ABS at SMM

ABS joined 50,000 industry visitors from 120 countries at SMM, a leading international maritime trade fair, in Hamburg, Germany. 

ABS began the week, which was themed around digitalization and green shipping, by hosting a high-profile panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities arising from IMO 2020. The forum, held at  the landmark Nord Event Panoramadeck, saw Christian Lelong, Senior Commodities Analyst, Goldman Sachs; Aaron Bresnahan, Vice President Marine Solutions, Wartsila; Paddy Rodgers, Director and Chief Executive Officer, EURONAV; Wolfgang Hintzsche, Marine Director, German Shipowners’ Association; Lars Robert Pederson, Deputy Secretary General, Bimco and moderator Kirsi Tikka, ABS Executive Vice President and Senior Maritime Advisor; explore IMO 2020 from multiple perspectives.

Christian Lelong opened the session, detailing Goldman Sachs’ research on the impact of the sulfur cap, titled IMO 2020 Towards a New Equilibrium.

Throughout the week of SMM, ABS hosted a series of breakfast and lunch briefings at its stand, covering topics on the latest regulatory and operational issues impacting owners in the tanker and chemical carrier sectors. ABS subject matter specialists delivered presentations on 2020 sulfur cap, ballast water treatment, and scrubber support services.  

ABS Business Development Director, Stamatis Fradelos, spoke on approved ballast water treatment systems at the Global Maritime Enviornmental Congress. The panel discussion also included panel Chair Sahan Abeysekara,Technology Lead for Ballast Water Management at Lloyd’s Register; Keynote speaker Huang; Capt. Sean Brady, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard Office of Operating and Environmental Standards; Debra DiCianna,Senior Compliance Engineer, Choice Ballast Solutions; Tim Wilkins, Environment Director at Intertanko.

Panelists agreed that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ system for all ships but that the range of available systems had evolved considerably. It is important for shipowners to receive more support in both selecting the right systems and operating them.

Integral to ABS’ participation at SMM, was its support of the AMVER Awards, which marked its 60^th anniversary this year. The ABS sponsored ceremony recognized German contributions to the unique reporting system which supports search and rescue efforts for those in distress at sea.

Hosted at the U.S. Consulate in Hamburg, the ceremony saw 719 vessels from 108 German shipowners and operators honored for their commitment to maritime safety, making themselves available to assist in search and rescue activities anywhere in the world.

ABS Senior Technical Advisor Cris DeWitt participated in a roundtable on maritime cyber security hosted by ABS, Fairplay, IHS Markit, and BIMCO. The round table explored the results of the ABS backed Cyber Security Survey and analyzed the state of the industry’s readiness to respond to cyber threats.

In Partnership with the Sailor’s Society, ABS served over 400 cups of ethically sourced BySea coffee supporting seafarers & their families around the world.