ABS opens technology center in Busan

   Ship classification society ABS has opened a technology center in Busan, South Korea.
   Researchers at the ABS Korea Energy Technology Center (KETC) will work independently and in partnership with local industry, universities and government to develop technology for the offshore and energy industries in Korea.
   Research areas will include offshore surface and subsea systems, oil and gas exploration and production, LNG technology, renewable energy development, alternative fuels and environmental efficiency.
   KETC, staffed locally by research engineers, will have access to resources at the ABS global technology headquarters in Houston as well as ABS offshore technology centers around the world.
   “Korea’s yards are at the forefront of the global shipbuilding industry, and I believe the vision and initiative that have made Korea a leader in the marine industry can be similarly applied in other areas of specialization,” ABS President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher J. Wiernicki said in a statement.
   This objective dovetails with the efforts of the South Korean government, which according to Sang Jick Yoon, vice minister of the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, is developing offshore energy resources through R&D and investment in human resource. “In view of this, it is all the more timely that ABS has established the Korea Energy Technology Center in the port city of Busan, which will serve to promote technology development not only in Korea but in Asia more broadly,” he said.