Sustainability Summit 2023

9:00 AM GMT+1 10:00 AM CDT

Whether exploring new technologies or implementing alternative fuel options, lessons learned and insights gained across industries will help drive collaboration among key stakeholders within the maritime community and lead to smarter and more sustainable operations. In this year’s Sustainability Summit, ABS and other leading voices will explore the emerging fuel value chains and the impact they will have on the evolving green shipping ecosystem and the global energy transition. ABS will present the findings from its 2023 Sustainability Outlook, which examines the latest regulations and technologies, as well as the current state of the carbon, ammonia and hydrogen value chains.

About the event

Wednesday, September 27th, 2023

September 27, 2023

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AGENDA

EVENT

SPEAKERS

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Mette Asmussen

Lead for Maritime Sector Initiatives, The World Economic Forum

Mette Asmussen is the Lead for Maritime Sector Initiatives at the World Economic Forum covering industry decarbonization for the shipping sector as part of the Center for Nature and Climate. The World Economic Forum has incubated a number of specific initiatives and is ongoingly exploring how to leverage industry action to create impact. She has previously worked in the maritime sector five years in A.P. Moller Maersk and has experience from the public sector through roles in the Danish Ministry for Business and as Maritime Advisor for the Danish Foreign Affairs covering North America based at the Danish Embassy in Washington, D.C. She holds a master in Economics from the University of Southern Denmark.

Julian Bray

Editor-in-Chief, Tradewinds

Julian Bray is Editor-in-Chief of TradeWinds, the shipping business news publisher which since its launch 25 years ago has become a reference point for decision makers in the industry. During a career in business journalism, he has won awards for both reporting and editing and built a track record of product innovation having lead numerous newspaper, magazine and website launches and relaunches. In addition to his specialist knowledge of maritime commerce, he has also been a Correspondent for the Reuters news agency, written for national newspapers and magazines, and made television and radio appearances. Away from the office, a love of the natural work often takes him to wild and mountainous regions to walk, cycle, climb and watch wildlife with family and friends. He also has a passionate interest in politics, culture and music.

Emanuele Grimaldi

President & MD Grimaldi Euromed SpA, & ICS Board Member ITALY International Chamber of Shipping - ICS Chair

Emanuele Grimaldi has covered top managerial positions within the Grimaldi Group, both in Italy and abroad. Within the Group’s organigram, he has gradually taken the helm of the Euro-Mediterranean short sea services and motorways of the sea network, thus heavily contributing to their remarkable development over the last 20 years. Being currently President & Managing Director of Grimaldi Euromed SpA, Managing Director of Grimaldi Group SpA and Board Member of Grimaldi Deepsea SpA, President and CEO of Finnlines Plc, President of Minoan Lines and Malta Motorways of the Sea and Board Member of ACL. He is ICS Chairman, Past President of Confitarma (Italian Shipowners’ Association), Vice President of MISC (Maltese Shipowners’ Association) as well as Board Member and Past President of ECSA (European Community Shipowners’ Associations), Board Member of Interferry Inc. and Board Member of Rina SpA.

Sophie Parker

Transport Economist, The World Bank

Sophie Parker is a Transport Economist at The World Bank. She leads the group’s work on energy efficiency within the World Bank’s program on decarbonizing maritime transport. She is a lead author of the Poseidon Principles, Poseidon Principles for Marine Insurance and SBTi’s Maritime Guidance and served as technical advisor to the Poseidon Principles and Poseidon Principles for Marine Insurance while at UMAS. Sophie has a PhD from UCL in Energy and Economics, where she studied the spatial nature and role of energy efficiency in tanker markets.

Bud Darr

Executive Vice President, Maritime Policy and Government Affairs, MSC Group

Bud Darr is an experienced global maritime leader in the areas of policy, government, and related law, Bud Darr is Executive Vice President, Maritime Policy and Government Affairs of MSC Group which operates in 155 countries. Today, he is engaged across MSC's Cargo and Passenger divisions, continuing to develop and refine the company's central Government Affairs function, based at the Group's headquarters in Geneva. He is closely involved in MSC's response to developments in environmental public policy and regulation and other industry-wide issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, maritime security, safety at sea, and international shipping policy. He serves on the Boards for the UK Chamber of Shipping, BIMCO, International Chamber of Shipping, Liberian Shipowners' Council, and Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel.

