The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) held its annual Italian National Committee meeting in Monaco this week, bringing together more than 50 maritime industry leaders.
The group discussed global challenges facing the maritime industry, as well as an evaluation of strategies to meet the IMO’s 2020 Sulfur Cap and a look ahead to 2030, when vessel data is likely to play a significant role in the compliance regime.
This is the first time in more than 60 years that ABS – which has offices in Genoa and stations in La Spezia, Leghorn, Trieste, Naples, Bergamo and Brescia where it supports marine and offshore projects – held its Italian National Committee meeting in Monaco, demonstrating the organisation’s strong ties with ship owners across both countries.
The committee heard about the industry-leading safety milestone ABS accomplished in 2017, reaching one year without a work-related lost-time incident, which exemplified its global focus on safety.
ABS also presented its innovative work with industry partners and academia on data and digital technologies designed to improve the delivery of classification services for clients. There was an update on the Bureau’s groundbreaking work in the cybersecurity arena, and guest speaker François Cadiou, President of BRS Group–Luxembourg, gave an overview of the shipping and shipbuilding market.
“With the fast pace of technological development, it is a powerful advantage to have such depth of experience and knowledge to inform the development of solutions and services,” said Cesare d’Amico, CEO of D’Amico Società di Navigazione SpA, and ABS Italian National Committee Chairman.
“The extensive input from industry leaders that the Committee makes possible is a highly valued resource.”