The Ship as a City: The Use of Standards to Design, Build, and Operate Marine Vehicles

A joint project of Webb Institute and ABS sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology

Standards are intertwined with marine vehicle design, construction, and operation. This project provides educational materials to introduce how standards inform the design, construction, and operation of commercial and military marine vehicles.

All material provided through this project is free to use for educational purposes.

I. Ship as a City Introduction

These materials introduce the Ship as a City program.
1. Introductory Video (## min) (1/21/2025)
2. Program Introduction (18 Slides) (1/21/2025)
3. Standards, Codes, Specifications, and Regulations (20 Slides) (1/21/2025)

II. Standards and the Maritime Industry

These materials address how standards are used in marine vehicle design, construction, and operations and why and how standards are developed in the maritime industry.

1. Standards in the Maritime Industry (42 Slides) (1/21/2025)
2. Introduction to Maritime Regulations (47 slides) (1/21/2025) – Developed for an introductory NAME course
3. Sources of Standards and Regulations in the Maritime Industry (51 Slides) (1/21/2025)

Recorded lectures are coming soon.

III. The U.S. Commercial Maritime Industry

These materials explore commercial marine vehicle specifications, national and international maritime regulations, and the classification and compliance verification processes.

1. The U.S. Commercial Maritime Industry (54 Slides) (1/21/2025)
2. Commercial Ship Lifecycle and Standards (19 Slides) (1/21/2025)

Recorded lectures are coming soon.

IV. The U.S. Government Shipbuilding Industry

These materials focus on government combatant and non-combatant ships and small craft specifications and standards, national and international requirements, and classification variations for government assets.

1. The U.S. Government Shipbuilding Industry (69 Slides) (1/21/2025)

Recorded lectures are coming soon.

V. Applying a Standardization Process to Innovation

These materials explain how standards are applied to innovation and new technology.

1. Applying a Standardization Process to Innovation (36 Slides) (1/21/2025)
2. The Future of the Maritime Industry & Decarbonization (80 Slides) (1/21/2025)

Recorded lectures are coming soon.

VI. Assessment Tools

Coming soon

VII. Project Report

1. Final Report on Ship as a City Project

VIII. Useful Links

• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)
• Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME)
• American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE)
• United States Coast Guard (USCG)
• United States Maritime Administration
• United States Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
• United States Department of Defense (DOD)
• United States Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)
• United States General Services Administration (GSA)
• International Maritime Organization (IMO)
• International Association of Classification Societies (IACS)
• DNV
• Lloyd’s Register (LR)
• American Petroleum Institute (API)
• American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC)
• ASTM International (ASTM)
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
• American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
• National Fire Protection Associations (NFPA)

Please contact the project team with comments, questions, or requests for additional content. If you are interested in providing content and materials to augment what is provided above, please reach out. 

To request open PowerPoint versions of the materials please contact the project team.