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About
Setting Course
Welcome to Setting Course, an ABS Podcast. From carbon capture and electrification to alternative fuels and regulatory developments — tune in for informed conversations between industry leaders as we chart the future of maritime.
On this episode of Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, Francesco Bellusci, Managing Director of Scorpio Ship Management, Ricardo Batista, Policy Officer with the European Commission’s DG-MOVE, and Stamatis Fradelos, ABS Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, join host Brad Cox, ABS, to discuss the implementation and challenges of FuelEU. The group discusses wind-assisted propulsion incentives, the role of carbon capture technology and the regulation’s emissions pooling mechanism.
Guest Speakers: Francesco Bellusci, Ricardo Batista and Stamatis Fradelos
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Countdown to FuelEU Maritime
Guest Speakers
Francesco Bellusci
Managing Director, Scorpio Ship Management
Francesco Bellusci is the Managing Director of Scorpio Ship Management. Francesco was Technical Director in Scorpio from 1995, Designated Person Ashore (DPA) from 1997 and was appointed General Manager in 2008. He has been the Managing Director since 2010. .
As the maritime industry grapples with reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we have seen a multitude of regulations intended to drive progress. Now we have the FuelEU Maritime Regulation, which introduces the concept of well-to-wake carbon equivalent emissions per megajoule of energy and it enters into force in January 2025.
On this episode of Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, Francesco Bellusci, Managing Director of Scorpio Ship Management, Ricardo Batista, Policy Officer with the European Commission’s DG-MOVE, and Stamatis Fradelos, ABS Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, join host Brad Cox, ABS, to discuss the implementation and challenges of FuelEU. The group discusses wind-assisted propulsion incentives, the role of carbon capture technology and the regulation’s emissions pooling mechanism.
If you like this episode, share it with your friends, leave a review, or send feedback to podcast@eagle.org. More episodes are available at www.eagle.org/podcast and all major podcast platforms.
Ricardo Batista
Policy Officer, European Commission DG-MOVE
Ricardo Batista is a Policy Officer with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG-MOVE), Maritime Transport unit. In the Commission, Ricardo is engaged in the development, negotiation and preparatory work for implementing the FuelEU Maritime Regulation under the Fit for 55 package.
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Stamtis Fradelos
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, ABS
Stamatis Fradelos is ABS Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. The Regulatory Affairs team interfaces with the IMO, flag Administrations and the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), facilitating the application of regulations and maintaining ABS and clients’ awareness on regulatory issues being progressed and developed internationally.
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On this episode of Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, Dinesh Balraj, Maersk Head of Fleet Operations East, and Shu Yong Koh, ABS Director of Global Sustainability, explore some of methanol's biggest challenges as a marine fuel with host Brad Cox, ABS.
Guest Speakers: Dinesh Balraj and Shu Yong Koh
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Methanol as a Marine Fuel with Maersk
Guest Speakers
Dinesh Balraj
Head of Fleet Operations East, Maersk
Dinesh Balraj is the Head of Fleet Operations East at A.P. Moller-Maersk. Dinesh oversees the technical management of a fleet comprising 185 container vessels. In this role, Dinesh champions safety, reliability and energy efficiency, leveraging his diverse background spanning Chief Engineer, Classification Surveyor, Fleet Superintendent, and Fleet Manager positions. As a key member of the Fleet Management and Technology leadership team, Dinesh spearheads strategic initiatives aimed at driving cultural transformation, decarbonization efforts, and operational excellence throughout the organization.
Shu Yong Koh
Shu Yong Koh serves as ABS Director of Global Sustainability, responsible for driving the ABS sustainability strategy and assisting ship owners and operators with achieving their sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals through industry-leading support and digital solutions. He has been involved in various sustainability initiatives and is actively pursuing the challenges of the maritime and shipping industry. He is working on energy, emissions and innovative technologies associated with alternative fuels, taking into account technical, environmental, regulatory and economic factors.
