ABS Partnership Enhances Safety in Ghana’s Offshore Industry
ABS, a leading provider of classification and technical services to the marine and offshore industries, formed a joint venture with Notabene Classification Limited to offer regulatory and technical support services, including key classification services to the upstream oil and gas market in Ghana. “This joint venture is an important milestone and demonstrates our strong commitment to advancing safety in all parts of the globe,” said ABS Executive Vice President, Global Offshore, Kenneth Richardson. The ABS and Notabene Classification Limited joint venture will operate under the name ABS Ghana Upstream Limited. With this joint venture, ABS continues to provide technical, integrity test and inspection services in the upstream oil and gas industry in Ghana as it has since 2010.
Austal Lays Keel for Cape Class Patrol Boat
Demonstrating the rapid progress of the Cape Class Patrol Boat Program, Austal hosted a keel-laying ceremony for the first of eight high performance patrol boats it is building for the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. Keel-laying traditionally marks the first significant milestone in a ship’s construction. Historically this was the “laying down” of the main timber making up the backbone of a vessel. Austal’s advanced shipbuilding techniques means fabrication of ship modules begins well before they are actually joined. So today Austal celebrates keel-laying when modules are brought together for final assembly. Although Austal’s design and manufacturing approach is thoroughly modern, the ceremony retained long held shipbuilding traditions.
