SAFETY LEADERSHIP | DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY
CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE
R
apid change and complex challenges characterize today’s maritime world. Success in this environment requires a strong position on safety, digital and sustainability fronts, and just as importantly, the vision and commitment to lead industry transformation. Such an organization needs a solid foundation, resident expertise and ambition to navigate the uncertainties and instabilities that are the new norm in the maritime industry—and to emerge from them better, stronger and smarter, as an enterprise that continues to post positive performance across the board. This is ABS. This new norm of constant change and challenge combines the regulatory expansion that has been shaping our industry since the 1990s, with the tsunami of possibilities presented by the breathtaking rate of change in computing, communications and emerging technologies. During 2018—in the face of these continually evolving forces—improvements in global economic growth, energy price stabilization, stronger industry fundamentals and pending regulatory expectations paved the way for ABS to grow our classed fleet to 260 million gross tons (gt), maintain our 70-year-strong leadership position in the global offshore market, lead the industry in safety and port State performance, and seize the top position in the global orderbook. At the same time, we continued to be a leading force in the digital transformation, driving innovation on which industry will build a sustainable future and open new pathways to success, through improved performance, better cyber security protection of assets, and clearly identified opportunities to achieve decarbonization goals. Most importantly, throughout this year of achievement, ABS maintained its focus on safety and reliability, the foundation of our efforts since our beginning in 1862. We are especially proud that our financial and operational successes in 2018 were accompanied
2 | ANNUAL REVIEW 2018 | ABS
