Graham Westgarth News

Ship management and marine support services giant V.Group said on Wednesday it has appointed René Kofod-Olsen as the company’s chief executive officer, taking over from Graham Westgarth who will become chairman. Kofod-Olsen will join V. Group on November 1.Kofod-Olsen brings to the role almost three decades of global shipping industry experience. In 2012 he was appointed CEO of Topaz Energy & Marine, a position he held until the company’s successful divestment in 2019. Earlier in his career he worked for the A.P.

V.Group, a global provider of ship management and marine support services, has announced the appointment of Graham Westgarth as Chief Executive Officer. Graham has served on V.Group’s board since September 2018 and will take over from Ian El-Mokadem who has informed the Board of his desire to leave the company.Graham has a distinguished track-record in the maritime sector, having worked in the industry for almost 50 years. During his career, he has operated across almost all sectors and functions in the industry…

U.S. Ten years on, there’s little certain about ballast water management regulations that the industry can chart a course around other than that it will be expensive – possibly the most costly marine retrofit to date. With install estimates running from $500,000 to as much as $5 million per vessel, across some 68,000 commercial ships estimated by the IMO to transfer 7 billion tons of  ballast water annually – industry players say we could be looking at as much as an $80 billion market. Eventually, that is, because there is not a lot of activity right now.

With age comes perspective, and in my 20 plus years reporting on this industry I have seen my fair share of regulation that has served to ‘raise the hackles’ of ship owners. It is quite simple really; new regulation often means new procedure, new design, new equipment and new costs. With the possible exception of the new rules in the wake of the Exxon Valdez which mandated double hulls on tankers, the Ballast Water Management System issue is the most acrimonious debate I have witnessed.

INTERTANKO announced that when its Council of Members met this week in Dubai it elected Nikolas Tsakos – President and Chief Executive of Tsakos Energy Navigation – as Chairman, succeeding  Graham Westgarth who steps down after five years in post. “The last five years of leading the independent tanker owners have been both rewarding and challenging,” said Westgarth. Tsakos intends to continue the work started by Westgarth in shifting the focus of INTERTANKO more towards commercial sustainability while retaining its emphasis on technical and operational issues.

The Ship Inspection Report (SIRE) programme developed by the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) intended that tanker inspection reports should be shared by all OCIMF members. They are not. The cost of inspections should be shared by both parties. They are not. And to make matters worse, ship operators often have to pay the costs of luxury travel for inspectors. INTERTANKO's Chairman, Graham Westgarth of GasLog Ltd, who had been re-elected for a third two-year term as Chairman of the Association…

While increased regulation is often cited as the primary culprit driving shipowners to adopt new energy efficient technologies and practices for their ships, one major shipowner has a differing opinion. “You can make the argument that regulations are what’s driving it, but personally I think it’s more economics,” said Chris Errington, Director of Engineering at Maersk Line. Errington, along with industry veteran Graham Westgarth, Executive Vice President of Operations and Strategy, GasLog Logistics, was part of a panel discussion led by Dr.

While increased regulation is often cited as the primary culprit driving shipowners to adopt new energy efficient technologies and practices for their ships, one major shipowner has a differing opinion. “You can make the argument that regulations are what’s driving it, but personally I think it’s more economics,” said Chris Errington, Director of Engineering at Maersk Line. Errington, along with industry veteran Graham Westgarth, Executive Vice President of Operations and Stratefy, GasLog Logistics, was part of a panel discussion led by Dr.

Capt. Graham Westgarth, who becomes a non-executive Seagull Director, has over 40 years industry experience including 18 years at sea (five years as a Ship’s Master). From 2001 to 2010, he was responsible for Teekay’s 5,000 sea and shore staff and the technical management of 200 vessels, as the company extended beyond its conventional tanker interests to shuttle tankers, FPSOs, FSOs and LNG vessels. He also oversaw development of Teekay’s industry accredited Competence Management System, working closely with Seagull.

Intertanko Chairman and former Teekay President Marine Services Capt. Graham Westgarth has joined the board of Seagull AS, provider of complete training solutions for seafarers. Capt. Westgarth, who becomes a non-executive Seagull Director, has more than 40 years industry experience including 18 years at sea (five years as a Ship’s Master). From 2001 to 2010, he was responsible for Teekay’s 5,000 sea and shore staff and the technical management of 200 vessels as the company extended beyond its conventional tanker interests to shuttle tankers, FPSOs, FSOs and LNG vessels.

Award to be presented March 20, 2013 at the conclusion of the CMA's Shipping 2013 Annual Conference and Exposition. Mr. Peter Evensen, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Teekay Corporation (Teekay) has been named as the Connecticut Maritime Association (CMA) Commodore for the year 2013. Mr. Evensen follows a long succession of influential maritime industry leaders as Commodore. The 2013 Commodore Award will be presented to Mr. Evensen on March 20, 2013 at the Gala Dinner marking the conclusion of the annual Connecticut Maritime Association conference and trade exposition, at the Hilton Hotel in Stamford, Connecticut, USA. The Award is given each year to a person in the international maritime industry who has contributed to the growth and development of the industry.

INTERTANKO is delighted that the Irene SL has been released by the Somali pirates who hijacked this tanker and her 2m barrel oil cargo in February, and that Master, officers and crew are in good health after 58 days in captivity – especially after 12 days being used as a pirate mothership. At the time INTERTANKO’s Managing Director Joe Angelo remarked that the Irene SL hijacking marked a significant shift in Somali piracy, taking the crisis into the middle of the main sea lanes coming from the Middle East Gulf. Her crude oil cargo represented 20% of total U.S.

