Meet Leo Nguyen, Senior Surveyor, ABL Houston
The team at ABL Group shares the passion, vision and values for working in energy and the world’s oceans, de-risking and driving the energy transition. We are driven by the idea that the best work is born from professionalism, diligence… and fun. You know ABL Group, but do you know our team?
Give us a glimpse into your day-to-day life at ABL. What keeps you on your toes?
No two days are the same, which is one of the things I enjoy most. My role involves a mix of fieldwork, reporting, and client engagement.
What keeps me sharp is the need to adapt quickly, dynamic problem solving and being solution oriented. The pace and variety keep me engaged.
What drew you to our industry and what keeps you passionate about it?
I’ve always been drawn to maritime operations, and marine surveying offers technical challenge and tangible group goal. What keeps me focused is knowing that our work directly contributes to efficiency and informed decision-making across the industry.
Can you tell us about something exciting you are working on right now?
I’m currently working with a colleague on an offloading operation on the North Slope of Alaska, overseeing the discharge of a saltwater treatment barge from a heavy lift vessel, towing to a grave site, and ballasting into its final position.
What do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities for marine surveying in the coming years, especially with evolving technologies and regulations?
One of the biggest challenges is keeping pace with digital transformation – AI, remote inspections, and data analytics are reshaping how we work.
At the same time, these technologies present huge opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy, and safety.
Beyond the work, what’s your favourite part about being part of the ABL Group team in Houston? Any fun team moments you’d like to share?
What I love most about the ABL Group team is everyone is so supportive and solution-oriented, going from handling high pressure situations to enjoying local BBQ and having a laugh.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
I’d like to see standardisation in reporting formats and data sharing across the industry. It would streamline collaboration and reduce inefficiencies, especially on multi-party projects. Greater consistency would help newer professionals get up to speed and improve overall transparency.
More about Leo
Position: Senior Marine Surveyor
Office: Houston, Texas
Hobbies: The Great Outdoors, Surfing, Paddleboarding, Powered Paragliding, Photography & Videography
Favourite Books: The Alchemist & The Energy Bus
ABL brings together the deepest pool of multi-disciplinary expertise to support all areas of shipping, from early advisory and technical due diligence, navigational planning, early engineering, vessel design and modifications, through to operations, with surveys, inspections and audits as well as world-class marine warranty survey, to supporting in the minimising of losses with marine casualty management, salvage and wreck removal, and expert witness work.