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Once considered future fuels, options like LNG, methanol and ammonia are quickly becoming current fuels for the maritime industry. However, as alternative fuel-enabled ships start hitting the water, challenges remain for both availability and risk assessment.
On this episode of Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, Dinesh Balraj, Maersk Head of Fleet Operations East, and Shu Yong Koh, ABS Director of Global Sustainability, explore some of the biggest challenges of methanol as a marine fuel with host Brad Cox, ABS.
If you like this episode, share it with your colleagues, leave a review, or send us feedback to podcast@eagle.org. More episodes are available at www.eagle.org/podcast and all major podcast platforms.
Director, Global Sustainability, ABS
On this episode of Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, Stergios Stamopoulos, ABS Director of Global Sustainability, and Ushma Ahuja, ABS Senior Sustainability Engineer, join host Brad Cox, ABS, to discuss the publication’s findings and major sustainability trends in the industry.
Guest Speakers: Stergios Stamopoulos and Ushma Ahuja
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Sustainability Outlook: What's Next for Shipping?
Guest Speakers
Stergios Stamopoulos
ABS Director of Global Sustainability
Stergios Stamopoulos is the ABS Director of Global Sustainability for the Western Hemisphere, leading ABS activities in the Americas and Europe regions. Under his leadership, the ABS sustainability centers in Houston, Athens and Copenhagen are assisting ship and offshore owners, operators, and other stakeholders with achieving their sustainability goals. He joined ABS in 2007 as an engineer and has worked in Greece, South Korea and the U.S. in a variety of roles.
Ushma Ahuja
ABS Senior Sustainability Engineer
Ushma Ahuja is a Senior Sustainability Engineer at the ABS Global Sustainability Center in Copenhagen, where she supports ESG mapping projects. She has been a Secondee with the Regulatory Affairs team of Maersk-McKinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping since 2023.
On this episode of Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, Stergios Stamopoulos, ABS Director of Global Sustainability, and Ushma Ahuja, ABS Senior Sustainability Engineer, join host Brad Cox, ABS, to discuss the publication’s findings and major sustainability trends in the industry.
Key Points
The number of ships using alternative fuels is expected to continue growing.
Energy efficiency technologies have an important role to play in reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
Increased shipyard capacity for newbuilds and retrofitting is crucial for decarbonization.
Liquid hydrogen and nuclear energy have substantial potential to support decarbonization.
The industry needs innovation, regulatory compliance and collaboration to achieve net-zero targets.
With MEPC’s 82nd session coming up, we had several IMO delegates from across the industry join Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, to discuss what they expect from the meeting, the hottest topics that will be discussed, and issues future meetings will need to address.
Guest Speakers: Panos Zachariadis, Thanos Theocharis, KC Wong,
Emmanuel Vergetis and Stamatis Fradelos
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MEPC 82 Expectations
Guest Speakers
Panos Zachariadis
Technical Director, Atlantic Bulk Carriers Management
Thanos Theocharis
Senior Manager, Regulatory Affairs, Republic of the Marshall Islands Registry
The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) is at the center of the action for the shipping industry’s decarbonization.
With MEPC’s 82nd session coming up, we had several IMO delegates from across the industry join Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, to discuss what they expect from the meeting, the hottest topics that will be discussed, and issues future meetings will need to address.
KC Wong
Senior Technical Manager, INTERTANKO
Emmanuel Vergetis
Greece Region Representative, INTERCARGO
Stamatis Fradelos
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, ABS
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On this episode of Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, Eric VanDerHorn, ABS Technology Manager, joins host John Snyder, Managing Editor of Riviera Maritime Media, to discuss digital twins and the potential benefits for the maritime industry.
Guest Speaker: Eric VanDerHorn
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Demystifying Digital Twins for Maritime
Guest Speakers
Eric VanDerHorn
Technology Manager, ABS
Eric VanDerHorn is a Technology Manager for ABS. He supports digital transformation in the maritime industry by developing and qualifying cutting-edge technologies such as digital twins, smart functions, structural health monitoring, asset integrity management, predictive analytics, and condition-based Class programs. Eric holds a bachelor’s and master’s in mechanical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and a doctorate in civil engineering with a focus on uncertainty quantification from Vanderbilt University.
