News
Bureau Veritas supports Australia’s Defence Seaworthiness Project
Oct. 31 2025
Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) has been engaged by the Australian Naval Seaworthiness Authority (ANSA) under a partnership with the Defence Seaworthiness Program.
The Defence Seaworthiness Program is a visionary undertaking by the Australian Department of Defence (Defence) to modernize its maritime regulatory system, designed to ensure that all maritime capabilities — ships, systems, and personnel — are safe, fit for purpose, and capable of operating effectively in all conditions. It provides an integrated system of frameworks that guide how seaworthiness is achieved, maintained, and assured across all Defence maritime activities.
The program’s magnitude lies in its role as the foundation of Defence’s maritime governance. It brings together naval flag obligations, classification rules, technical standards, and safety management systems into a single, coherent regulatory structure. This unified approach enables Defence to apply consistent risk management and assurance principles across acquisition, operation, and sustainment — ensuring that naval vessels, systems, and people meet defined requirements for safety, effectiveness, and environmental stewardship.
This partnership reflects BV’s ongoing commitment to strengthening Australia’s sovereign capability and supporting Defence in maintaining a safe, capable, and sustainable fleet. Building on its partnership with the Australian Naval Classification Authority (ANCA), BV will provide specialist technical and regulatory support to assist ANSA in delivering the Defence Seaworthiness Program. Leveraging its nearly 200-year pedigree in maritime regulation and certification, BV’s involvement will focus on providing independent technical assurance, engineering input, and international best-practice insights to help Defence refine and implement its seaworthiness governance model.
As the classification partner of choice for more than 30 navies worldwide, BV has been delivering comprehensive guidance across the entire vessel lifecycle — from concept and design to operation and maintenance — supported by deep technical expertise, strong relationships with global shipyards, and ongoing investment in digital and remote capabilities.
Executive Vice President, Industrials and Commodities
Bureau Veritas
By sharing our expertise in maritime safety, classification, and assurance, we are supporting the Australian Naval Seaworthiness Authority to achieve its seaworthiness objectives while maintaining a strong, sovereign regulatory framework. This collaboration builds on more than a decade of partnership with the Royal Australian Navy and underpins the development of a safe, capable, and future-ready naval fleet for Australia.
Eric Radford, Marine Chief Executive, Marine and Offshore at Bureau Veritas Australia, said: “The Defence Seaworthiness Program sets out a bold vision and transformative commitment by Defence. By leveraging the benefits of the existing Defence Seaworthiness Management System (DSwMS), and the recent success of ANCA’s Classification Framework and Rules, this undertaking ensures that Seaworthiness is not merely a regulatory obligation — it’s the foundation for current and future Australian naval power.”
Bureau Veritas is proud to have assisted Defence from the commencement of this undertaking — we will be focused on the realization of this inter-generational seaworthiness paradigm change.
