ABS CEO: Shipping is ‘critical enabler’ in global transition

Shipping is the critical enabler in the world’s transition to low carbon operations and needs government support to ensure it is at the front of the queue for next-generation fuels, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki told delegates at COP26.

“Governments will have a pretty significant role in this, but shipping is going to be the critical enabler. It is going to be shipping that will move the next generation of fuels from the centers of production to distribution hubs around the world,” Wiernicki said at the International Chamber of Shipping’s COP26 event Shaping the Future of Shipping.

“Governments need to prioritize shipping. It is not the second show, it should be the main show,” he pointed out.

Wiernicki also took part in the World Climate Summit event, speaking on a panel titled Accelerating the Green Transition and Technologies through Partnerships – Best Practices from the Shipping Sector alongside representatives from Maersk, International Maritime Organization and Kuehne + Nagel.

“The real future fuel will be a mixture of leadership and cooperation. This is a ‘we’ game, where success is a team sport. No one organization, no individual company, has the resources to meet this challenge alone. We will need to work together, pool our resources, experience, and knowledge if we are to achieve our sustainability ambitions,” ABS CEO further said.

Classification society ABS, South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), and its parent company Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering (KSOE) also announced two landmark joint development projects (JDPs) during COP26. The aim of the partners is to develop decarbonization technologies in an effort to support global sustainability ambitions.

The JDPs address green hydrogen production and offshore carbon capture and storage.