Falck News

After being very much on the margins of the offshore wind industry, floating offshore wind now appears to be ready to hit the mainstream. With gigawatt scale developments already on the horizon, what will the infrastructure needed to build and support them look like? Over the past 12 months, the floating offshore wind sector appears to have had a major dose of adrenaline. While the largest development, to date, is the relatively small-scale 50MW Kincardine project off northeast Scotland (which will be outdone by the 88MW Tampen project in Norway later next year [2022])…

Polaris and Falck have signed an agreement whereby Polaris will acquire 100 percent of the shares in Falck Safety Services Holding A/S and take over all Safety Services activities in Falck for an undisclosed sales price. This transaction, expected to close during September 2018, also includes the Falck Fire Academy in the Netherlands.Falck President & CEO Jakob Riis said, “We are focusing our business and reducing complexity to build leadership in our core business areas. Safety Services is a leader in rescue and safety training.

Falck Safety Services and Simwave are joining forces to serve the maritime and oil and gas industries with combined simulation and practical training. For more than 30 years, Falck Safety Services has offered safety training for the offshore, maritime and wind industries. On November 8th, Simwave will open its doors to the most advanced maritime simulator center in the world. This co-operation means that customers will be able to undertake simulation training at Simwave to complement the training at one of the training centers of Falck Safety Services.

Falck is due to open a new training center on the Maasvlakte in 2018. It will become an international, high-profile safety-knowledge center for public and industrial fire brigades, the offshore, maritime sector and wind industry. The first steps have been taken January 24, 2017 with Falck and the Port of Rotterdam Authority entering into a contract under which the site is issued to Falck. Falck, which specializes in safety and safety training, is set to leave its current site on the Beerweg when its lease with the Port of Rotterdam Authority ends in the spring of 2018.

ATPI Griffinstone, part of the ATPI Group, has secured a travel management agreement with Teekay Offshore. Teekay Offshore has decided to consolidate all of its travel management through ATPI Griffinstone a global travel management company with specialist dedicated services for energy, offshore and shipping industries. The agreement aims to further drive down costs and improve the effectiveness of travel management programs for Teekay as an extension of an existing global contract between two companies that currently operates in Manila, the United Kingdom, Singapore and India. Geir Arne Hansen, Manager, Competency & Training at Teekay Offshore said…

The European Union has facilitated this project between 2013 and 2015. The project cost a total of 34 million euros, 17 million of which were provided by the European Union from the TEN-T Program. "We can say 'well done' to all parties involved. It looks like we are going to benefit tremendously from this project for the implementation of LNG in the inland water transport sector. We are actually getting things done now," honored Dimitrios Theologitis, head of the European DG MOVE Unit Ports and Inland Waterways…

Safety around Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is a hot topic, now that LNG is more and more becoming the fuel of the future. The results of a recent LNG emergency and incident response study are a big step forward in LNG safety in Europe. Today, the Rhine Port Group hands over the first edition of this study to Mr. Specht, 1st Major of the City of Mannheim and dedicated chief of the fire department. The Rhine Port Group consists of the Port of Rotterdam, the Port of Antwerp, the Port of Mannheim, the Port of Strasbourg and the Port of Switzerland. The document informs emergency response organisations how to prepare themselves to manage credible LNG incidents on inland navigation along the Rhine-Main-Danube corridor.

Van Oord has signed a two year contract with Falck Safety Services for the provision of safety training.   Van Oord, a contractor for dredging, marine engineering and offshore energy projects, including oil, gas and wind, said it has invested in a trainee program for its employees for many years.   The new contract will see Falck provide Van Oord with the majority of necessary safety training. Alongside safety training for the offshore, maritime and wind industries, Falck also offers occupational health and safety training (Falck BHV) in the Netherlands.

The Dutch company Falck Risc is becoming the number one expert on LNG safety in Europe. Together with the Unified Fire Department, Falck Risc will draw up guidelines and recommendations for emergency response services in dealing with Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). This study is part of the LNG Masterplan Rhine-Main Danube and will be ready at the end of this year. As coordinator for the Rhine Corridor in this European project, Port of Rotterdam Authority is in charge of this research project by Falck Risc. Falck Risc and the United Fire Department won the tender for a LNG safety study wich was commissioned by the European Union (TEN-T) as an important part of the LNG Masterplan. These two organizations were chosen because of their elaborate expertise on emergency repression.

At Maasvlakte in the Port of Rotterdam, Falck has started work on a the first Northwest European training facility for disaster prevention involving Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). The Port of Rotterdam Authority and the joint fire service in the port area are closely involved in the development of this training facility. From September 2014, fire crews, employees and members of company emergency response teams in the chemical and petrochemical industry, the road haulage and water transport sector and storage and stevedoring companies will be able to practise and train in a realistic environment to combat disasters involving LNG. LNG is on the way to becoming the fuel for road transport and shipping. It is in keeping with European policy for cleaner fuels.

The winners of OPITO’s annual global oil and gas workforce safety awards have been announced in the presence of Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, the Minister of Energy for the United Arad Emirates. SBM and MSTS/Falck Safety Services Malaysia were yesterday (Tuesday, November 19) named Employer of the Year and Training Provider of the Year respectively at the OPITO Safety and Competency Conference in Abu Dhabi. The global annual awards recognizes companies that best demonstrate their commitment to building a safe and competent workforce through OPITO standards and are presented at the OSCC.