Neville Smith

Director, Mariner Communications

Neville founded Mariner Communications in 2010 to provide PR, media and digital marketing consultancy services for a broad range of maritime industry companies. He previously spent 16 years as a senior editor at Informa Maritime & Transport and held a series of leadership positions on Lloyd’s List, covering shipping, sustainability, technology and marine fuels. www.maritimeinsight.com

Panos Koutsourakis

Vice President, Global Sustainability, ABS

Panos Koutsourakis serves as Vice President of Global Sustainability for ABS, responsible for driving the ABS sustainability strategy and assisting shipowners and operators with achieving their sustainability goals through industry-leading support and digital solutions. He leads the ABS Global Sustainability Centers of Excellence, the Global Gas Solutions team and the Digital Sustainability team strategically placed around the globe to align with major shipping and offshore hubs.

Christopher J. Wiernicki

Chairman and CEO, ABS

Christopher J. Wiernicki is Chairman and CEO of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Chairman of ABS’ Affiliated Companies. Mr. Wiernicki has over 35 years of extensive commercial, government and international experience in marine and offshore design, operations, infrastructure and safety management, ports and bunkering, digitalization, cybersecurity, and clean energy transition. He is a serving member of the President’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC), which advises the White House on how to reduce risks and improve the resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructure sectors.

Christopher Fee

Director Global Engagement and Sustainability Oldendorff Carriers

Christopher Fee is currently Director Global Engagement and Sustainability at Oldendorff Carriers, where he has been working for the dry bulk owner and operator since 2013. Christopher moved to the company’s Fleet Department in 2015 to establish a Green Ship Desk and is now engaged in Oldendorff’s sustainability and industry engagement activities. He has been a Member of BIMCO’s Marine Environment Committee since inception, and presently chairs their Sub-Group on Alternative Fuels. He recently joined the Board of the Liberian Shipowners’ Council and was on the Executive Committee of the Clean Shipping Alliance from its inception in 2018, resigning as Vice Chair in 2022.

Remarks

Dr. Eamonn Beirne

Welcome and Introduction

Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS Chairman and CEO

Lead for Maritime Sector Initiatives, The World Economic Forum

Transport Economist, The World Bank

Editor-in-Chief, TradeWinds

Director Global Engagement and Sustainability, Oldendorff Carriers

Executive Vice President, Maritime Policy and Government Affairs, MSC Group

Panel Discussion

Mette Asmussen Christopher Fee

Bud Darr

Sophie Parker Moderator - Julian Bray

Fireside Chat – Behind the Scenes of the Sustainability Outlook

Panos Koutsourakis, Neville Smith,

ABS Vice President, Global Sustainability

Director, Mariner Communications

Keynote

International Chamber of Shipping Chair President & MD Grimaldi Euromed SpA, & ICS Board Member ITALY

Emanuele Grimaldi

Deputy Director, UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) at Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom

Eamonn Beirne

Deputy Director, UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom

Eamonn has worked in the UK Department for Transport for 20 years. Much of his career has been dedicated to the decarbonisation of the transport sector and supporting new emerging technologies, including: delivery of the UK’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure, building the case for high speed rail development, the safe growth of the unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) and autonomous aircraft UK markets, R&D into low and zero emission aircraft, and the delivery of legislation for commercial spaceflight in the UK. Eamonn has also been Private Secretary to several previous Transport Ministers. Eamonn is currently the Deputy Director for UK SHORE, a Department for Transport (DfT) R&D programme accelerating the technology necessary to decarbonise the sector. He also responsible for policy and regulations to decarbonise the domestic maritime sector and is currently working on delivering the update to the Clean Maritime Plan.

9:00 AM GMT+1 (Europe)

virtual airing

10:00 AM CDT (US)

9:00 AM GMT+1 (Europe)

10:00 AM CDT (USA)

9:00 AM GMT+1 (Europe)

10:00 AM CDT (USA)

9:00 AM GMT+1 (Europe)

10:00 AM CDT (US)

If you were unable to attend the in-person Sustainability Summit, register at the link below to view the online version to hear from our expert panellists and to learn about key takeaways from the latest ABS Outlook publication.