ABS confirms that all employees of its New York Executive Office, located on the 91st floor of One World Trade Center, Suite 9165 evacuated safely from the building.The office normally staffs 22 people. At the time of tragedy 16 employees were either in the office or in transit to the office. All 16 employees are accounted for. Physical injuries were limited to minor cuts and abrasions.

The Boeing 767 from American Airlines with 81 passengers and 11 crew, flight from Boston to Los Angeles had been hijacked after departure from Logan International Airport. It slammed into the floor 92 of the north tower at 08:50 a.m.

"It is miraculous given the point of impact of the aircraft was immediately above the ABS offices," said ABS Chairman and CEO Frank J. Iarossi. "Saddened as we are by the tragedy, we are greatly relieved that every one of the ABS family survived." Day to day operations of ABS are unaffected by the loss of the New York office which will temporarily relocate to New Jersey and is expected to reopen on Monday, 17 September . "We continue to provide uninterrupted service to our clients around the world," confirmed Iarossi, speaking from the organization's Houston, Texas, World Headquarters.

ABS moved its corporate headquarters from the New York World Trade Center to Houston, Texas, in September 1999. Founded in 1862, ABS is one of the world's leading international classification societies devoted to promoting the security of life, property, and the marine environment through the development and verification of standards for the design, construction and operational maintenance of marine-related facilities. The primary purpose of ABS is to determine the structural and mechanical fitness of ships and other marine structures for their intended purpose. It does this through a procedure known as classification.

ABS establishes and administers standards, known as Rules, for the design, construction, and operational maintenance of marine vessels and structures.

ABS is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization self-regulating agency to the international marine industry