ABSTRACT
The ship is the means of transport in ocean shipping and must be designed to provide its services as efficiently as possible. Some of the most important relationships between ships and the technical planning and operation of a port depend on the ship's dimensions, carrying capacity, frequency and regularity of call, shipboard cargo handling equipment and design, and various special features. Technological progress in shipping, as in other industries, follows a logistic curve with three distinct phases. The first is characterized by research, feasibility studies, and some pilot operations. This is followed by a second state of implementation of proven techniques with large new investments. In the final state of maturation, techniques are refined and investments taper off. The objectives of classification agencies are to provide information on ships' owners and construction of hull and machinery, and to prepare rules for the construction and maintenance of hull and machinery.
