ABS brought together more than 70 marine and offshore industry leaders from Italy, Switzerland and Monaco for its ABS Italy National Committee Meeting.

Italian, Swiss and Monaco-based charterers, designers and shipbuilders heard about industry-leading ABS developments in sustainability, digital solutions, safety and digital innovation in classification services.

“ABS has responded to the scale of the challenge presented by the decarbonization of our industry by working with leading players to support the advancement of key sustainability technologies and develop practical solutions.  As a leader in classification in Italy, we have been able to bring together leaders who can offer powerful insight on the way forward for our industry,” said Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS Chairman, President and CEO.

The Committee heard about the best-in-class safety performance of ABS; how superior Port State Control performance and strong fleet safety performance underline its focus on safety and its mission. Committee members were also briefed on the latest developments in the dynamic regulatory environment and given a detailed breakdown of the industry’s sustainability challenges and ABS’ services for the industry.

The event also included a question-and-answer session exploring advances in the use of bio-fuel blends, offshore wind and EEXI.

“With its long history, experience, and continuous research, ABS is a primary point of reference for the shipping industry. Today, this is especially true for the challenges of decarbonization and digitalization. Today I would like to stress the importance for shipping companies to be partners of ABS, as an industry leader in this delicate decarbonization and digitalization roadmap, which we cannot disregard if this industry is to remain competitive, professional and environmentally sound,” said Cesare d’Amico, ABS Italy National Committee Chairman and CEO of D’Amico Società di Navigazione SpA.

ABS is one of the leading Classification organizations in Italy thanks to long-standing relationships with the country’s marine and offshore operators.

The Committee meetings are a forum for ABS members, including owners, operators, charterers, and industry representatives from flag Administrations, owner associations, and the shipbuilding and insurance sectors, to come together with ABS leaders and discuss industry issues and developments.  These forums are an important part of an ongoing dialogue with industry to address technical, operational and regulatory challenges.