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Abs Group News

24 Jul 2023

John McDonald Named ABS President

John McDonald (Photo: ABS)

ABS Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Christopher J. Wiernicki, and the Board of Directors have announced that John McDonald was elected President of ABS at its Board meeting on July 18. McDonald, who has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the company since July 2021, will take on the title of President and remain the Chief Operating Officer of the company.“John McDonald has seized the opportunity to demonstrate his leadership skills since becoming…

08 Feb 2022

Rodriguez Appointed Interim Director of MITAGS

Mike Rodriguez (Photo: MITAGS)

The Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) announced it has appointed Mike Rodriguez as interim director."I am pleased that Mike Rodriguez has agreed to take on the day-to-day administration of MITAGS' academic programs and courses as we begin the process of bringing onboard a new director,” said Eric Friend, MITAGS executive director. “Mike brings a wide range of experience and skills to our crew as we move our organization forward.”“I have been fortunate throughout my career to work with great people in education, labor, government and the military.

07 Jul 2021

McDonald Named ABS Chief Operating Officer

John McDonald (Photo: ABS)

John McDonald will become ABS Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer as Tony Nassif has announced his plans to retire on December 31, 2021.As part of the company’s succession planning process, McDonald will assume the head operations role on July 26, 2021. Celebrating 25 years of service with ABS this year, McDonald joined ABS in 1996 as a surveyor and served in various frontline operational roles in Korea, the Northern Europe and Africa Region and the Central Region for the former Americas Division.

10 Jul 2020

American P&I Club, ABS Consulting Partner on Cyber Awareness

© your123 / Adobe Stock

Collaboration between risk management and insurance sectors will focus on education, training and guidance to reduce maritime cyber riskABSG Consulting Inc. (ABS Consulting), a subsidiary of ABS focused on safety and risk management, and American Steamship Owners Mutual Protection and Indemnity Association, Inc. (the American Club) have joined forces to provide education, training and insurance guidance that address maritime cyber security.As digital transformation in the maritime industry brings both opportunities and new challenges…

14 May 2020

ABS’ Wiernicki: “COVID-19 will function as threat, a disruptor and catalyst for change”

Christopher J. Wiernicki, CEO, American Bureau of Shipping.

As COVID-19 and a historically weak energy market wreaks havoc on the maritime industry, Christopher J. Wiernicki, CEO, American Bureau of Shipping, tells Maritime Reporter & Engineering News in its May 2020 edition that “COVID-19 will function as threat, a disruptor and catalyst for change, driving class further away from calendar maintenance towards predictive operations. The industry will accelerate its digitally driven movement into condition-based approaches and real-time…

23 Apr 2020

New Model Aims to Help Businesses Get Back to Work After COVID-19

© Andor Bujdoso / Adobe Stock

A new model aims to help commercial and public organizations resume operations safely as restrictions around the COVID-19 pandemic begin to ease.Building on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), ABS Consulting said its Restart Risk Model offers a way for organizations to systematically evaluate the risk of disease transmission to their sites, operations and work areas, and develop a plan…

25 Apr 2017

Infor, GenesisSolutions Form Alliance

Genesis Technology Solutions, Inc. (GenesisSolutions), the asset performance optimization subsidiary of ABS Group, has signed an Alliance agreement with Infor (US), Inc., a enterprise asset management (EAM) software provider and strategic technology partner for more than 90,000 organizations worldwide. With this alliance, GenesisSolutions will help support Infor and its customers in optimizing the power of Infor EAM. Through services and solutions, customers can improve capital asset management in ways that help increase reliability, enhance predictive maintenance, confirm regulatory compliance, reduce energy usage and support sustainability initiatives across industry sectors.

29 Mar 2017

Partnerships Drive SubChapter M Solutions

© Dale Stagg / Adobe Stock

Management software: vendors, consultants, class strive to provide turnkey service. Unless you’ve been lost at sea for the last few years, you know about Subchapter M. You know the June publication of the U.S. Coast Guard’s regulations for ensuring minimum safety standards on tows and tugs, which will extend inspection requirements to the majority of these vessels for the first time, moved the long-awaited, and in some cases, dreaded program from the haze of eventually out into the cold light of day.

