Paul Smith News

Associated British Ports (ABP) said that its Port of Lowestoft welcomed the Platform Supply Vessel (PSV) the Skandi Captain this week on its maiden call to the port.The visit is the latest in ABP’s partnership with Peterson UK Limited, the major logistics and service provider to the offshore energy industry.The Skandi Captain is the 50th additional call to Lowestoft since the Peterson agreement which was signed in January 2019, bringing vessel visits into the inner harbour on an almost daily basis and the number of additional calls is expected to grow even further.ABP’s ongoing investment in its infrastructure, coupled with the Port of Lowestoft’s key location…

The logistics and service provider to the offshore energy industry Peterson UK Limited has concluded a new long-term agreement with Associated British Ports Holdings (ABP) to establish a new operational and logistics base to the Port of Lowestoft.ABP, which owns and operates 21 ports in the United Kingdom, said that the new agreement will see Peterson operate a wide range of warehouse, cargo and logistic services from the port, including fuel bunkering to support the oil & gas and renewable energy sectors being supplied from their Lowestoft Supply Base.Paul Smith, Peterson Business Manager East of England, said: “We are delighted to establish a new operations base in the Port of Lowestoft.

UTEC, a global surveying company in subsea services group Acteon, recently commissioned its new launch and recovery system (LARS) for the fleet of seven autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) it uses for seabed surveys in the oil and renewables industries.UTEC’s new LARS is a floating garage that enables an AUV to be launched and recovered without needing a small boat, thereby simplifying operations and improving safety. It also increases efficiency and reduces costs by enabling AUV surveys in parallel with construction or laying activities, as the LARS can be deployed from the same work vessel.The LARS will see its first use on a pipeline…

Merseyside engineering firm IPS Marine Fabrications is helping ferry operator Stena Line expand its accommodation for man’s best friend after securing a deal to build a series of bespoke dog kennels. The operator Stena Line aims to improve pet facilities with bespoke kennels on board the Stena Superfast X, Stena Lagan and Stena Mersey. IPS Marine Fabrications director Paul Smith said the Birkenhead firm has built a long-standing relationship with Stena Line and the latest project…

Birkenhead based IPS Marine Fabrications is continuing to ramp up growth in the passenger ferry market after completing work on two Stena Line vessels. The firm, run by maritime engineering specialists Paul Smith and Peter Hillan, has delivered a package of insulation and fabrication work for the Stena Ro-Pax Superfast ferries VII and VIII. All repairs were completed on the move while the vessels continued service between Belfast and Cairnryan in Ireland, ensuring no operational downtime.

Birkenhead  based engineering firm IPS Marine Fabrications has completed a series of contracts for three ship operators. IPS director Paul Smith said the contracts with Whitaker Tankers, and ferry operators Seatruck and Stena showcased the broad range of fabrication and insulation skills IPS can provide. “The job spec of these contracts was really varied and shows how we can save customers time and money,” he said. “For Seatruck we supplied high temperature ceramic fiber insulation for the main engine exhausts.

Engineering firm IPS Marine Fabrications said it has completed major upgrade work for ferry operator Stena Europe. The company, which is headquartered in Birkenhead, has repaired and maintained fabricated air handling units throughout the Stena Europe vessel. IPS manufactures insulation products, particularly aimed at the marine industry, and has in-house machining facilities. Director Paul Smith said the project was completed while the Stena Europe, which operates between Fishguard in South Wales and Rosslare in the Republic of Ireland, was afloat.

Shell has signed an agreement with the U.K. Government to progress the Peterhead Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project to the next phase of design. The project, led by Shell, with strategic support from SSE, owners of the Peterhead gas power station in Aberdeenshire, aims to capture10 million metric tons of CO2 over 10 years. This will generate enough clean electricity to power the equivalent of 500,000 homes a year. If successful, the project will represent the first industrial-scale application of CCS technology at a gas power station anywhere in the world.

Tim Beaver, Chief Executive Officer of Global Diving & Salvage, Inc., has been elected President of the American Salvage Association at its recent meeting in Arlington, VA, October 5, 2011. Beaver succeeds Mauricio Garrido, who served as President from 2009-2011. Paul Hankins, Donjon-SMIT, LLC, has been elected Vice President. Todd Schauer, Resolve Marine Group, has been named Secretary/Treasurer.“This new leadership team will serve to energize the ASA’s approach to the diverse fronts tackled by the ASA,” said Beaver.

The American Salvage Association (ASA) has named the following as leaders of its Standing Committees for 2009-2010:   Jack Ringelberg, JMS Naval Architects and Salvage Engineers, Chairman, ASA Associate Membership Committee   Paul Smith, The Glosten Associates, Vice Chairman, ASA Associate Membership Committee   Matt Miller, The Glosten Associates, Chairman, ASA Membership Committee   Devon Grennan, Global Diving & Salvage, Inc., Chairman, ASA Safety Committee   Tim Williamson, Donjon-SMIT, Chairman, ASA Security Committee Chairman              Todd Schauer, Resolve Marine Group, Chairman, ASA Training Committee Chairman

Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI), has been contracted by Metal Trades, Inc. of Hollywood, South Carolina to design two 14,000 BBL Double Hull Oil Tank Barges to carry ‘D’ and ‘E’ grade fuels for the U.S. Navy. Metal Trades is building the new barges as a sub-contractor to Maybank Industries, LLC based in Charleston, SC. The 200.f ft x 52 ft x 16.5 ft sister vessels are fully compliant with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and are classed ABS Maltese Cross A1 Oil Tank Barge Unmanned Ocean Service. The first hull, YON 330, has been built and delivered to begin service at the U.S. Naval Fuel Depot.

Peter Markunas of Eastham and Beth Hays of Brewster have joined the Woods Hole Group as Coastal Engineer and Environmental Permitting Specialist, respectively. Markunas brings over 35 years of experience in engineering and environmental design, planning, and construction. For the past twenty years, Markunas has been a presence in New England, with specific focus on the lower Cape Cod region of Massachusetts. He has been heavily involved in the protection of shoreline properties, marina design and dredging of piers, boathouses, and boat ramps for municipalities and private interests. While working with Markunas for the past 6 years on environmental permitting and client communications…