Monthly Roundup: Shipbuilding Standards from October 2025

Looking back at October 2025, the Shipbuilding sector experienced a period of meaningful development, with the publication of four significant international standards. These documents collectively reflect the maritime industry’s ongoing push for advanced technology integration, improved safety, and harmonized operational protocols. This retrospective overview highlights the month’s key themes, analyzes new requirements, and offers readers actionable guidance to maintain compliance and competitiveness. For quality managers, engineers, procurement professionals, and researchers, this summary is designed to distill complex technical updates and position your organization at the leading edge of maritime best practice.

Monthly Overview: October 2025

October 2025 was a noteworthy month for shipbuilding and marine structures standards, marked by the release of two highly anticipated IEC documents and a comprehensive ISO standard tailored to mooring line integrity, alongside a major revision of the marine switchgear assemblies standard. These publications together spotlighted a pronounced focus on:

• Modernizing navigational safety and radiocommunication requirements
• Elevating the resilience of marine mooring lines, especially for tankers
• Updating electrical installations for stringent safety in increasingly electrified ship environments

Compared to typical publication cycles, the breadth and technical rigor of October’s standards suggest an industry rapidly adapting to technological advances, rising regulatory expectations, and the operational challenges of larger, more complex vessels. The updates in navigation track control and switchgear assembly requirements, in particular, underscore an industry-wide commitment to digitalization, alert management, and system robustness.

Standards Published This Month

IEC 62065:2025 - Maritime Navigation and Radiocommunication Equipment and Systems – Track Control Systems

Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and systems – Track control systems – Operational and performance requirements, test methods and required test results

This third edition of IEC 62065 sets out the operational and performance requirements for maritime track control systems, shaping how vessels maintain course integrity under a variety of navigational conditions. It aligns closely with IMO’s MSC.74(69) and MSC.302(87) resolutions, emphasizing both the functionality of track control systems (TCS) and their ergonomic, alert, and fallback arrangements.

Key requirements include:

• Detailed operational and environmental test procedures
• Functionality mandates on accuracy, alerting logic, fall-back operations, and sensor integration
• Documentation protocols and performance data capture for lifecycle management
• Expanded ergonomic criteria for user interfaces and controls

The 2025 revision introduces significant technical changes, especially around alert management (now harmonized with the Bridge Alert Management framework), improving situational awareness and reducing the volume of alerts for given incidents. Clause structures have been modernized, and cross-references to the latest sensor and control system standards are incorporated.

Organizations operating, building, or outfitting bridge systems—including shipowners, integrators, and regulatory authorities—will need to closely review the updated testing matrices and alert protocols.

Key highlights:

• Harmonized alert management in line with IMO and BAM requirements
• Expanded user-interface ergonomics and control logic
• Comprehensive testing procedures for both equipment and integrated system scenarios

Access the full standard:View IEC 62065:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO 18821:2025 - Ships and Marine Technology – Marine Combined Connecting Mooring Line

Ships and marine technology – Marine combined connecting mooring line

ISO 18821:2025 addresses the growing complexity and design stringency of mooring systems, with a focus on the combined connecting mooring lines now standard on modern tankers. This document specifies classifications, structural and design requirements, as well as testing regimes for combined lines consisting of mooring rope, a connection device, and a tail.

Scope and requirements span:

• Detailed classification—T, M, and C types—based on connection methods
• Specification of materials (steel wire, high-modulus polyethylene, aramid, LCP, etc.) and corresponding codes
• Mandatory load, strength, and endurance benchmarks
• Provision for temperature-dependent strength values, ensuring integrity across extremes
• Standardized testing for surface quality, dimensions, mechanical performance (breaking force, proof and ultimate loads, cyclic loading, strain, and endurance)

The standard’s harmonization with underlying rope and connection device standards (e.g., ISO 2408, ISO 2307, ISO 1140/1141) ensures consistency and compatibility globally. Target users include shipyards, equipment manufacturers, classification societies, and tanker operators.

