Technical Authority News

The American Salvage Association (ASA) announced that Mike Dean has been appointed Executive Director. In this role, Dean is responsible for providing strategic leadership and direction to the organization and ensuring that ASA’s mission and objectives are achieved. He oversees day-to-day operations, financial management, government affairs, working committees and ASA staff. Dean reports to ASA’s president, Joseph Farrell, III and works closely with ASA’s Executive Committee.Dean is an industry veteran…

Ammonia power solutions company Amogy on Wednesday announced it has completed its Technology Verification phase with classification society Lloyd’s Register.This includes the assessment and certification of novel technologies through its Technology Qualification process where novel technologies are evaluated in terms of their technology maturity and associated risks. The first phase was undertaken in 2022, during which the technology readiness level of its core components and system interfaces were identified and assessed.

U.K.-based shipping, navigation, and maritime risk consultancy NASH Maritime announced it has appointed James Clark as governance lead, responsible for the development of the company’s port and maritime compliance business.Clark brings to the role two decades of both maritime risk and mariner experience. He started his career at sea, before joining Bristol Port Company as Assistant Harbor Master and later becoming responsible for VTS and shipping operations. Other roles have included Vessel Traffic Management and Ports Liaison with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

BMT welcomed Catriona Savage to the role of Technical Assurance Director, responsible for its global technical authority. She re-joins BMT from a role as the Chair in Naval Architecture and an Honorary Professor at University College London. Previously, she was the Technical Director for BMT’s UK defense business.The Technical Assurance Director is a key leadership role and one that directly supports the successful delivery of business to BMT’s customers across all territories.

A new information paper on assurance of dynamic positioning (DP) system failure mode and effects analysis (FMEAs) seeks to improve the process of identifying all possible consequences and failures of DP systems.Entitled ‘Dynamic Positioning Failure Mode and Effects Analysis Assurance Framework, Risk-based Guidance’, the new information paper has been published by the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF), a global voluntary association, providing expertise in the safe…

The Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) announced the resignation of long-time Vice President, Richard Wells. Subsequently, OMSA announced the association will be hiring Chad Fuhrmann as Director of Regulatory Affairs in June.OMSA President, Aaron Smith said, “We are sorry to see Richard go, he has loyally served OMSA and the offshore industry for more than 10 years. We wish he and his wife, Joan, the best as they move to the next stage of their lives.”Chairman of the OMSA Board of Directors…

Vryhof, a provider of anchoring and mooring solutions, said it is expanding its global footprint with its companies Deep Sea Mooring (DSM) opening a new office in Aberdeen and Vryhof Anchors appointing Singapore-based Franklin Offshore as its exclusive representative for selling Vryhof solutions in a number of Asia Pacific countries. “In an industry that has seen considerable negativity over the past year, this is a real statement of intent by Vryhof on our ambitions to expand our products and services in new markets and meet increased demand,” said Wolfgang Wandl, CEO of Vryhof.

Pirie & Smith, marine consultants and surveyors to the marine and energy sectors, has appointed Russell Hodge to head up its new Dynamic Positioning (DP) Engineering and Assurance Division. Hodge, who has more than 30 years’ experience on a global level, joins the company as Dynamic Positioning Technical Authority. He is an expert in the fields of DP, failure mode and effect analysis, DP trials and audits, accident investigation and the design of shipboard power and control systems.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has awarded a follow-on $9 million Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) to ABSG Consulting Inc., an ABS Group company (ABS Group). ABS Group will provide a range of Human Systems Integration (HSI) support to the USCG's Human Systems Integration Office (CG-1B3), which is the USCG's technical authority for human systems integration (HSI). The BPA will cover acquisition support, project identification, usability analyses, testing, user facilitation and documentation services. As the USCG embarks on several new acquisition programs, including the Offshore Patrol Cutter and the Polar Ice Breaker, ABS Group will assist CG-1B3 and its partners within the USCG Acquisitions Directorate (CG-9)…

Last month we were offered an in-depth discussion on marine salvage with Captain Gregg W. Baumann, U.S. Navy, Director of Ocean Engineering, Supervisor of Salvage and Diving. Captain Baumann and his team have a long history regarding difficult missions accomplished, including most recently the location and filming of the lost TOTE containership El Faro. What is the scope of the responsibility of the Supervisor of Salvage & Diving; Director of Ocean Engineering? The responsibilities of the Supervisor of Salvage & Diving…

Wood Group has appointed three senior engineering specialists who will lead a new team of up to 20 people in the UK to further build Wood Group’s capability in vibration, dynamics and noise. This follows the acquisition of BETA Machinery Analysis, a Calgary-based engineering consultancy specializing in advanced vibration analysis, and will include the opening of a Southampton office in January 2016. Mark Hutchinson will become operations manager of Wood Group’s UK vibration team, Jonathon Baker joins as sales and business development manager and Rob Swindell will take on the role of R&D and technical authority. These appointments bolster Wood Group’s integrity management capability by adding subsea vibration and fatigue experience to its onshore expertise.

In the beginning of May, the crew on Maersk Discoverer reached a great milestone when they finalised their latest well two months ahead of time. The well was another East Nile Delta success for BP, discovering 50 m of gas pay in high-quality Oligocene sandstones. On 5 May, Maersk Discoverer completed the deepest well ever drilled in Egypt and the longest ever drilled in the Mediterranean Sea. What makes the well an even greater success is that it was drilled in 234 days, which was a staggering 62 days ahead of BP’s AFE target, thus creating a substantial cost saving. “The strong performance is a result of the dedicated use of the ‘Plan Do Study Act’ methodology in the planning and execution of the work.

