american bureau of shipping
American Bureau of Shipping. An organization of marine underwriters, shipbuilders, and marine carriers charged with conducting research, technological development, officer training, and standards of building, maintaining, and operating seagoing vessels and stationary offshore facilities. • The organization was founded in 1862 as the American Shipbuilders’ Association. Its name was changed in 1898, and it was formally recognized in the Merchant Marine Act of 1920. Its core mission is to promulgate rules for evaluating the design of new vessels and structures and for maintaining all existing vessels and structures. — Abbr. ABS. See ABS RULES.
