‘Ship as a City’ Project Releases Latest Educational Resources

January 29, 2025

The ‘Ship as a City’ project, a joint effort between Webb Institute and American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) with support from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has now released a suite of educational products designed to enhance maritime education across the board.

This project aimed to create educational material to strengthen the resources available to promote the understanding of documentary standards, standards development, and standardization for personnel entering and currently working in the U.S. maritime industry. 

Standards and requirements are critical to every stage of a marine vehicle’s lifecycle from design and construction to operations. These educational materials will provide the long-term benefit of building foundational knowledge of this aspect of the industry, which will serve graduates whether they become marine vehicle operators, designers, port engineers, shipyard managers, or regulators. 

“By providing students with a strong foundation in standards and standardization, we are empowering them to make informed decisions and contribute to a safer, more efficient, and innovative maritime industry,” said Matt Werner, Dean at Webb Institute.

The educational materials produced are intended to serve:

  1. Graduate and Undergraduate-level maritime technical programs (both marine engineering and naval architecture) and capstone projects
  2. Undergraduate-level maritime license programs (both Deck and Engine Licenses)
  3. Non-degree technical programs for both licensed and unlicensed mariners

The educational materials produced focus on the following subject areas:

  1. Standards and the Maritime Industry: What standards are used in marine vehicle design, construction, and operations, and why and how are standards developed in the maritime industry?
  2. The U.S. Commercial Maritime Industry: Commercial marine vehicle specifications, national and international maritime regulations, and the classification and compliance verification process.
  3. The U.S. Government Shipbuilding Industry: Government combatant and non-combatant ship and small craft specifications and standards, national and international requirements, and classification variations for Government assets.
  4. Applying a Standardization Process to Innovation: Applying standards to innovation and new technology.

All materials produced in this project are available to the public free of charge at – https://www.webb.edu/ship-as-a-city-standards-in-the-maritime-industry/. 

Editable PowerPoint files will be made available to educators on request.

Questions on this project and the final report should be directed to:

Matthew R. Werner, Webb Institute – ude.bbew@renrewm

Richard Delpizzo, ABS – gro.elgae@ozzipleDR