22 Feb 2017

ABS Group Awarded USCG Blanket Purchase Agreement

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has awarded a follow-on $9 million Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) to ABSG Consulting Inc., an ABS Group company (ABS Group). ABS Group will provide a range of Human Systems Integration (HSI) support to the USCG's Human Systems Integration Office (CG-1B3), which is the USCG's technical authority for human systems integration (HSI). The BPA will cover acquisition support, project identification, usability analyses, testing, user facilitation and documentation services. As the USCG embarks on several new acquisition programs, including the Offshore Patrol Cutter and the Polar Ice Breaker, ABS Group will assist CG-1B3 and its partners within the USCG Acquisitions Directorate (CG-9)…

04 Nov 2016

Three Maritime Leaders Receive United Seamen's Awards

Arthur E. Imperatore, Founder and President of New York Waterways; Captain Donald Marcus, International President of the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots; and Christopher Wiernicki, Chairman, President and CEO of the American Bureau of Shipping, were recipients of the maritime industry's most prestigious Admiral of the Ocean Sea awards presented at the 47th annual United Seamen's Service gala industry dinner and dance October 28, 2016. The event was held at the at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, New York City. Recognition was also given to American seafarers for specific acts of bravery and heroism while at sea. (See separate news release).

02 Sep 2016

NACD Selects ABS Quality Evaluations as Verifier

ABS Quality Evaluations, Inc. (ABS QE), a subsidiary of ABS Group, has been selected as a third-party verifier by the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD), an international association of chemical distributors and their supply-chain partners, for the sixth cycle of the organization's Responsible Distribution program beginning in 2017. For 25 years, NACD has implemented Responsible Distribution as a mandatory third-party-verified environmental, health, safety and security verification program. The verification program allows members to demonstrate their commitment to continuous performance improvement in every phase of chemical storage, handling, transportation and disposal.

20 Jul 2016

ABS Advisory Solutions Integrate ERM

ABS Group anticipated the update to Circular A-123 from the United States (US) Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requiring US executive departments and agencies to adopt enterprise risk management (ERM), and has expanded its suite of ERM advisory solutions aimed at risk-informed decision making and mitigation strategies. To help organizations comply with the new guidance and manage their risk exposure, ABS Group provides a suite of advisory resources and proprietary risk management tools through the Company's safety, risk and compliance services business unit. "ABS Group has highly developed methodologies that enable organizations to quickly implement a proactive risk management culture.

07 Jul 2016

ABS Group Awarded BKR02 Wind Farm Certification Work

England headquartered ABS Group Ltd., a subsidiary of ABS Group of Companies, Inc., said it has received a contract to provide project certification services to DONG Energy Wind Power A/S for the planned Borkum Riffgrund 2 (BKR02), one of the largest offshore wind farms in German waters. Developed by DONG Energy, the BKR02 Project is expected to be fully commissioned in the first half of 2019 with a capacity of 450MW. The wind farm will be located in the German Bight area approximately 60 km north of Eemshaven. ABS Group's certification scope will cover project quality management and document review, as well as manufacturing inspection of the offshore substations (OSS), which includes the topsides and foundations. Inspections will be carried out in several European countries.

16 Jun 2016

ABS Group Signs on Elba LNG Project

ABSG Consulting Inc., a subsidiary of ABS Group of Companies, Inc. (ABS Group), has been contracted by Kinder Morgan, Inc. to develop a Maintenance and Integrity Program for the liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminal at Elba Island (Elba LNG Project) near Savannah, Georgia. ABS Group will develop the maintenance and integrity programs for the base plant, balance of plant and the terminal upgrade. The full scope of ABS Group's services cover program development and execution, including project management, strategy development and business processes, asset register, mechanical integrity (MI), preventative maintenance development, spare parts and bill of materials, as well as data asset management services.

13 Apr 2016

SUNY Maritime to Honor ABS’ Wiernicki

Christopher Wiernicki (Photo: ABS)

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) chairman and CEO Chris Wiernicki will receive an honorary doctoral degree from SUNY Maritime College. Wiernicki, CEO of the classification society since 2007 and its chairman since 2011, will receive the degree and speak at SUNY Maritime’s spring commencement ceremony May 6. “Over the years, ABS has been a valued friend to the college in its support of our students and faculty,” said Rear Adm. Michael Alfultis, president of SUNY Maritime. ABS supports two endowed faculty positions…

16 Feb 2016

ABS to Provide Verification Services for Offshore Wind Farm

ABS Group Ltd. has received a contract to provide third-party certification and design verification services for Hexicon AB for the planned Dounreay Tri Floating Offshore Wind Farm demonstrator project in Scotland. The Dounreay Tri Project, expected to be operational in 2018, is being developed by Hexicon and its partners to pilot a novel floating foundation design for offshore wind. When completed, the project will consist of two wind turbines, up to 6 MW each, mounted on Hexicon's platform that will be located offshore northern Scotland. According to Hexicon, the platforms allow wind turbines to be deployed efficiently in remote areas where winds are stronger and more stable and the platforms are not limited by water depth.

