Chemical Engineering News

Meyer Group has appointed Bernd Eikens as Group CEO starting in December 2023.Eikens has worked in different management positions for UPM-Kymmene for 25 years, since 2013 as a member of the group executive team. His international career includes positions in the US, China, Germany and Finland. Most recently, he headed the successful implementation of a pulp mill project in Uruguay with an investment volume of $3.5 billion.He has been a member of the Meyer Turku advisory board since 2019 and…

Marine salvage, rescue, emergency response and specialized services company Resolve Marine announced the formation of a government relations departmentRetired Navy Capt. Gregg Baumann has been appointed government program manager to lead the effort from the Washington D.C. area. In this newly created role, Baumann is responsible for developing strategy and objectives to grow the company’s government services business, with a primary focus on the United States and Canada. He will also oversee government business development and project mobilization and de-mobilization…

International trade by sea has long been a key part of the world economy and approximately 90% of traded commodities is reliant on shipping. Once wind-propelled in the days of sail, the current generation of ships now heavily rely on fossil fuels. Fossil fuel propulsion contributes to global warming with carbon emissions approximating 940 MtCO2e per year and also has health implications for communities surrounding ports through the release of air pollutants. The environmental impact of fossil-fuelled engines is further compounded by their use in port infrastructure…

Maritime battery supplier EST-Floattech appointed Mark Witjens as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Joep Gorgels as Chief Financial Officer/Chief Business Development Officer (CFO/CBDO). Since its foundation in 2009, EST-Floattech has a track record of more than 200 projects and a growing number of recurring customers. Recently, the first successes have also been achieved by its Hamburg office, which opened in August 2021. With the arrival of Witjens and Gorgels, who will be working from the headquarters in Badhoevedorp…

Singapore's Ministry of Transport announced that Teo Eng Dih will take over as chief executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), succeeding Quah Ley Hoon, who will step down on September 5, 2022.Teo Eng Dih, currently Deputy Secretary (Policy) of the Ministry of Defense (MINDEF), is responsible for MINDEF’s defense policy and diplomacy, strategic and public communications, and Total Defense. He oversaw the expansion of defense cooperation with international partners and strengthening of collaborations at the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting (ADMM) platform.

e1 Marine said it has appointed David Lim to the newly created role of vice president of application engineering. Based in Asia, David will focus on engineering efforts for e1 Marine’s marine fuel cell generators and providing product support alongside the other partner companies.Previously vice president of business development at partner company, Element 1, David Lim has an impressive background in the product and business development, and production of renewable energy products including fuel cell technology such as fuel reformers, and fuel cell system products.

Maritime servies firm Drew Marine announced it will launch a new cargo hold solution product segment, and that Alexandros Strigkos has been named as the Global Market Manager of the product segment.With its recent acquisition of CHEMO Hellas, a Greece-based company, Drew Marine added a number of products, including notably its cargo hold cleaning chemistry and related equipment.Strigkos had long been an important part of CHEMO’s cargo hold business. He has expertise in the technology…

The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping on Tuesday announced its management team. to join CEO Bo Cerup-Simonsen in building an organization capable of facilitating the transition to a carbon free global shipping industry.Made possible by a DKK 400 million ($63.5 million) donation by the A.P. Møller Foundation, the Center was formed in June by a group of global shipping entities committing themselves to decarbonizing the maritime industry. The Center, which recently revealed its Board of Directors and a location at the heart of the Danish Shipping cluster in Copenhagen…

Innovation Fund Denmark, the Danish investment entity, has announced the establishment of a consortium to develop a two-stroke, ammonia-fueled engine for maritime shipping. It aims to specify and demonstrate an entire, marine-propulsion system that will pave the way for the first commercial order for an ammonia-fueled vessel.MAN Energy Solutions will lead the consortium that also numbers: Eltronic FuelTech, the Danish fuel-system supplier; the Technical University of Denmark (DTU); and DNV GL, the leading classification society.

The US-based chemical tanker company  Ardmore Shipping Corporation announced that Reginald L. Jones is stepping down as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company effective December 31, 2018. Curtis McWilliams has been appointed as Chairman of the Board effective January 1, 2019, said a stock exchange announcement from the company.Jones will remain as a director until the Company's annual general meeting in 2019, when he does not intend to stand for re-election. He is a co-founder and Managing Partner of Greenbriar Equity Group LLC, Ardmore's initial investor in 2010 which exited its position in Ardmore as part of the monetization of its Fund II in November 2017. McWilliams became a director of Ardmore in January 2016.

Marine Jet Power (MJP) has welcomed its new Chief Operating Officer (COO), Mia Vikner. In this role, Vikner will be responsible for operational efficiencies as well as process implementation to drive the continued growth of the company. Vikner joins the company after serving in various roles within Uson Marine Group, where she most recently held the post of CEO at the company’s headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. With over ten years of experience in the marine industry, Mia is…

Choice Ballast Solutions (Choice), a provider of ballast water treatment planning, installation and compliance, has hired Debra DiCianna as Senior Compliance Engineer. DiCianna’s career in the maritime industry spans over 25 years with extensive experience in the compliance and operational issues of shipowners and the design/performance of ballast water management systems. In her role at Choice, DiCianna will be responsible for assisting clients, both shipowners and ballast water treatment manufacturers, in all matters concerning BWMS planning, installation and compliance.

