Ian White News

Maritime travel specialist CTI Marine has appointed Steve Harrop as Operations Director.    Harrop joins the company from Dubai based Destinations of the World Travel, a global distributor of hotel accommodation and other ground related travel products where he was Group Chief Operating Officer for four years.     Harrop will lead and oversee all of the company’s six operational offices teams, together with the technology teams, and report directly to CTI Chief Executive Officer, Ian White.

The U.S. and Canadian Seaway Corporations marked the opening of the Seaway's 57th navigation season today, with the transit of the newly-built CWB Marquis through the St. Lambert Lock. The vessel is the first of two Equinox-class lakers ordered by Winnipeg-based grain marketer CWB that are being purpose-built for trade in the Great Lakes Seaway System. In 2014, over 12 million tons of grain moved through the Seaway, the highest volume recorded since the beginning of the 21st century. Ian White, President and CEO of CWB, served as the keynote speaker at the opening.

CTI Corporate Travel International, the £100 million company formed by the acquisition of Hotelscene by the TD Travel Group, continues its expansion with the opening of new marine travel office in Hull. CTI Marine is the specialist maritime travel division of CTI. The company are one of only a handful who can offer exclusive travel fares to companies in the maritime, energy and security sectors. The office will service existing clients as well as targeting new companies in Hull and across the region. Matt Lambert, Office Manager, will head up the team of corporate travel experts.

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) predicted that cargo shipments would rise by about seven per cent to 39.1 million tonnes for 2011 as it marked the official opening of its 53rd navigation season on March 22 at the St. Lambert Lock. “Transportation of raw materials serves as a bellwether for the economy as a whole, and despite volatile global economic conditions, we have reason to be cautiously optimistic regarding our various market segments” said SLSMC President and CEO Terence Bowles.

Algoma Central Corporation expects to invest close to $400m in Great Lakes shipping as it takes bold steps for the future, Algoma President and Chief Executive Officer Greg Wight said during his keynote address at the Top Hat ceremony marking the 182nd opening of the Welland Canal. “This level of commitment to this industry is unprecedented,” Mr. Wight said. Algoma’s fleet renewal program is starting with the purchase of five new state-of-the-art Equinox Class vessels, with the hope to expand this order. The new Equinox Class was developed in St. Catharines, Ontario by a team of designers at Algoma’s downtown headquarters in partnership with engineers from around the world. Equinox Class ships are the next generation of bulk carriers on the Great Lakes.

Good planning, and not super high technology is the key to fighting tanker oil spills, Ian White, managing director of London-based International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Ltd. said last week. "There are technological limitations as to what you can do (to control oil spills). He said in a speech most spills from tankers occurred during routine operations such as loading, discharging and bunkering. But bigger spills involving more than 700 tons have resulted from collisions and groundings, he said. "You can use booms and skimmers to concentrate the oil, pick it up and remove it, but it tends to be quite inefficient, especially if the weather is not good," White said.

The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF) last night was awarded the prestigious Thor Heyerdahl International Environmental Award, presented by the Norwegian Shipowners Association. Accepting on behalf of ITOPF was Dr. Ian White, the group’ Managing Director and a marine biologist who has been with the organization since 1977. ITOPF has, since being established in 1968 in the wake of the Torrey Canyon accident, taken an advisory role in the event of oil spills around the globe, sharing lessons learned from past spills and providing detailed information regarding the characteristics of certain products once they enter the sea environment.