ABS, a leading provider of maritime shipping and offshore classification services, has been selected by Kirby Corporation to provide classification and International Safety Management certification for 11 push boats, the company said in its press release.
Under the requirements proposed, but not yet enacted, by the United States Coast Guard, towing vessel companies will be required to receive a Certificate of Inspection and comply with a new set of regulations relating to the construction and operations of safety equipment and recordkeeping. The proposed regulation states that adoption of ABS class with ISM certification will show compliance with the new requirements.
Kirby will begin by bringing eight existing push boats and three new push boats into ABS class using the Rules for Building and Classing Steel Vessels for Service on Rivers and Intercoastal Waterways. The new vessels will be built at Sneed Shipyard in Houston.
About ABS
Founded in 1862, American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) is an international classification society devoted to promoting the security of life and property and preserving the natural environment through the development and verification of standards for the design, construction and operational maintenance of marine and offshore assets.
About Kirby Corporation
Kirby Corporation, based in Houston, Texas, is the nation's largest domestic tank barge operator, transporting bulk liquid products throughout the Mississippi River System, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, coastwise along all three United States coasts and in Alaska and Hawaii.