Seafarers are the backbone of the global maritime industry. They are also among the most affected when the industry undergoes change, whether from new technologies, staffing shortages or geopolitical tensions.

On this episode of Setting Course, we discuss the challenges facing current and future seafarers with Chuck Kemper, ABS Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Jennifer Harrison, ABS Senior Director of Learning Strategy, and host John Snyder, Managing Editor of Riviera Maritime Media.

Listen to more episodes of Setting Course at www.eagle.org/podcast.

Guests
Chuck Kemper is Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at ABS. He leads the global human resources’ function, facilities and real estate, as well as security for the organization. He has over two decades of experience in the human resources field.

Jennifer Harrison has almost 30 years of experience in the maritime industry, the last 21 of which have been with ABS, where she has worked in various roles in software consulting, business development, marketing, public relations and training. Since 2022, Jennifer has led the technical training development function for employees, including delivering programs for ABS Academies in Houston, Shanghai, Singapore, Busan, Doha and Athens. Jennifer also oversees the ABS Academy client training services. Before joining ABS, Jennifer was a ship personnel manager and crew purser working on board Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

While regulations and the global energy transition have brought a wide range of alternative fuels into the spotlight, nuclear energy has emerged as a zero-carbon option with broad potential for the marine and offshore industries.

On this episode of Setting Course, we discuss the potential for nuclear energy with Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President, Meg Dowling, ABS Technology Engineer and host John Snyder, Managing Editor of Riviera Maritime Media. Patrick and Meg provide insight into potential applications, challenges, opportunities and regulatory hurdles for nuclear energy for maritime applications.

Learn more about some of the major technology trends facing the industry at www.eagle.org/techtrends.

Key Points

• The shipping industry is considering nuclear power as an alternative fuel source to help achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
• Nuclear power could be used in the production of alternative fuels like ammonia and hydrogen.
• Advanced nuclear technologies are being developed to address safety concerns and improve efficiency and performance.
• Technical challenges in commercializing nuclear propulsion for merchant ships include reactor design, manufacturing and transportation.
• Collaboration between the maritime industry and nuclear regulatory bodies is necessary to develop new regulations and support the use of nuclear power.

Guests
Patrick Ryan is Senior Vice President, Global Technology and Digital Product Development, and Chief Technology Officer for ABS. He is responsible for ABS’ technology research and development, digital product development, engineering software organizations and seven Global Technology Centers. He joined ABS in 2019. For 21 years prior, he was in various ship design, program management and engineering leadership roles at the largest shipyard in the United States.

Meg Dowling is a Senior Engineer in the Energy Transition group for ABS Americas Technology. She serves as the ABS Nuclear Programs Lead and has been involved in research and project development subjects related to sustainable shipping initiatives and alternative power options, including biofuels, hydrogen and carbon capture technologies. Meg received her BS in Ocean and Naval Architectural Engineering from the Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Between the IMO’s goal for net-zero emissions by 2050 and rapidly evolving technologies, the marine and offshore industries are facing a complex decade of change.

On this episode of Setting Course, Vassilios Kroustallis, ABS Senior Vice President for Global Business Development and Global Marine, joins host John Snyder, Managing Editor for Riviera Maritime Media, for a broad discussion on how the industry and class societies are reacting to the decade of change. Vassilios also discusses the technologies and alternative fuels poised to impact the industry.

To learn more about how ABS is supporting the maritime industries, visit www.eagle.org.

Key Points

• The maritime industry is undergoing rapid changes to meet IMO's net zero targets by 2050.
• New ships, low- and zero-carbon fuels, new engines and technologies, digitalization, and seafarer training are all factoring into the industry’s decarbonization journey.
• ABS and the class process are evolving to focus on sustainability and digitalization.
• The industry is moving toward a multi-fuel future, with a mix of alternative fuels depending on the type of vessel and operation.
• Safety considerations and crew familiarization are crucial in the adoption of new technologies and fuels.
• ABS is supporting the industry's decarbonization journey through joint development projects, developing rules and guidelines, talent development, and the establishment of sustainability and technology centers.

Guest
Vassilios Kroustallis is Senior Vice President, Global Business Development and Global Marine for ABS, responsible for client relationship management and business solution development across the ABS operational hemispheres. Previously he served as Vice President, Global Business Development of Europe for ABS, responsible for client relationship management and business solution development within the region.

