ABS racks up industry firsts in Middle East expansion

Class society ABS has continued to invest in the Middle East, boosting its employee headcount and achieving multiple industry firsts in its own projects and collaborations with companies across the region.

Dheeraj Sharma, ABS Vice President of Regional Business Development, Middle East and Africa, told Seatrade that the past year has been one of engagement and outreach for ABS across the region, leveraging its recently-opened LNG Academy to support local stakeholders and proactively engaging with maritime bodies and authorities to establish links that create opportunities for closer cooperation across the industry.

The Middle East workforce of ABS now totals more than 100 employees, including 80 surveyors and 12 engineers. Its employees play a pivotal role in supporting maritime safety and decarbonisation, as well as supporting the company’s strategy of using digitalisation to empower shipowners to navigate regulatory complexities and seize future opportunities in fleet development, said Sharma.

Industry Firsts

Supporting the ongoing acceleration and expansion of Saudi Arabia’s shipping and offshore industries, ABS awarded Rawabi Vallianz Offshore Services the International Code of Safety for Ships Carrying Industrial Personnel (IP code) Safety of Navigation (SOC) certificates for their four vessels: Rawabi 501, Rawabi 502, Rawabi 503, and Rawabi 504.

Rawabi is the first company in Saudi Arabia to both apply for and successfully obtain the SOC certification, demonstrating their dedication to maritime safety and operational excellence, said Sharma.

The company has also supported groundbreaking firsts within its own organisation. Wala Alduhaim, the first female marine surveyor in Saudi Arabia, has been sharing her first-hand experiences as a trailblazer in the region and profession at industry conferences, establishing herself as a role model alongside her day-to-day duties as a surveyor. Alduhaim has given a glowing review of her time at ABS so far and, as her time at the company approached one year, she is looking ahead to further accomplishments and success in the industry. As Alduhaim said in a recent social media post, “this is only the beginning.”

Sharma notes that ABS is helping to break down barriers elsewhere in the region too. “By hiring and nurturing the first female surveyors in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as the first Emirati female engineer, ABS highlights its commitment to diversity and inclusivity, enhancing organisational capabilities and perspectives,” he said.

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This article is part of the Seatrade Maritime Middle East Report 2024