Digital twins have captured the maritime industry’s attention amid the global journey toward digitalization and decarbonization.
However, confusion remains about what exactly a digital twin is, what it isn’t and how it can be used.
On this episode of Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, Eric VanDerHorn, ABS Technology Manager, joins host John Snyder, Managing Editor of Riviera Maritime Media, to discuss digital twins and the potential benefits for the maritime industry.
If you like this episode, share it with your friends, leave a review, or send feedback to podcast@eagle.org. More episodes are available at www.eagle.org/podcast and all major podcast platforms.
On this episode of Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, Jan Chow, Senior Manager of Applications and Services Engineering for Amogy, and Michael Kei, Vice President of Technology for ABS, joined host Brad Cox to discuss Amogy’s ammonia cracking technology, the company’s ammonia-powered tugboat, and ammonia safety.
Guest Speakers: Jan Chow and Michael Kei
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Ammonia Cracking with Amogy
Guest Speakers
Jan Chow
Amogy Senior Manager of Applications and Services Engineering
Michael Kei
ABS Vice President of Technology
Ammonia offers interesting potential as a zero-carbon marine fuel. Several companies are developing technologies to support ammonia’s application by taking advantage of its energy density and mitigating its toxicity risks.
Jan Chow, Senior Manager of Applications and Services Engineering for Amogy, and Michael Kei, Vice President of Technology for ABS, joined host Brad Cox on this episode of Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, to discuss Amogy’s ammonia cracking technology, the company’s ammonia-powered tugboat, and ammonia safety.
This special episode of Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, was recorded on board the Signet Capella tugboat at the Enbridge Ingleside Energy Center near Corpus Christi, Texas. The Signet Sirius, sistership of the Signet Capella, was the first commercial U.S. vessel designed, built and verified using an end-to-end 3D design process.
Guest Speakers: Tim McCallum, Dmitry Kapiturov and Scott Sienkiewicz
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3D Design with
Signet and RAL
Guest Speakers
Tim McCallum
Signet Senior Vice President of Engineering
Dmitry Kapiturov
Robert Allan Ltd. Production Design Manager
The emergence of 3D model-based design for maritime is changing the way ships are designed, engineered, built and classed.
In this episode, Signet Maritime Corporation Senior Vice President of Engineering Tim McCallum, Robert Allan Ltd. Production Design Manager Dmitry Kapiturov and ABS Senior Engineer Scott Sienkiewicz joined host Brad Cox to discuss the Signet Capella, the Signet Sirius and the impact of 3D design on maritime engineering.
Scott Sienkiewicz
ABS Senior Engineer
Craig Carter, Thordon Bearings Vice President of Business Development, and Chris Leontopoulos, ABS Vice President of Technology, joined host Brad Cox on this episode of Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, to discuss the Blue Ocean Alliance’s design for a sterntubeless propeller shaft bearing arrangement and its potential for the maritime industry.
Guest Speakers: Craig Carter and Chris Leontopoulos
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Sterntubeless Design
with Thordon
Guest Speakers
Craig Carter
Thordon Bearings Vice President of Business Development
Chris Leontopoulos
ABS Vice President of Technology
A revolutionary vessel design with a novel aft layout could reduce a vessel’s environmental impact and promote efficient operations.
Craig Carter, Thordon Bearings Vice President of Business Development, and Chris Leontopoulos, ABS Vice President of Technology, joined host Brad Cox on this episode of Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, to discuss the Blue Ocean Alliance’s design for a sterntubeless propeller shaft bearing arrangement and its potential for the maritime industry.
Learn more about the sterntubeless design from the ABS Requirements for Sterntubeless Vessels with Water Lubricated Bearings.
