MARI UGLAND

The ABS Board of Directors has elected John McDonald as the new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ABS at a board meeting on November 11.In the culmination of a well-planned succession process, McDonald, the serving ABS President and Chief Operating Officer, will take over on January 1, 2026, when present ABS Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki retires.“I am honored to lead this remarkable organization," said McDonald in a release announcing the appointment. "I do so with deep respect for the legacy of technical excellence and steadfast commitment to safety that has guided ABS for more than 160 years.

On October 28, 2025 U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries, convened the Senate hearing “Sea Change: Reviving Commercial Shipbuilding”. This hearing examined how to modernize and accelerate U.S. commercial shipbuilding while strengthening a larger maritime industrial base.Senator Sullivan opened with a statement that included: “Our nation faces a critical strategic challenge as foreign competitors, especially China, lead global shipbuilding while our domestic capacity remains very limited.

A new generation of hybrid vessels is demonstrating significant gains in both fuel economy and operational output. For Olympic Subsea’s owner and CEO Stig Remøy, it proves that technology-led efficiency is the fastest path to decarbonization—and a powerful business case.When Stig Remøy began pivoting Olympic Subsea toward subsea and renewables a decade ago, the move was met with some internal skepticism. “Naturally, there were internal discussions — some believed oil and gas was the future,” he recalled. Rather than exit the conventional market, Remøy backed a dual-track strategy centered on a simple, guiding principle: cut energy use first.

As oil exploration and production goes, so goes the market for Offshore Service Vessels (OSVs) and Platform Supply Vessels (PSVs). Throughout 2025, the prices of oil- which drives exploration and production (E & P), have softened, moving down towards $60/barrel amidst economic uncertainty and a wider than anticipated opening of the taps by major oil producers. In the past year, the Baker Hughes overall count of U.S. rigs working has declined. September 2025’s U.S. Rig count of 537 was down from a year earlier figure close to 600.The overall numbers for rigs deployed mirror the offshore rig counts.

Whether you're in offshore wind, grid operations, geotechnical engineering, or digital transformation, this session, in conjunction with Offshore Engineer, will offer actionable insights, live demos, and expert opinions on:Why cable heat matters — from environmental impact to dynamic ratingHow to build better ground models using connected workflows and 3D subsurface dataHow thermal analysis drives smarter decisions with predictive modeling for route design and optimizationWhy Attend?Subsea cable heating is more than a technical challenge — it’s a strategic opportunity.