Page 12: of Marine News Magazine (March 2017)

11 13

INSIGHTS

Senior Vice President and

Chief Technology Of? cer,

Howard Fireman

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) oward Fireman, Senior Vice President and Chief software and boots on the ground when it comes to sur-

Technology Of? cer, joined the American Bureau of veyors. Listen in this month as he weighs in on the nation’s

HShipping (ABS) in 2013. Fireman is responsible for brow water sector, and the journey to compliance ahead.

leveraging the latest advancements in technology to drive

What is the most important issue facing inland ma- the development of innovative products and services that rine transportation providers – especially those im- promote safety and improve the delivery of class services pacted by subchapter M towboat rules – today? Why? in the marine and offshore industries. Since joining ABS,

What can they do about it?

Fireman has also served as President of the ABS Nautical

One of the biggest challenges for some owners impacted

Systems Fleet Management Software product line where he has overseen signi? cant advancements in the software and by Subchapter M will be integrating safety risk management achieved growth in every sector. Fireman came to ABS from and safety assurance concepts into repeatable, practical sys- the U.S. Navy, where for over 35 years he was recognized as tems because this approach to safety will be new to them. a distinguished leader in the areas of naval ship design, hull There is a learning curve to understand, develop, and imple- form optimization, total ownership cost, total ship systems ment a Safety Management System (SMS), and for many, engineering, design integration, research and development, there will be a large amount of additional data to be col- and ? eet operational support. Fireman holds a Bachelor’s lected and reported on. This might seem overwhelming for some organizations. Figuring out how to do this is no small and Master’s Degree in Naval Architecture and Marine En- gineering from the University of Michigan. He also received task, but using an IT system to integrate critical mainte- a Master’s Degree in Technical Management from Johns nance, crewing and HSQE activities will make complying

Hopkins University. He is also a recipient of many industry with the new regulation straightforward. Brown water com- panies have an opportunity to consider ? eet management awards including the Society of Naval Architects and Ma- rine Engineers Admiral Taylor Medal, American Society of systems to assist and minimize the regulatory burden. Our

Naval Engineers Gold Medal and University of Michigan focus has been on delivering a solution that works the way the crew does on the vessel. The tool does not require any

College of Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award (Na- software on board, and because it is offered in the cloud, val Architecture and Marine Engineering). Fireman’s leader- ship, and track record with technological innovations now there is no IT infrastructure required. As a part ABS, we turn to the new Subchapter M towboat rules, where ABS, have the advantage of working closely with our internal among other things, offers a turnkey service that spans class, compliance specialists to ensure accuracy in our solutions.

March 2017 12

MN