ABS and Vietnam Register strengthen ties

ABS and Vietnam Register strengthen ties ABS, one of the world's leading international ship classification    societies, said Thursday that it has signed an expanded agreement of    cooperation with the Vietnam Register covering the provision of a wide range of classification and statutory certification services.
   The two societies had been operating under a more limited cooperative agreement, originally signed in 1994 and amended in 1999. A key element of the new agreement is a program that will be instituted by ABS to train and qualify VR surveyors to ABS standards.
   'Vietnam's shipping and shipbuilding industries are expanding rapidly with a specific focus on international contracts,' said ABS President Christopher Wiernicki. 'The Vietnam Register has a great deal of experience with smaller, coastal ships and some offshore installations but the changing nature of the nation's shipping industry means they must now expand their horizons and capabilities. This agreement will allow ABS to assist them in meeting that challenge while, at the same time, giving us greater access to the expanding Vietnamese market.'
   The rapidly growing Vietnam shipbuilding industry has set its sights on rising from its current position as the eighth largest shipbuilding nation to the fourth position behind Korea, Japan and China. It experienced 44 percent year-on-year growth in 2006, and the current order book for Vietnamese yards now includes 100 vessels, of which around half are for foreign owners.