Cost Standards for Ocean Research Vessels

A standarized and uniform vessel accounting system is proposed for the Federal oceanographic fleet. Currently, a number of Federal organizations fund and manage the Nation´s research and survey vessels. No single agency is responsible for overall coordination or management of the fleet or its operations. As a result, each agency has its own accounting standards for determining vessel operating costs. Thus, comparative cost analysis are difficult to undertake because of the different criteria used. By establishing standardized accounting procedures, Federal managers could be assured they are using the most efficient and economical vessels to achieve their objective if uniform accounting standards were implemented.