Future Shipping & Advanced Technology: BV Leads Industry Dialogue on Decarbonization and Digitalization

Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) hosted the 2025 Future Shipping & Advanced Technology Workshop in Shanghai on May 14, bringing together maritime leaders and technical experts to explore pathways toward decarbonization, technological innovation, and industry transformation. 

The event highlighted how BV’s Future Shipping Team (FST) supports maritime stakeholders through customized sustainability strategies and end-to-end technical frameworks that help them rise to the complexities of the energy transition.

In his opening remarks, Alex Gregg-Smith, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific (APA), Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, emphasized the urgency for the maritime industry to accelerate its transition to a low-carbon future. He said: “Transition Services lie at the core of BV’s strategy to support this transformation. We established the Future Shipping Team — bringing together over 300 experts worldwide — to deliver customized technical solutions that help our stakeholders navigate the energy transition.”

Providing a global strategic perspective, Subajan Sivandran, Director of Strategy, M&A, and Advanced Services, outlined the FST’s roadmap across 15 workstreams, ranging from alternative fuels and digitalization to emerging areas such as nuclear energy. The FST consists of a network of BV Subject Matter Experts across Bureau Veritas supporting our customers that want to challenge the status quo of the marine and offshore industry and make future proof choices around sustainability, technology and innovation.

From a regional perspective, Dr. Huatao Jiang, Director of Innovation and Future Shipping Team, and Marketing Director in North Asia, showcased initiatives such as green ship certification for methanol-fueled vessels and developments in smart shipping, including remote survey technologies. He stressed the importance of adapting global solutions to the specific regulatory and operational needs of the region.

The workshop also explored energy efficiency solutions and operational excellence. Gerrit Bunt, Sustainability Manager in North Asia, presented a three-step decarbonization framework built on digital energy monitoring, supply chain optimization, and crew training. He shared a real-world case in which a container ship achieved 12% annual fuel savings through the application of this approach. Complementing this, Daniel Song, Head of BV’s Sustainability Center in China, presented BV’s latest standards for alternative fuel vessel surveys (e.g., LNG-powered ships) and carbon capture technologies (CCUS). Emphasizing a technology-neutral stance, he explained how BV helps stakeholders evaluate the most appropriate energy pathway — be it methanol, ammonia, or hydrogen — based on their specific needs.

Other BV experts also offered insight into cutting-edge technologies shaping the future of shipping. Dr. Sime Malenica, Deputy Director of Research, presented new developments in seakeeping and hydrodynamics, including hull designs that reduce wave resistance by up to 15%. Dr. Xiaobo Chen, Research Director, discussed advancements in AI-based ship structural health monitoring systems, which now achieve up to 92% fault prediction accuracy through real-time stress analysis. Dr. George Jagite, Research Engineer, explored the role of AI and machine learning in voyage optimization, demonstrating how advanced routing algorithms can reduce travel time by approximately 5%.

The workshop underscored BV’s “global expertise, local execution” model. While advanced technical frameworks are developed at the international level, implementation is guided by regional teams who ensure solutions are practical and aligned with local priorities, such as electric vessel inspection standards for the Yangtze River Basin. 

At Bureau Veritas, we understand the challenges our stakeholders face in designing, building, and operating a truly sustainable maritime business. To learn how our Future Shipping Team can transform global technical expertise into tailored pathways, Find Your Path with us: https://marine-offshore.bureauveritas.com/find-your-path