Dr. Chris Leontopoulos, ABS Director, Global Ship Systems Center, received the Technical Achievement Award at the 2022 Lloyd’s List Greek Shipping Awards for his contributions to pioneering vessel technologies and research, including the prototype award-winning “Smart Bearing Sensor” and the pioneering of the bearing double-slope optimization concept, already applied in the majority of new building vessels.

His more recent initiatives involved the ABS approval in principle (AIP) to the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) for a revolutionary vessel design that negates the risk of pollution from oil lubricated bearings and promotes efficient vessel operations. The SDARI design, developed in cooperation with Thordon Bearings Inc. and the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), involves removal of the stern tube casting, employing seawater for aftmost bearing lubrication and creating an aft chamber to permit in-water shaft and bearing maintenance for the first time, thus eliminating the need for drydocking or shaft line removal for bearing/seal replacement.

“I am delighted for Chris and the project stakeholders to be recognized for their work by the industry. As a technology leader, we are pleased to apply our insight and experience to support innovation, working with industry leaders on significant new technologies like this one for SDARI, NTUA and Thordon Bearings,” said Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President, Global Engineering and Technology.