ABS, a provider of maritime and offshore classification services, appointed Dr. Richard Korpus as Chief Scientist, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). In the Chief Scientist role, Korpus will support the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and the organization through his focus on developing and applying CFD technology. "We see technology as the road forward," said ABS Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki. The creation of this Chief Scientist position is the most recent step in the continuing process of technology investment at ABS.

Companies operating in the marine science and ocean technology have only one more month to submit an abstract for next year’s Oceanology International 2014 conference. Taking place at London ExCeL between Tuesday and Thursday, March 11 and 13, 2014, the next Oceanology International is due to be the busiest of its series, with already 86.6% of exhibition spacebooked and eightone-day conference programs taking place alongside three new panel discussions. Professor Ralph Rayner is again the overall conference chairman, and that many key players in the relevant sectors have agreed to chair a program in their area of expertise. Dr. Professor Michael Bruno, Dean, Stevens Institute of Technology, U.S. Justin Crump, CEO, Sibyline Risk and Security Consultancy, U.K.

Rear Admiral Mark “Buz” Buzby, commander of the Military Sealift Command, sat with Maritime Reporter contributing editor Edward Lundquist talked with a week before his retirement aboard USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) at Little Creek, Virginia, on May 10, 2013. The talk centered on a unique event in maritime history. MSC had seven ships in the area east of Japan, responding to the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed 19,000 people. One of them was the fast combat support ship USNS Bridge (T-AOE 10)…

OceanWorks International has again been authorized by the U.S. Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Note 5000 to perform Deep Submergence Systems Scope of Certification (DSS SOC) work in support of designated submarine rescue and intervention systems. The authorization is a renewal of the existing Note 5000 authorization which has been held by OceanWorks International since September 8th, 2011. The authorization is based on OceanWorks International having demonstrated, as verified by regular NAVSEA audits…

This contract includes regeneration of the current Rolls-Royce submarine reactor core manufacturing facility in Derby. The Group will introduce the latest technology and manufacturing techniques to deliver increased efficiencies committed by the MoD and industry as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review. Under this contract Rolls-Royce will continue to maintain and operate its existing reactor core manufacturing facility in Derby, UK. In parallel the Group will complete a phased rebuild to provide a leading-edge manufacturing facility with the highest standards of safety to support future MoD programme needs. Rolls-Royce is the UK’s lead company…

Stevens alum Robert G. Keane Jr. (M. Eng. ’67) will receive the Gibbs Brothers Medal from the National Academy of Sciences, a nonprofit institution that recognizes achievement in science and provides science, technology and health policy advice to the federal government and other organizations. The Gibbs Brothers Medal is awarded every three years for outstanding contributions in the field of naval architecture and marine engineering. It was established through the Gibbs Brothers Fund by gift of William Francis Gibbs and Frederic H. Gibbs and is presented with a $20,000 prize.

National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) late last week held the keel-laying ceremony for the first ship in the T-AKE program, a new class of combat logistics force ships designated the Lewis and Clark class. "The keel-laying ceremony signifies the exciting beginning of a long production run on a new class of ships," said Richard Vortmann, president of NASSCO. "The T-AKE contract will have a profound economic impact on NASSCO and San Diego," he added, "providing sustained employment for 1…

ABS has signed a formal Cooperative Agreement with the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) further strengthening its longstanding relationship with the US Navy. The agreement calls for joint development of ABS Naval Vessel Rules (NVR) to support the design and acquisition of Naval Combatant Ships and Craft. The landmark agreement signed by VADM Phillip M. Balisle, US Navy and ABS Americas President Robert E. Kramek lays the groundwork for ABS participation in Naval Combatant Ship Programs, in a similar fashion to ABS’ traditional role in the construction of Military Sealift Command (MSC) operated ships. According to ABS’ Kramek, the strategic…

The Coast Guard's first Legend-class National Security Cutter, Bertholf, returned to its homeport here Sunday marking the completion of the cutter's first operational patrol. Bertholf's crew conducted a shakedown of the ship's systems and carried out flight operations, small-boat operations and weapons testing. A primary goal of the patrol was to complete flight tests – known as dynamic interface testing – to determine the limits of wind and sea conditions in which a helicopter can land safely upon Bertholf's flight deck.

Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) has recently approved a new non-skid coating for use onboard Navy ships. “The new type of coating provides a quick and easy non-slip surface that ship’s force apply themselves,” said John Wegand, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Carderock Division non-skid engineering manager. NSWC Carderock is a NAVSEA field activity. As a Technical Authority, NAVSEA is accountable for the technical engineering elements of ship maintenance, modernization, construction, design and safety. “The new ‘peel & stick’ variety offers a 66 percent cost savings when compared to covering a similar area using traditional non-skid,” said Cruiser Class Squadron (CGRON) Combat Systems Analyst Chief Fire Controlman (Surface Warfare) Anthony Belbeck.

ASNE Day 2009 takes place April 8-9, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, MD. The event will explore how the 21st century cooperative strategy and related maritime efforts are impacting naval engineering while answering the questions—what technical areas must be emphasized to enable and support this strategy, what are the implications for the way future naval engineers are educated and developed, and what improvements are needed in naval engineering tools and processes? •    U.S. •    U.S. What is Our Goal? •    RDML Robert L. •    RDML Joseph R. •    BGen Andrew W. Moderator: Mr. Asst. Moderator: Ms. •    Mr. Asst. Moderator: Mr. •    General Dynamics—Mr. •    Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding—Mr. •    Lockheed Martin—Mr. •    Boeing—RADM John V. Asst.