Page 46: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q2 2016)

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TECHNOLOGY

The

Future of Class

ABS’s FutureClass, a vision for tomor- row’s maritime classi? cation, starts with an integrated structure, forward think- ing technology and a CTO – Howard

Fireman – who brings them all together.

By Joseph Keefe t can be argued that the maritime world was and still is one People: but not the usual suspects of the slowest businesses on the planet to adopt new tech- Fireman holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Naval

Inologies and apply them in practice. ABS, founded 154 Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of years ago in 1862, started out as an international classi? cation Michigan. He also received a Master’s Degree in Technical society devoted to promoting the security of life and property Management from Johns Hopkins University. He joined ABS and preserving the natural environment through the develop- from the U.S. Navy, where, among other roles, he served as ment and veri? cation of standards for the design, construction Chief Naval Architect and Director of Surface Ship Design and operational maintenance of marine and offshore assets. and Systems Engineering. In other words, the perfect ? t for

Over more than 150 years, that hasn’t changed. How all of that ABS – but perhaps not for reasons one might think.

gets accomplished certainly has. “When Chris (Wiernicki) and Bob (Somerville) approached

Enter Howard Fireman, ABS Senior Vice President and Chief me, it was not so much because I’m a ship designer by trade.

Technology Of? cer, who joined the organization in 2013. Fire- It wasn’t about designing vessels, it was about the fact that I man is responsible for directing the society’s technology re- used to be a client, so they knew a lot about how I was built as sources and overseeing Rule development initiatives, including a person,” says Fireman, adding quickly, “but the regulatory their strategic alignment with ABS operating divisions. But the world was upon them and clearly they thought, I guess, they

ABS CTO aims to accomplish much more than that. wanted to bring an outsider in. And so I was the guy chose.”

According to the latest Guidance Note of Cyber Security “It boils down to the fact that the next generation of talent we

Principals, put out under Fireman’s watch, ABS recognizes need to lead our industry looks very different because the needs that automation methods – and increasingly, autonomy – have of our industry are changing.” That’s what ABS CEO Chris- penetrated nearly all aspects of shipboard and platform sys- topher Wiernicki told listeners in Stamford, Connecticut in tems. Because these systems control multiple aspects of as- March. Howard Fireman agrees, but adds a word of caution. “I set, ship or platform operations, they become integral parts of believe it is going to change. One of the things that we cannot system and operational safety. This aspect of the ABS drive to forget is our core – our core is about safety. Offshore structures, ramp up its technology game has Fireman’s attention, but it is structural integrity – that is something we can never forget.” only one layer to a much larger IT onion. Drilling deeper, the classi? cation society employee of the 46 Maritime Professional 2Q 2016I I 34-49 Q2 MP2016.indd 46 5/19/2016 11:39:11 AM