• CERAWeek
  • March 18 - 22, 2024
  • About

Christopher Wiernicki

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)

Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer

Christopher J. Wiernicki is Chairman, President and CEO of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Chairman of the ABS Group of Companies, Inc. ABS is a leading global maritime technical and standards organization and risk management company. 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. Mr. Wiernicki s 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. He is also a member of the International Maritime Hall of Fame, was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, and was selected as a member of the Marine Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Mr. Wiernicki holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Vanderbilt and was inducted to Vanderbilt University School of Engineering Academy of Distinguished Alumni. He holds a master’s degree in structural engineering from George Washington University where he was elected to the George Washington University Engineering Hall of Fame. Wiernicki also holds a master’s degree in ocean engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and completed Harvard University’s Advanced Management Program. Wiernicki also received honorary Doctor of Science degrees from Maine Maritime Academy and SUNY Maritime College, and an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology.

Sessions With Christopher Wiernicki

Wednesday, 8 March

  • 10:30am - 11:00am (CST) / 08/mar/2023 04:30 pm - 08/mar/2023 05:00 pm

    Hydrogen and IMO 2050

    International Maritime Organizations 2050 goals for decarbonizing shipping require GHG emissions to drop by half compared with 2008. Low-carbon hydrogen carriers like ammonia and methanol can meet the challenge but they require ship and harbor redesign. What measures are necessary to accommodate hydrogen carriers? How does this impact shipping operations? Where are the technologies that can propel low carbon shipping? How can the industry navigate through these obstacles?
  • 11:30am - 12:00pm (CST) / 08/mar/2023 05:30 pm - 08/mar/2023 06:00 pm

    Decarbonization: Learnings from the shipping industry

    The global shipping industry is pursuing ambitious net-zero goals, led by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). A switch to carbon neutral fuels is a major part of this. What will be the winning solutions—biofuels, e-fuels, ammonia, hydrogen, wind or fossil fuels with CCS? What range of primary energy sources will the shipping industry depend on to meet its net-zero goals? What scope is there for new innovations?