Traveling across the globe from port to port, the U.S. Navy fleet transports sailors and Marines, aircraft, and supplies. Unfortunately, ships can also unintentionally transport stowaways, small organisms which live in ballast water. Most people would not look at small organisms like mitten crabs or zebra mussels and think they are a major threat to the environment – and in their natural habitats they pose no threat. But what happens when these organisms are introduced into a new ecosystem? According to Rachel Jacobs, a chemical engineer in the Wastewater Management Branch at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, the results of introducing non-native species into a new environment can be disastrous for the ecosystem…

Viega LLC has hired Sean Debnath as its new vice president of sales and marketing, responsible for overseeing and managing Viega’s sales, marketing, inside sales, customer services and customer relations departments. Debnath has more than 20 years of industry experience. He started his career as a hands-on scientist and gradually transitioned himself to the commercial side of the business. Prior to joining Viega, he has held vice president and director level positions in sales and marketing at Kaydon Corporation, Rexnord and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Alan Kelly, president of ExxonMobil Fuels, Lubricants & Specialties Marketing Company, has announced his intention to retire effective Aug. 1, 2016, after more than 34 years of service. It is anticipated that the board of directors of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) will appoint Bryan Milton as president of ExxonMobil Fuels, Lubricants & Specialties Marketing Company and elect him as a vice president of the corporation. Milton is currently president, ExxonMobil Global Services Company. Kelly, 59, was appointed president, ExxonMobil Lubricants & Petroleum Specialties Company, and elected as a vice president of the corporation effective December 1, 2007. Kelly began his career with the company in 1981.

The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) Board of Directors has elected Kevin McEvoy as Chairman and Dave Welch as Vice Chairman for the upcoming 2016-2017 term. McEvoy and Welch assumed their positions at the NOIA Annual Meeting today in Washington, D.C. Since 2011, McEvoy has served as Chief Executive Officer of Oceaneering International, Inc., global provider of engineered services and products, primarily to the offshore oil and gas industry, with a focus on deepwater applications. He also serves on the company’s board of directors, and was the NOIA Vice Chairman for the 2015-2016 term. “I am honored for the opportunity to serve as Chairman of NOIA.

The 2016 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) will honor this year’s Distinguished Achievement Award recipients on Tuesday, 3 May, in Houston. As part of the OTC Distinguished Achievement Awards Luncheon, the conference will recognize Robert (Don) Vardeman of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation for individual achievement, the Marine Technology Society Dynamic Positioning Committee for institutional achievement, and both George Hirasaki and Yuri Makogon with its Heritage Award. Founded in 1969, OTC brings together industry leaders and professionals from more than 120 countries. Its large international participation provides excellent opportunities for global sharing of technology, expertise, products, and best practices that address current and future industry conditions.

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…

Stephen D. Pryor, president, ExxonMobil Chemical Company and vice president of Exxon Mobil Corporation, has elected to retire on January 1, 2015, after more than 44 years of service. It is anticipated that the board of directors of Exxon Mobil Corporation will appoint Neil A. Chapman as president of ExxonMobil Chemical Company and elect him a vice president of the corporation, effective Jan. 1, 2015. Chapman is currently senior vice president, Polymers, ExxonMobil Chemical Company. Pryor, 64, joined Mobil Corporation in 1971 and has held a number of financial and managerial positions in the United States, Cyprus, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. In 1993, he was appointed vice president, Mobil Chemical Company and general manager, Plastics Division.

SulNOx Fuel Fusions Plc. (SulNOx), the leading global producer and supplier of fuel emulsion technology, and Lloyd’s Register (LR), a leading technical, business services organisation and maritime classification society, today signed an agreement that will see LR provide verification, testing, technical support and consultancy services throughout the process of SulNOxEco Fuels’ commercial deployment. The agreement will see LR provide a stringent technical assessment of SulNOxEco Fuels, verifying its operational suitability for users of hydrocarbon fuels and providing recommendations on the most effective application of the technology to secure optimum fuel and environmental savings.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Environmental & Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd. (MHIEC), a group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), has received an order from the Yamagata Area Environmental Office Association, a body encompassing two cities and two towns in Yamagata Prefecture, for the construction and operation of municipal solid of waste (MSW) incineration facility (Waste-to Energy Plant/WTE Plant). The project award calls for MHIEC to build two fluidized bed type gasification and melting system 1 with capacity of 150 tons per day (tpd) and a waste heat recovery system, and to operate the facility for a period of 20 years and 6 months. The total value of the order, construction and operation services combined, is approximately 18.5 billion yen (before taxes).

As President and CEO of MSRC, Steve Benz presides over the largest oil spill response company in the United States (and worldwide). In that position since January 1996, he has during that tenure, overseen several critical phases in the Company’s evolution. These include a major restructuring in the late 1990s to make it more competitive; growth throughout the 2000-2009 period, including acquisition of several companies; leadership in overseeing MSRC’s role in responding to the 2010 BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico…

Adams and Reese Adds Four to Bolster Federal Governmental Relations Practice. Adams and Reese is proud to announce the addition of Partner Matt Paxton and Governmental Affairs Advisors Joe Carnevale, Ian Bennitt and Ashley Godwin, who join our firm in our Washington DC Office from the law firm of Ball Janik LLP. “We are very excited about adding Matt, Joe, Ian and Ashley, to our Firm and our Federal Governmental Relations practice,” said B. Jeffrey Brooks, Adams and Reese Executive Committee Chairman and DC Office Partner in Charge.