German Government Signs Agreement with ABS

At a landmark signing ceremony in Hamburg Monday, the German ship safety authority See-Berufsgenossenschaft approved ABS as a recognized organization for conducting safety surveys on German-flag vessels.

ABS is the first non-European classification society to be recognized by the See-Berufsgenossenschaft and is only the third non-national society to be approved. "The agreement between See-Berufsgenossenschaft and ABS means that owners of German-flag vessels now have a wider choice when selecting a classification society, " said Albert Goebel, Chairman of the Board of Directors of See-Berufsgenossenschaft. The agreement covers a wide range of statutory surveys covering safety and pollution prevention certification.