Design, construction and maintenance of naval ships to classification society rules

Naval vessels have traditionally been designed to in-house rules, but there are now trends towards closer integration with classification societies. This article examines these trends and details the system put in place by the UK Ministry of Defence for naval ships and which has been modelled on the civil shipping sector. The in-house infrastructure has been replaced by outsourcing of specification, design and support services and privatisation of the Royal Dockyards. The classification scheme embraces the need for a flexible yet authoritative regulatory regime, places greater emphasis on advisory services than compliance certification, and recognises the operating patterns of a navy and its high manning levels. Naval ship classification and notifications, ship types and service areas, standards, and classification and certification details are given.