INTERTANKO’s Council will be invited at its October meeting in Singapore to appoint Joseph Angelo, Deputy MD, to succeed Peter Swift as Managing Director on his retirement on 31 December, 2010. In addition, Katharina (Kathi) Stanzel has been appointed Deputy MD. INTERTANKO had an overwhelming level of interest in the position and some highly qualified and capable individuals were shortlisted. “We are grateful and flattered by some of the names who threw their hat into the ring,” says Graham Westgarth, INTERTANKO’s Chairman. Joe Angelo has worked for INTERTANKO for six years, first as Director of Regulatory Affairs and the Americas. Prior to joining INTERTANKO he held various senior roles in the United States Coast Guard…

Given the global strategic importance of keeping the international shipping lanes through the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean open, INTERTANKO calls on governments to step up their involvement and make it more effective. The tanker industry appreciates the efforts of the naval forces, that have been protecting international shipping in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean from Somali-based pirates, for their involvement and support, and acknowledges their impressive record in reducing successful pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden in particular. In parallel, many ship owners, ship managers and seafarers have also been making sacrifices and commitments to keep the world’s energy and chemical trades flowing.

A Memoranda of agreement (MOA) was signed on May 6 by the Chairman of INTERTANKO, Capt Graham Westgarth, and the President of the International Maritime Pilots' Association (IMPA) and of the American Pilots' Association (APA), Capt Michael Watson. These historic MOAs are aimed at improving cooperation and constructive dialogue between the associations and their members, with the ultimate objective of enhancing navigational safety and protecting the marine environment in pilotage waters. The associations recognize and respect the responsibilities of their respective members and the indispensible roles played by the pilot and ship’s officers in the safe, environmentally sound and efficient seaborne transportation of oil, gas and chemicals.

Melvyn J. Dennett, Admanthos Shipping Agency, Inc. Jim Bradford, General Manager – Operations, Gulf Offshore N.S. Dr. William J. Dr. David W. Costas M. Fostiropoulos, Chairman, Almi Tankers S.A. Dr. Ian J. Jim Miller, President & CEO, Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Inc. Mrs. Leif Kristian Nielsen, Executive Vice President, A.P. Dimitrios Patrikios, General Manager, Springfield Shipping Co., S.A. Leonidas S. Polemis, Manager, Remi Maritime Corp. Gerard H. Capt. Yodchai Ratanachiwakorn, Operations Director, Thoresen & Co., (Bangkok) Ltd. I.S. Dalton Marcio Schmitt, Managing Director, Astromaritima Navegacao S.A. William Scott, Manager, Engineering & Technical Services, Tidewater Inc. Peter S. Josh M. Suhartoko, Senior Vice President – Shipping, PT.

At the recent ABS Council meeting in N.Y., 40 prominent members of the shipping and offshore industries were elected as new members of the international classification society. The ABS Council also elected two new members to the society’s Technical Committee. “ABS governance is vested in a membership comprised of distinguished individuals drawn from the international shipping, shipbuilding and offshore industries, from academia, the insurance sector and other related disciplines,” said ABS Chairman and CEO Robert D. Somerville. Akimitsu Ashida, President, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. Noel L. Captain Ali M. Belhag, Chairman, GNMTC – General National Maritime Transport Co. Joseph L. Takatoshi Funada, President, Funada Kaiun Co., Ltd. Kevin M.

Connexion by Boeing, a business unit of The Boeing Company, and Teekay Shipping Corporation signed an agreement to launch a maritime trial of the Connexion by Boeing service over the North Atlantic beginning in August 2004. "Teekay is a proven leader in the maritime industry and we are thrilled at the opportunity to demonstrate the value that affordable real-time, high-speed connectivity can bring to their operations at sea," said Connexion by Boeing President Scott Carson. "It has been exhilarating to work with the world's leading aviation manufacturer. What is more exciting however, is the ability to trial their high-speed Internet service at sea solution," said Graham Westgarth, president of Teekay Marine Services.

Connexion by Boeing and Teekay Shipping will this month launch a maritime trial of the Connexion by Boeing service over the North Atlantic. "Affordable broadband on our ships will allow us to explore business solutions and services that have previously not been feasible," said Graham Westgarth, president of Teekay Marine Services. The Connexion by Boeing maritime solution — 2.5 Mbps to the vessel and 256 kbps from the vessel - is touted as much faster than options currently on the market today. As ships at sea increasingly utilize communication tools to facilitate the efficient operation of ships, this capability will allow users to access the Internet and firewall-protected corporate intranets…

Teekay Shipping Corporation and Connexion by Boeing, a business unit of The Boeing Company signed an agreement that makes Teekay the international launch customer for the Connexion by Boeing Maritime Service. The maritime service is designed to allow vessels in mid-ocean transit to experience global high-speed communications at affordable rates. The agreement calls for the high-speed communications service to be fitted on 50 of Teekay's vessels, with an option to install on an additional 40. "As we worked closely with Connexion by Boeing during the service trial last year, we were very impressed by the power and potential the technology provides," said Graham Westgarth, president of Teekay Marine Services, a business unit of Teekay Shipping Corporation.