Ammonia is one of several alternative fuels being evaluated by the maritime industry to help achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. While ammonia has the potential to be a zero-carbon fuel or a carrier for hydrogen fuel, the chemical is extremely toxic and has stringent handling requirements.

On this episode of Setting Course, Rene Laursen, ABS Director of Global Sustainability, joins host John Snyder, Managing Editor of Riviera Maritime Media, to discuss ammonia’s potential, its challenges and its path to broad adoption as a maritime fuel.

Key Points

• Ammonia is being considered as an alternative fuel for shipping to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
• It can be produced from renewable sources and does not emit carbon or CO2 when combusted.
• Scaling up renewable electricity and, thus, green ammonia production is a challenge to meet the industry's fuel needs.
• The cost of producing green ammonia is expected to be two to three times more expensive than traditional ammonia.
• Ammonia can be used as a fuel in both four-stroke and two-stroke engines, but the combustion technology and pilot fuel requirements differ.
• Storing ammonia on board ships is already taking place, and there are different tank systems available.
• Safety measures and training are necessary due to the toxicity of ammonia.
• The shipping industry is expected to see an increase in the use of ammonia as an alternative fuel in the coming years.

Guest
Rene Laursen serves as Director of Sustainability for ABS, leading the ABS Copenhagen Sustainability Center. In his current role, he supports shipowners in selecting the best technologies and fuel mixes for their fleet.

As the maritime industry grapples with the need to reduce emissions, carbon capture technology offers a potential solution with wide-reaching implications.

On this episode of Setting Course, Joe Rousseau, ABS Director of Offshore Technology, joins host John Snyder, Managing Editor for Riviera Maritime Media, to discuss the emerging carbon capture, utilization and storage value chain. Rousseau provides insight into new carbon capture technologies, potential use cases for captured carbon and the value chain’s impact on the maritime industry.

Key Points

• Onboard carbon capture is still in the early stages of development in the maritime industry.
• Scaling the technology for shipboard use presents challenges such as limited space, weight considerations, and the need for associated systems and power.
• Infrastructure and regulatory support are crucial for the commercialization of carbon capture in shipping.
• Captured carbon can be used to create synthetic fuels, but the scale of carbon capture efforts requires significant infrastructure and financial considerations.
• Carbon capture in shipping involves not only onboard capture but also the transportation, storage, and potential reuse of captured carbon.

As vessels become increasingly complex with new technologies and fuels, the application of autonomous technologies to support human crew decision-making is gaining ground in the maritime industry.

On this episode of Setting Course, Chih Wei Lui, ABS Senior Managing Principal Engineer, and Kalevi Tervo, ABB Corporate Executive Engineer and Global Program Manager, join host John Snyder, Managing Editor of Riviera Maritime Media, to broadly discuss the impact of autonomous technologies on the maritime industry.

Lui and Tervo discuss specific applications, the evolving regulatory landscape, and the evolving role of crew onboard vessels with autonomous technologies.

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Key Points

• Autonomy in the maritime industry is in an exciting phase with a lot of work happening behind the scenes.
• The focus is on the practical application of autonomous technology in vessel operations to improve efficiency.
• Human beings are still crucial for decision-making, while machines handle tedious and data-intensive tasks.
• These technologies are being piloted in various sectors of the maritime industry.

Guests
Chih Wei Lui is a Senior Managing Principal Engineer with ABS and leads the electrical plan review team in Singapore. Lui has been with ABS for 16 years working in various roles in Engineering plan review and Technology in Singapore and Dubai. He has extensive experience in maritime regulations and electrical and automation systems. He is a subject matter expert on smart and autonomous shipping and is actively involved in global efforts on this topic. He represents ABS on the IACS (International Association of Classification Societies) Expert Group on MASS (Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships). He was the lead author of the ABS Requirements for Autonomous and Remote Control Functions and the Advisory on Autonomous Functionality.

Dr. Kalevi Tervo received his D.Sc. (Tech.) degree in Control Engineering from Aalto University, Finland, in 2011, where he served in various positions during 2005-2011. At Aalto University, he led a research team involved in building the first IoT systems for mobile working machines with major Finnish working machine companies. Since joining ABB in 2011, he has led R&D projects focused on increasing ship automation and performance through data analytics, optimization and control. In his current role as a Corporate Executive Engineer, Dr. Tervo leads a major R&D program developing efficient, sustainable and intelligent shipping solutions.