As the shipping industry prepares for ultimate decarbonization, the end of 2019 marks a jumping-off point for the maritime industry. The era of low sulfur shipping will soon be superseded by the transition to sustainable and ultimately decarbonized shipping industry.
The process of digitalization currently at work in the industry will be one of the enablers for that transition, ushering in new levels of operational efficiency. But in this time of momentous and exciting change, the role of class remains focused on balancing the demands of innovation and safety.
ABS is a safety-focused organization whose efforts to protect the safety of life and property and our contribution to industry standards and practice takes many forms.
ABS’s own safety record speaks for itself: The company has recorded zero lost time work-related incidents for the second year in a row, with the Lost Time Incident Rate remaining at 0.00 throughout 2017 and 2018. The organization works extensively with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Association of Classification Societies to contribute to the shaping of the regulations that drive safety in the industry, providing practical advice and technical insight on the implications of regulatory changes.
Our work on safety and human factors extends from our own staff to the employees of our clients, with emphasis placed on analysis that ranges from “near misses and close calls” to aid industry stakeholders involved in the design of ships to best reflect the needs of the humans working on them.
Strong performance
ABS has undergone an organic process in responding to the downturn in shipping seen over the last decade and we have used this time to better align our product and service offerings to the needs of clients and members, whether it be plan review, advice on regulatory compliance or tackling decarbonization.
Meeting the ongoing requirements of owners means maintaining that operational flexibility, with a structure that can put our subject matter specialists on the ground wherever they are needed and having the resources to leverage the latest engineering or analysis techniques, whether for vessel safety, performance analysis, efficiency or sustainability, to meet short and long term needs.
In this way, ABS can maintain a globally competitive position with services related to newbuildings, especially in technical tonnage such as gas carriers and ships employing new fuel solutions as well as helping some of the world’s leading shipowners stay compliant and as efficient as possible.
It’s clear that the last decade has seen the UAE maritime sector transformed into a fully-fledged maritime hub, with burgeoning local shipping demand and expertise across finance, law and technical services as well as a world-leading logistics infrastructure.
Digital technologies
Digital technologies will power the future and ABS is already delivering new services in this area and leading by example. ABS’s initiatives include the use of digital technology to simplify transactions and increase operational efficiency; the study of alternative fuels and new energy sources suitable for different shipping sectors, and the analysis of the effects of seaborne trade growth and regulatory targets on new ship designs—in a better understanding on how these factors correlate and mutually influence each other. Additionally, we continue to incorporate new technologies into our certification, validation and verification activities.
From concept to coding, from design to development, from abstraction to application, the digital age for us is marked by collaboration, in which the expertise and innovative imaginations of widely diverse people throw open the doors to the future. This collaboration stretches beyond traditional barriers of position, place and platform to overcome challenges related to enhanced safety, smarter risk and reliability solutions, improved operational efficiency, better asset management, continuous self-improvement and feasible environmental sustainability, alongside other technology-centric endeavors.
The ultimate goal of ABS’ digital strategy is known as ‘Condition-Based-Class’ where sensor-equipped ships report the performance and health of onboard equipment, enabling the owner and ABS to accurately predict when components or system require service or replacement. ABS is already working on a number of CBC pilot projects, including with a major UAE OSV operator.
In the shorter term, we are enabling pathway technologies such as remote survey and the use of AI to understand the performance of materials. In the case of drone based remote surveys, this is a technology with promise and positive implications for safety, though we see plenty of work for our human surveyors going forward.
Supporting Sustainability
Sustainability is a significant challenge affecting the marine, offshore, government and energy industries. Meeting regulatory targets for the low-carbon economy will require radical operational and technology advances, in which safety and environmental management is the cornerstone and digital technologies are key enablers.
For this reason, ABS continues expanding our digital capabilities to transform the ABS Class experience for the industry and our clients—providing highly-rated independent guidance to leverage data throughout the life of their assets—all founded on a solid tradition of innovation in the service of safety. This extends to helping our clients pursue the decarbonization necessary for the low-carbon economy—which requires balancing long-term investments in innovation, against immediate and shorter-term business imperatives.
ABS has published a series of Guides to help the industry prepare for successive waves of regulation, including options for compliance with the IMO2020 limits on sulfur in marine fuel, including scrubbers and compliant fuel.
With that deadline imminent and most owners settled on their preferred option, we are focusing more closely on decarbonization and the industry’s challenge to reduce carbon intensity in line with the IMO’s goals for 2030 and 2050.
The key output to this process so far is the founding in Singapore of the Global Sustainability Center and the publication of the ABS Low Carbon Shipping Outlook to help the maritime sector evaluate potential pathways to low-carbon shipping, defining ship technologies, operational efficiencies and alternative fuels and energy sources needed to reach 2030 and 2050 targets.
We are working with owners across the Middle East and the world to develop bespoke strategies for their fleets, harnessing the power of digitalization to drive safety and sustainability standards.
