ABS has further strengthened its services to the maritime industry in the Pacific region with two key appointments in Singapore.

Dr. Gu Hai, ABS Vice President, Singapore Innovation Research Center, will further establish a Center of Excellence in Singapore to support research and development of key new maritime technologies to drive next generation performance in asset design, operation and performance.

Panos Koutsourakis, ABS Director, Sustainability Strategy, leads ABS sustainability initiatives in the Pacific region, working with clients to ensure they meet their decarbonization objectives and navigate the emerging regulatory landscape.

Gu said: “As a global maritime hub, Singapore has been a key location for ABS for more than 60 years. Establishing an ABS Center of Excellence here takes our services and our relationship to the next level and ensures we are well placed to continue to deliver industry leading services for our clients. The center will develop modeling and simulation, digital twin, and data analytics technologies to support the entire value chain.”

Koutsourakis said: “ABS sustainability capability in Singapore was already second to none and now we are pressing further ahead because we understand what it is going to take to get the industry to 2050 and we are giving ourselves the tools to meet that challenge. Our expertise based in the region covers the full spectrum of sustainability services with particular focus on finance and regulatory areas, including Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance strategies, green finance and advisory for startups in shipping.”

Gu, who holds a Doctor of Engineering in Naval Architecture from Hiroshima University, Japan, joined ABS in 2007 and has been responsible for contracted research, including research and development funded by global governments and joint industry projects. He has also contributed to rule development relating to marine and offshore structures, materials, additive manufacturing, remote inspection technologies, human factors, and artificial Intelligence for visual inspections. He currently sits on the International Advisory Panel of Singapore Maritime Foundation on Decarbonization in the Maritime Sector and the Digital Twin Panel of the Society of Naval Architects & Marine Engineers and is an Executive Group member of the Ship Structure Committee.

Koutsourakis, who holds a Master’s Degree in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens, is an industry technology and innovation specialist with a career including key positions at GasLog LNG Services, where he was Innovation, Technology & Projects Leader and at Bureau Veritas Group, where he was Global Technology Leader. He has experience leading on sustainability, innovation and decarbonization strategy in shipping.