,
or the command that overarches these departments.
Special Consideration: Where the term “special consideration” is used in this Guide, it is intended to indicate
that ABS will consider a particular specified arrangement, detail, or proposed alternative or equivalency, or that
application of the criteria in the Guide may require modification from what is prescribed in order to satisfy the
intent of the requirements. Arrangements, details and proposed alternatives or equivalency determinations that
require special consideration for ABS classification will be reviewed in conjunction with submitted
calculations and other supporting documentation in accordance with sound engineering practice.
Recognized Standard: A document developed and maintained by an organization whose functions include
the development and maintenance of specifications and standards, and designated as applicable for use in
marine applications or made suitable by the addition of supplemental criteria. Acceptance of a recognized
standard and any required supplemental criteria are subject to review and approval by ABS.
HM&E System: Hull, mechanical and electrical (HM&E) systems are those systems relating to the safety
of vessel and crew in the basic operation and navigation of the vessel (i.e., aspects of the platform other than
mission systems and mission-related or military-unique aspects that are the domain of other designated
authorities).

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Mission System: The systems, subsystems and individual equipment directly dedicated to carrying out the
mission of the ship as opposed to those systems needed for crew and vessel safety regarding basic operation
and navigation of the vessel. Mission systems include combat systems (weapons and sensors), C4ISR
systems (including information security), and those systems and features related to military-unique aspects
that are required for operation in a military environment (aspects such as signatures, shock, survivability,
weapons effects, etc.).

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