OTC 2015: ABS Achieves ISQM Milestone
ABS has achieved an industry first with the completion of the Rowan Relentless using the ABS Integrated Software Quality Management (ISQM) process. This newbuild drillship, which was built in the Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) yard in Ulsan, South Korea, is the final vessel in a four-unit series for global offshore drilling contractor Rowan Companies plc. The Rowan Relentless joins sister ships Rowan Renaissance, Rowan Resolute and Rowan Reliance as the first high-specification drillships in the world to earn the ABS ISQM notation.
“ABS is an industry leader in recognizing the importance of integrated software quality management,” says ABS Chairman, President and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki. “Our engineers saw the need for a process for verifying the installation and integration of complex software programs and developed a framework for coordinating and controlling the way software development, integration and maintenance are managed throughout the life of an asset. The most recent delivery to Rowan Companies is a testimony to the value of this process.”
In completing this multi-year program, ABS worked closely with Rowan Companies, a first mover among drilling contractors, to apply a structured software quality management approach during construction and with HHI to build capabilities and competencies in following the ISQM process.
“ABS is the only class society that has classed drilling equipment and other essential marine equipment with a software notation that addresses software quality during construction, at delivery and into operations,” says Paul Walters, ABS Project Manager. “This milestone delivery sets the standard in the offshore industry for applying a structured software integration process.”
About ABS
Founded in 1862, ABS is a leading international classification society devoted to promoting the security of life, property and the marine environment through the development and verification of standards for the design, construction and operational maintenance of marine-related facilities.
