ABS Chairman and CEO John McDonald said access to innovation is no longer enough, arguing competitive advantage now depends on turning technology into safe, reliable performance at sea.
He tied the push to what he described as an increasingly complex operating environment that links constrained capital, rising costs, extended voyages, crew shortages, and escalating cyber risk to safety outcomes.
Complexity is outpacing crews and integration
McDonald said complexity is building faster than it can be absorbed, showing up as elevated risk, including from aging assets and the practical challenges of integrating new systems and training crews to use them. He added that for shipowners, the result is higher cost, less predictability, and thinner margins for error—again with direct implications for safety.
He also framed the safety challenge as more than engineering change management: he said the environment is becoming increasingly complex, and that it has direct implications for safety.
From digitalization and energy systems to AI, robotics, and digital twins
McDonald said innovation continues to accelerate across digitalization, energy systems, and vessel design. He pointed to the next wave of technologies—including artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital twins—as having the potential to reshape vessel design, operations, and lifecycle performance.
In his view, the industry’s adoption bar is not about theoretical capability; he said the gap between what is technically possible and what is operationally viable is one of the most pressing issues.
ABS: integrate into live operations and align with regulatory expectations
McDonald said the industry must focus on integrating new technologies into live operations, aligning them with regulatory expectations, and supporting crews in using them effectively. He said progress will be defined by how well new technologies are aligned with vessel design, regulatory clarity, human interaction, and lifecycle performance.
He also argued that technology delivery depends on readiness on board, saying advances have to work on real vessels, with real crews, under real constraints.
SeaTech Innovation Exchange centers in Houston and Athens
McDonald said ABS is investing to support the industry in adopting technology safely at scale. He cited recent announcements around the ABS SeaTech Innovation Exchange centers in Houston and Athens, which he said are designed to accelerate technology development from concept to application.
He described a new era of shipping as taking shape—more connected, more data-driven, and more technically capable than before—and said while that brings complexity, it also creates an opportunity to build an industry that is safer, smarter, and better prepared for upcoming demands.