Energy transition and regulations on ABS Greek agenda
Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS chairman, president and CEO (left), with Peter Livanos, chairman of GasLog Ltd and the ABS Hellenic National Committee
(Source: ABS)
The annual ABS Hellenic National Committee Meeting, held recently in Athens, provided a forum for owners, managers, charterers, bankers, and brokers to discuss latest developments on the clean energy transition, the tightening regulatory landscape and shipping’s latest sustainability initiatives.
Peter Livanos, chairman of both Gaslog Ltd and the Hellenic National Committee, said: “ABS’ support for the industry is important at this challenging time where we are striving to meet decarbonisation goals while maintaining safe and viable operations. By bringing together this Committee of leading industry figures, we were able to work together on solutions and share knowledge.”
Mark Ross, president of Chevron Shipping company, was a guest speaker at the meeting. He outlined steps his company is taking on technology developments and decarbonisation of both LNG carriers and tankers in the company’s fleet.
Meanwhile, Panos Koutsourakis, ABS vice president, Global Sustainability, provided an update on decarbonisation projects and sustainability services offered by the classification society. Biofuels, he said, are set to play a substantial role in the short term but, further in the future, more sustainable biofuels will be required.
Stamatis Fradelos, ABS vice president, Regulatory Affairs, spoke about regulations. The upcoming revision of the IMO’s Initial Greenhouse Gas Strategy will affect both the intensity and the timeframe of mid-term measures, he said, pointing to possible incentives for the uptake of low- and zero-carbon fuels through market-based measures and the greenhouse gas fuel standard. He also mentioned the likely implications of the European Union’s Emissions Trading System and the bloc’s FuelEU maritime regulation.
Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS chairman, president, and CEO, said: “Macro-economic factors and regulations are shaping the future of our industry and driving change through demand for fuels and sustainability standards. Given the strength of our long relationships here in Greece, we are able to bring together influential voices from across the value chain to really move the industry conversation forward.”
ABS is the largest classification society in Greece with about 280 million gt in class. It also holds number one slot for ships under construction.
