ABS’ Liu Receives USCG Meritorious Public Service Award

Dr. Donald Liu, executive vice president and chief technology officer, ABS, has been awarded the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Meritorious Public Service Award in recognition of his contributions to marine safety. Rear Admiral Paul Pluta presented the award to Liu on behalf of the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard at this year's Offshore Technology Conference in Houston. It is the second highest public recognition award given to a civilian by the organization. "Dr. Liu's outstanding leadership and dedication to marine safety and environmental protection are most heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard," said Pluta. Liu, a 36-year veteran of ABS and the "Father of ABS SafeHull," believes technology is the servant of safety." Liu, and the technology team at ABS, first developed the Dynamic Loading Approach (DLA) to assess the structural strength of vessels, and then extended that pioneering approach with the development of the innovative SafeHull system. SafeHull is a dynamic-based ship design evaluation system founded on engineering first principles. SafeHull has received widespread industry recognition as one of the most significant technical contributions toward enhanced ship safety and the consequent protection of life, property and the environment, in recent years. The technical superiority of SafeHull has contributed to a surge of newbuilding contracts placed to ABS class, particularly for tankers, containerships and bulk carriers. "I have had a life-long career dedicated to marine structural safety and it is most gratifying to know this work translates into safer transportation and protection of the natural environment," said Liu.