After 14 years at the helm of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), ABS Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki has announced that he will step down and retire at the end of this year.
Wiernicki’s departure was announced during the ABS Annual Membership Meeting. “We have faced many challenges during my tenure, including the pandemic, the marine and offshore industry downturn and unprecedented, and disruptive technology and regulatory driven change,” he told the 163rd ABS Annual Members Meeting in Houston. “In spite of these events, we were able to move forward with a number of strategic investments that have allowed us to become an industry recognized technology and safety leader.”
Wiernicki has more than 35 years of commercial, government and international experience in the fields of offshore and offshore design, operations, infrastructure and safety management, ports and bunkering, digitization, cybersecurity and clean energy transition.
In 2013, Wiernicki was awarded the Vice Admiral Emory S ’Jerry’ Land Medal by the American Society of Naval Architects and Maritime Engineers for his outstanding achievements in the maritime field; in 2016, he was awarded the United Service of Seafarers’ Ocean Admiral Award for his outstanding contributions to the maritime industry and became a member of the International Maritime Hall of Fame in 2016.
In 2017, Wiernicki was named Massachusetts Maritime Academy Person of the Year; and in 2018, was recognized by Tanker Shipping & Trading magazine as one of the 50 most influential people in the tanker and trading industry.
In 2021, Wiernicki was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in recognition of his innovative leadership in the design, engineering and operation of ships and offshore structures; is a Fellow of the American Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and serves on numerous university boards of trustees and advisory committees.
In 2022, Wiernicki was elected as a member of the Ocean Council of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine of the United States; in March 2023, he took up a position on the Singapore Maritime International Advisory Panel (IAP), which was established by the Ministry of Transport and Maritime of Singapore and the Port Authority of Singapore to seek global perspectives on key trends affecting the development of the maritime industry.
In addition, prior to becoming chairman and CEO of ABS, Wiernicki served as chairman of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) and held senior positions at ABS as president and chief operating officer, chief technology officer and president and chief operating officer of ABS Europe Ltd.
According to a statement from ABS, John McDonald, ABS’s current President and Chief Operating Officer, is expected to take over Wiernicki’s related duties on January 1, 2026, pending an election by the ABS Board of Directors.