Rules and Guides

The heart of our classification organization, ABS Rules and Guides are derived from principles of naval architecture, marine engineering and related disciplines. Currently, ABS has more than 200 Rules, Guides and Guidance Notes available for download. You can search the complete current collection of ABS Rules and Guides below, or for older publications, search our archived database of ABS Rules and Guides.

 

Top Rule: Rules for Building and Classing Marine Vessels



Frequently Asked Questions

Access Frequently Asked Questions about Marine Vessel Rules (MVR) and Mobile Offshore Units Rules (MOU).

MVRs and MOUs

Easy access to our most popular rules, including Marine Vessel and Mobile Offshore Units. 

Current Database of ABS Rules and Guides




Pub# ^

Title ^

Comments

Pub Date ^

Last Update ^

Generic Rules for Classification, Materials and Welding and Survey After Construction 2025

January 2025

January 2025

ABS Notations and Symbols

March 2025

March 2025

1

Rules for Building and Classing Marine Vessels

January 2025

January 2025

3

Rules for Building and Classing Offshore Units

January 2025

January 2025

3

Rules for Building and Classing Mobile Offshore Units

July 2024

July 2024

4

Rules for Building and Classing Steel Vessels for Service on Rivers and Intracoastal Waterways

January 2025

January 2025

7

Rules for Building and Classing Underwater Vehicles, Systems and Hyperbaric Facilities

January 2025

January 2025

8

Rules for Building and Classing Single Point Moorings

January 2025

January 2025

9

Rules for Building and Classing Bulk Carriers for Service on the Great Lakes

January 2024

January 2024

10

Rules for Building and Classing Steel Barges

January 2025

January 2025

11

Rules for Building and Classing Steel Floating Drydocks (2022)

January 2022

January 2022

13

Certification of Cargo Containers

August 1998

June 2001

14

Requirements for Nondestructive Testing

January 2025

January 2025

15

Requirements for Burning Crude Oil and Slops in Main and Auxiliary Boilers

July 2022

July 2022

18

Ballast Water Exchange Procedures

January 1999

January 1999

24

Material Selection and Inspection of Inert Gas Systems

July 1980

July 1980

39

Requirements for the Certification of Offshore Mooring Chain

July 2022

July 2022

45

Guide for Certification of Container Securing Systems

April 2025

April 2025

49

Application and Inspection of Marine Coating Systems 2017

January 2017

January 2017

57

Classification of Drilling Systems (2021)

February 2021

February 2021

61

Rules for Building and Classing High-Speed Craft

January 2025

January 2025

62

Rules for Building and Classing Yachts

January 2025

January 2025

63

Rules for Building and Classing Facilities on Offshore Installations

January 2025

January 2025

64

Subsea Pipeline Systems

September 2006

March 2018

69

Certification of Oil Spill Recovery Equipment 2021

September 2021

September 2021

73

Hull Condition Monitoring Systems

July 2020

July 2020

74

Assessing Hull Girder Residual Strength for Tankers

July 1995

July 1995

78

Assessing Hull Girder Residual Strength for Bulk Carriers

November 1995

November 1995

82

Rules for Building and Classing Floating Production Installations

January 2025

January 2025

86

Application of Ergonomics to Marine Systems

August 2013

August 2013

88

Automatic or Remote Control and Monitoring Systems for Vessels in Port

February 2003

February 2014

90

Requirements for the Application of Fiber Rope for Offshore Mooring

August 2024

August 2024

92

Marine Health, Safety, Quality, Environmental and Energy Management <Br>(The ABS Guide for Marine Management Systems)

April 2020

April 2020

94

Guide for Bridge Design and Navigational Equipment/Systems

December 2024

December 2024

125

Guide for Spectral-Based Fatigue Analysis For Vessels (2022)

July 2022

July 2022


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The content of all original ABS Rules and Guides is the subject of intellectual property rights reserved by ABS. Except for the permission granted below, nothing contained herein shall be construed as conferring upon the user in any manner any license, title or ownership of or in any intellectual property right of ABS.

ABS hereby grants the user permission to download, copy and use, including posting to the user's intranet site, the material posted in the electronic format. The user hereby agrees that any copy of the materials, in part or in whole, that the user makes shall retain all copyright and other proprietary notices contained therein and that the information will not be altered in any manner.

ABS makes every reasonable effort to ensure that the information provided in the posted electronic files represents complete, current and accurate information. However, the user has sole responsibility for maintaining the currency of the information accessed in this manner. ABS, its subsidiaries, affiliates, agents and employees shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising directly or indirectly from the possession, publication, use of or reliance on any information accessed in this manner.

Current ABS approved electronic versions of all Rules and Guides are most effectively accessed by establishing a hyperlink of your local intranet directly to the ABS Rules and Guides on the ABS website.

Current Rules and Guides

ABS Rules and Guides are derived from principles of naval architecture and marine engineering.

 

Archived Rules and Guides

You can search the complete collection of archived ABS Rules and Guides in our database below.