01 Feb 2016

Cyber Security In Shipping & Offshore Ops

Sources: DNV The amount of communication options is growing for  shipping and offshore installations. Communication broker solutions  from Maritime Communication Partner (MCP) is shown at left and Inmarsat Plc at right.  GL, MCP, Inmarsat Plc

Global shipping and offshore oil and gas operations are increasingly dependent on integrated networks, based on various software and data transfer solutions. Systems and equipment onboard are interconnected, monitored and controlled through an onboard automation network. Onboard systems are increasingly also connected ashore to the owners’ or technology providers’ control centers. Equipment manufacturers want to remotely upgrade the software of their systems and monitor their use to be able to optimize operations and to scheduled needed maintenance service.

12 Jan 2016

ABS, Golar Strike FLNG Deal

ABS Group subsidiary Genesis Technology Solutions, Inc. (GenesisSolutions) won a contract by Golar LNG to develop an intelligent maintenance strategy for the company’s new fleet of floating LNG (FLNG) vessels usingthe GoFLNG floating liquefaction technology. ABS Group will assist Golar LNG with implementing the Maximo computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to support its asset management program. ABS Group will provide a model for asset data, criticality rankings, spare parts analysis, a risk-based inspection strategy, failure mode and effects analysis and a maintenance program for the first GoFLNG facility under construction, the Hilli, which will operate off the coast of Cameroon, as well as for future vessels.

02 Oct 2015

Get Started! Benefits, Advice Abound for SMS Laggards

When industry players say “the handwriting is on the wall,” they aren’t just talking about the pending Subchapter M regulations, but also about the already existing demand for safety management systems (SMS) in general for the domestic towing industry. While the U.S. Coast Guard and Homeland Security work to finalize Subchapter M requirements, operators are already finding it harder to win bids without some level of a Towing Safety Management System (TSMS) and ensuing proof of compliance. The oil majors, Mexico and many clients already insist on adherence to safety standards, and in some cases they are aggressively conducting their own audits of contractors and reminding them to use JSAs. That has spurred companies like McAllister Towing and Transportation Co., Inc.

01 Oct 2015

SubM Debut Now Set for February 2016

ABS and ABS Group are conducting seminars for industry stakeholders seeking to learn more about Subchapter M and compliance options. Pictured here are attendees and speakers at a recent event in Paducah, KY.

The perennial “Year of Subchapter M” has been kicked forward again, this time to February 2016. That means that the clock is now ticking loudly for those towing operations that have yet to climb onboard the safety train. Quality operators see standardized safety practices as a way of leveling the playing field, integral to maintaining the health and profitability of their fleets, and key to winning business from quality customers. Subchapter M will be a phased-in over a period of years. It’s not as much time as you think.

06 May 2015

ABS Expands in Offshore Markets with AIM Service

ABS Group has announced the release of a new offshore Asset Integrity Management (AIM) service focused on driving operational reliability, efficiency and profitability for asset owners and operators. The AIM services are delivered by a newly dedicated offshore business division using a pragmatic Return on Investment (ROI) centric approach. The unique and proprietary AIM methodology and tools, which include specific offerings from strategic partner American Bureau of Shipping, provide companies with the possibility and resources to improve production uptime while simultaneously reducing OPEX costs. These AIM services and tools address Structural and Mechanical Integrity…

20 Apr 2015

ABS Appoints New Chief Technology Officer

Howard Fireman (Photo: ABS)

ABS named Howard Fireman as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) effective April 20 in a move that strengthens alignment and generates further synergies across all of ABS' technical programs, ABS announced. Fireman, who will report to ABS Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki, assumes this role following former Senior Vice President and CTO Todd Grove's appointment as ABS Group President and CEO. Technology continues to be a core element of the ABS mission of protecting life, assets and the environment.

16 Apr 2015

Grove Named ABS Group President, CEO

Todd Grove (Photo: ABS Group)

ABS Group of Companies, Inc. announced the appointment of Todd Grove as its new President and CEO. Grove most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for ABS Group's parent company, American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). He has served more than 30 years at ABS, in various senior technical and operational management roles across the world. Grove holds a bachelor's degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Michigan, an MBA from the University of Houston and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program.

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