Research to measure offshore workers’ body size with 3D scanners to inform the future design of safety equipment, survival clothing and space requirements on offshore installations has been launched in Aberdeen. The research, which will generate an ongoing capability for measuring the size and shape of the offshore workforce, is reported to be the first of its kind in more than 25 years and is being led by researchers at Robert Gordon University’s Institute of Health and Welfare Research (IHWR) in collaboration with Oil and Gas U.K.

Falck Alford announced it has completed the acquisition of Occupational Safety Training, Inc., a player in safety services within the gulf coast region. Falck Alford, a company focused on continuously building diversified safety solutions, offers safety training, personnel services and compliance solutions on a global scale. The acquisition of OST complements and expands Falck Alford’s footprint to reach new market opportunities and allow an even greater safety solution by integrating the existing offerings of both companies. With this combination, customers are assured a high level of service and premium quality. “This partnership will serve to extend our standing as an industry leader.

International health and safety training specialist, Falck Nutec, has strengthened its UK management team with the appointment of two new directors. Allison Walker steps up to director of sales and marketing, Niel Rennie has been appointed finance director and they will be supported by human resources manager Gillian Jagger who takes on a senior role within the management team. Falck Nutec operates in the oil and gas, marine and renewable sectors, providing a range of vital training courses and expert advice…

Effective January 1, 2002, Xantic MPC (former SpecTec MPC) was sold to the management backed by a group of investors. The new owners are: Øystein Moan, CEO Visma ASA, former owner of the SpecTec Group, former CEO of the Cinet Group and chairman of the SpecTec Group; Tore Bjerkan, CFO Visma ASA; Thomas Falck; Partner Four Seasons Venture AS, former CEO of the SpecTec Group and former chairman of Xantic MPC; Allen Amos, Sales Director CCT; Tore Kirkedam, Managing Director CCT . Xantic BV decided to sell the hardware division as part of a strategy to focus more on its core business, airtime and software. The new owners will continue operations, focusing on development, production and sale of specialized, class approved computer equipment.

The shipping industry has long been criticized for being slow to adapt to new technologies and taking a reactive approach to market trends. But after several years of stagnant growth, the shipping industry is waking up to the potential of the Internet, according to Thomas Falck, managing director, Visma Marine. Today, the scene is crowded with competing e-commerce initiatives and, some argue, more cash than sense. With the rapid development of new information technologies, the shipping industry has been scrambling to adjust to the new economy. For Visma Marine, the holding company for SpecTec Group, a supplier of fleet management software, the transition is a natural extension of their core business.

In the last six months, the shipping industry has seen the marine B2B market grow from nothing into a highly competitive race between e-commerce ventures to attract major shipowner/shipmanager support and investment capital. The shipping world has suddenly come alive to the world of e-commerce. Within the last few months, the industry has grown from a few providers of marine e-commerce Internet services to more than 70 e-commerce portals targeting different market segments - and more portals and initiatives are launched every day. Shipping companies are now recognizing that e-commerce is no longer a 'nice-to-have' option. For shipping companies battered by poor annual earnings, embracing information and communication technology may not be a matter of choice, but a matter of survival.

In the last six months, the shipping industry has seen the marine B2B market grow from nothing into a highly competitive race between e-commerce ventures to attract major shipowner/shipmanager support and investment capital. The shipping world has suddenly come alive to the world of e-commerce. Within the last few months, the industry has grown from a few providers of marine e-commerce Internet services to more than 70 e-commerce portals targeting different market segments - and more portals and initiatives are launched every day. Shipping companies are now recognizing that e-commerce is no longer a 'nice-to-have' option. For shipping companies battered by poor annual earnings, embracing information and communication technology may not be a matter of choice, but a matter of survival.

SpecTec Group has signed an agreement with diesel engine company Wärtsilä whereby Wärtsilä will become a value-added distributor of SpecTec's AMOS software product range. The agreement marks the beginning of a partnership with the two companies co-operating to enable the delivery of fully integrated CMMS (Computerised Maintenance Management Systems), which includes e-business and electronic documentation. In the agreement just signed, SpecTec grants Wärtsilä the right to license, sub-license and market AMOS Express (Maintenance and Spare Part System), AMOS M&P (Maintenance, Purchase and Spare Part System) and AMOS Mail (Communications System) to its clients globally.

Station 12, the Netherlands-based mobile satellite communications company, has signed an agreement with Visma ASA for the acquisition of its marine division, SpecTec. The price for SpecTec is $75.4 million in cash plus the assumption of net inter-company debt of $893,000. SpecTec is a leading supplier of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, which has been designed to improve efficiency on board vessels. The company has 230 employees and is represented in 30 countries through its own subsidiaries and agents. In 1999, SpecTec increased net sales by 19 percent to $19.8 million, while operating profits increased by 83 percent to $2.6 million. SpecTec is the market leader with a 40 percent share of the market with systems installed on some 6,000 vessels worldwide.

Global construction and engineering services group Aker Kvaerner has entered into a partnership with offshore training provider Falck Nutec. Falck Nutec has opened a new GBP 250 000 Offshore Training Portal in Aberdeen's Union Street. Under the new agreement, Aker Kvaerner will have direct access to new recruits coming into the industry and be able to match their skills set to the range of job opportunities currently available within the company. This, the first week of the joint venture, coincides with Offshore Europe. The 12 month partnership also gives Aker Kvaerner access to Falk Nutec's training facilities in Dyce and Teesside, where they will be able to further engage with an audience eager to pursue a career offshore.