Rules & Guidelines 

Bureau Veritas develops, Rule Notes and Guidance Notes for the benefit of our clients, partners, and the marine industry as a whole. We use the vast experience of our engineers, gained through years of service in the marine industry, combined with advanced research into structure and hydrodynamics, to ensure the development of the most relevant and up-to-date Rules.

Bureau Veritas provides more than 130 technical publications to download.
Rule Notes (NR) provide the applicable requirements for certification and classification by Bureau Veritas.
Guidance Notes (NI) provide information and recommendations on specific topics related to marine units.

Check the latest updates

  • NR584 - Azimuth thrusters in ice for polar class ships and icebreakers (April 2026)
  • NR647 - LPG-fuelled ships (April 2026)
  • NR266 - Requirements for survey of materials and equipment for the classification of ships and offshore units (March 2026)
  • NR493 - Mooring systems for offshore units (March 2026)
  • NR600 - Hull structure and arrangement for the classification of cargo ships less than 65 m and non-cargo ships less than 90 m (March 2026)

See more

Your toolbox