Key highlights:

• Codification of three mooring line types for tankers and heavy-duty vessels
• Explicit mechanical and endurance requirements, with robust testing protocols
• Clear designation system to streamline procurement and compliance identification

Access the full standard:View ISO 18821:2025 on iTeh Standards

IEC 60092-302-2:2025 - Electrical Installations in Ships – Low Voltage Switchgear and Controlgear Assemblies – Marine Power

Electrical installations in ships – Part 302-2: Low voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies – Marine power

The 2025 revision of IEC 60092-302-2 sharpens requirements for low voltage marine power switchgear and controlgear assemblies (MPSC-assemblies), with voltage ceilings of 1,000 V AC and 1,500 V DC. Addressing the unique risks of marine environments, the standard mandates additional safety factors—most notably, enhanced creepage and clearance distances, and robust verification for both design and routine assembly.

Scope includes:

• Assemblies for power generation, distribution, conversion, and control in all shipboard applications
• Revised guidelines in line with IEC 61439-1:2020 and IEC 61439-2:2020
• Strict marking, documentation, and component identification requirements
• Environmental parameters: extended temperature ranges, humidity, condensation, and vibration

Of interest to shipbuilders, marine electrical system integrators, and classification bodies, the standard’s second edition further clarifies EMC protocols and the interplay with other IEC 60092-series documents. Marine-specific considerations for ambient temperature, humidity, and operational redundancy are emphasized, with the primary goal of ensuring critical power availability and safety.

Key highlights:

• Incorporation of updated references and clauses to align with new IEC standards
• Increased safety margins for insulation and component separation
• Enhanced documentation and traceability for verification and regulatory inspections

Access the full standard:View IEC 60092-302-2:2025 on iTeh Standards

(Duplicate Entry Clarification: IEC 62065:2025)

Note: This overview records only unique standards. IEC 62065:2025 appeared as a duplicate; refer to the dedicated analysis above for its content.

Common Themes and Industry Trends

Several notable patterns emerged across October’s standards publications:

• Digitalization & System Integration: Both navigation and power standards reflect a move toward complete system integration, with rigorous test protocols and robust fallback arrangements.
• Safety & Reliability: There is heightened emphasis on safety—via updated alert management, insulation margins, and mooring line resilience—showing the industry’s response to increasingly demanding operational requirements and regulatory scrutiny.
• Standard Harmonization: All standards cross-reference and integrate with existing international standards (particularly IMO and IEC/ISO frameworks), simplifying global compliance.
• Adaptability to Harsh Environments: Specifications for temperature, mechanical stress, redundancy, and environmental testing indicate that newbuilds and retrofits are expected to perform reliably in extreme and variable marine conditions.

Compliance and Implementation Considerations

For organizations affected by these standards, the following practical points should be considered:

1. Project Planning: Begin compliance reviews early. Assess current bridge, navigation, and electrical systems against the revised IEC 62065 and IEC 60092-302-2 requirements.

2. Procurement & Specification: Ensure procurement documentation and technical specifications explicitly reference the latest editions—including the unique designation system from ISO 18821 when sourcing mooring lines for tankers.

3. Testing & Verification: Prepare for expanded test matrices, especially for track control and switchgear assemblies. Coordinate closely with test houses and classification societies to document all required results.

4. Staff Training: Engineers and operators should be briefed on new alert logic, fallback procedures, and ergonomics. Engage training programs focused on new human-machine interface (HMI) and alert management protocols.

5. Implementation Timelines: Review flag/state implementation timelines and plan upgrades accordingly. Many ship operators may want to stagger compliance, starting with mission-critical systems first.

Resources to get started:

• Download detailed standards from iTeh Standards using the links above.
• Leverage manufacturer guidance and classification society interpretations.
• Engage with technical consultants for gap analyses and migration strategies.

Conclusion: Key Takeaways from October 2025

The standards published in October 2025 set new expectations for technology integration, reliability, and safety in shipbuilding and marine structures. The revisions to IEC 62065 and IEC 60092-302-2 demand careful, cross-disciplinary attention—from navigation specialists and marine engineers to quality managers and procurement leads. ISO 18821, meanwhile, offers much-needed clarity on the fast-evolving world of tanker mooring system specification.

For industry professionals, these documents are more than technical updates; they are essential tools for reducing risk, driving operational excellence, and maintaining regulatory alignment in increasingly complex marine environments. Keeping abreast of their requirements will position your organization for compliance, efficiency, and leadership in the global maritime sector.

Stay informed and competitive—review the full standards and leverage iTeh Standards (https://standards.iteh.ai) as your trusted resource for current, authoritative compliance information.