ABS approves HHI design for Mexico-bound FSO

Maritime and offshore classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has granted approval in principle to South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries’ (HHI) design of a floating storage and offloading vessel that is planned for operations in Mexican waters.

ABS said on Thursday that the two-million-barrel cargo tank capacity design was reviewed for its compliance with the ABS Guide for Floating Production Installations.

Matt Tremblay, ABS senior vice president of Global Offshore, said: “As a leader in offshore classification, with a long track record of supporting industry innovations, ABS is delighted to add this project from HHI to that proud list. As the classification society of choice for offshore production units, we are well-placed to understand the challenges of operating these highly technical assets”.

Seon Mook Lim, senior vice president of the Shipbuilding & Offshore Division at Hyundai Heavy Industries, said: “With these ABS certificates from the stringent evaluation process, we are very confident that HHI’s standard FSO design provides more affordable capex with more reliable system stability and safety and a firm commitment to compliance with Mexican regulatory requirements.

“Further, our newly developed product provides great value, helping to protect profitability from engineering, procurement and construction project risks and enabling extension to conditions of the Gulf of Mexico environment, with minimal design changes”.

In recent company news, ABS joined the International Windship Association (IWSA), the not-for-profit organisation that promotes and helps facilitate the uptake of direct wind propulsion solutions for commercial shipping.

The move is being announced as the company increases its involvement with wind propulsion. The classification society released its guidelines for Wind Assisted Propulsion System Installation in June 2020.