London Offshore Consultants News

Energy and marine consultancy ABL Group has appointed Maria Dragoumerli to head up the company’s operations in Greece, with specific focus on the country’s maritime industry.Based in Piraeus, Dragoumerli will be in charge of driving the development of ABL’s service offering in the Greek market, in particular provision of support to the country’s extensive shipping and maritime industries.Dragoumerli joins ABL from Helikon Shipping Enterprises Ltd in London, UK, where she held the role of fleet technical superintendent.

Offshore energy and marine consultancy AqualisBraemar has completed the acquisition of the marine and engineering consulting firm LOC Group (London Offshore Consultants).Oslo-listed AqualisBraemar announced the completion of the transaction on Tuesday, saying the acquisition created "a leading global independent offshore energy and marine consultancy."As part of the transaction, originally announced on November 23, AqualisBraemar acquired 100 percent of the shares in Neptune Midco 1 Limited from the ultimate parent company of the LOC Group…

Offshore energy and marine consultancy AqualisBraemar will acquire marine and engineering consulting firm LOC Group (London Offshore Consultants).Oslo-listed group AqualisBraemar, which offers consultancy services to the offshore energy industries, said Monday that the acquisition would create "a leading global independent offshore energy and marine consultancy."David Wells, CEO of AqualisBraemar, said: "Our strategy is clear; we want to grow through continued expansion in the rapidly growing offshore renewables industry…

London Offshore Consultants (LOC) Group announced the appointment of Nikos Benetis as Group Director of Hull & Machinery and Due Diligence Services.Nikos has been with LOC since 2017, previously in the role of Director of Financial Institution Advisory Services, and takes on his new role as part of the Group’s ongoing initiative to structure its shipping division to reflect the changes in the industry and client’s needs.According to a press release from the marine and engineering consultancy to the world’s shipping and offshore energy industries, Nikos has over 20 years’ experience in the Maritime and Finance Industries, which include several years at Lloyd’s Register and at RBS as Director of Distribution…

London Offshore Consultants (LOC) has provided Barge Master and GustoMSC with an approval in principle for the work method of their Steady Top Feeder solution. This independent and impartial acceptance is an important next step in implementing this solution in US offshore wind projects.Barge Master and GustoMSC asked LOC to act as if they were appointed as the marine warranty surveyor of an offshore wind project and on that basis to assess whether the solution of the Steady Top Feeder is in principle acceptable to them.

LOC Group’s Houston office provides perspective on decommissioning developments in the Gulf of Mexico.The Gulf of Mexico basin covers approximately 1.6 million km2 and is one of the most important petroleum production regions in the world. A significant portion of the area is shallow continental shelf waters. These areas were developed first by oil companies, with deeper water development only being undertaken once the ‘easier’ sites had been exploited. Many years on, numerous…

London Offshore Consultants (LOC) has purchased its own in-house license of BMT’s navigation simulator REMBRANDT.The software is used for applications such as training of deck officers, port navigational risk assessments, mooring and understanding complex maneuvers. More recently, it has been adopted by a number of statutory marine accident investigation agencies, including the U.K.’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB).Paris Mangriotis, Engineering Director at LOC, said…

A sunken derrick barge has been raised from the Gulf of Mexico seafloor following several months of planning, engineering, on-site preparations and the heaviest salvage lift ever accomplished in the Americas, said marine services and wreck removal specialists Resolve Salvage and Fire Americas.The 350 ft x 100 ft derrick barge DB1 sank 30 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico on October 22, 2017, when adverse weather caused it to drag anchors and contact the offshore platform that the DB1 was engaged in removing.

London Offshore Consultants (LOC), a leading global marine and engineering consultancy for the shipping and offshore energy industry, has boosted its presence in Singapore with two new appointments – Mark Board as Marine Consultant, and Dan Niklas Ahlgren as Naval Architect. Mark joined LOC Singapore as Marine Consultant in September 2016. He brings with him experience in bulk carriers, roll on–roll off vessels, FSO’s and container ships. He also has an extensive experience at all ranks on board oil tankers, spending the bulk of his 23 years at sea in Aframax carriers, and sailed as Master in product tankers. Since then, he has spent 18 years in shore management, and has led investigations on collisions, groundings, and worked closely with port authorities in oil spill response.

London Offshore Consultants (LOC) has clinched its first ever windfarm project work in the Asia Pacific region. LOC in Korea has been jointly appointed by reinsurers Swiss Re and Korean Re as the marine warranty surveying service provider for the Tamra Wind Farm project. This is the first offshore wind farm project in Korea located off the coast of Jeju Island about 0.5 – 1.0km from the shore. “We are delighted to have a chance to work closely withTamra Offshore Wind Power Co., Ltd., a local developer which is owned by Korea South East Power Co., Ltd., and the respected local manufacturer of wind turbine generators, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co., Ltd.,” said Jonathan Walker, Regional Director of LOC.

One of the most common areas of bulk oil cargo claims is cargo contamination which occurs during the transfer of bulk liquid cargoes, says  Captain Paul D. Hall, Director, London Offshore Consultants, IUMI Professional Partner, LOC Group. Cargo contamination can be of either ship or shore origin. To minimise shipboard risk, all pipelines, valves, pumps and tanks should be properly cleaned and drained ready to load the next cargo. The manifolds must be clearly labelled and the minimum amounts of ship’s pipelines used onboard with the appropriate two valve segregation to non-compatible grades. Shoreside contamination could occur as a result of incorrect hose/chicksan connection and manifold line ups…

Rutger Bierman, Managing Director at London Offshore Consultants (LOC) Singapore, has confirmed that Don Ross, who previously established and headed LOC Thailand, is stepping up to assume responsibility for the Group’s Fixed Object Damage and Port Development business lines in Singapore, including surveys and audits. "Don’s 40 years in engineering and construction on international, multi-disciplinarymarine projects, driving improvements in technical, safety and quality,make him uniquely qualified for the role,”Captain Bierman confirmed. Mr Ross explained further, “I will be developing LOC’s capabilities in the ports and terminals including marine civil and structural engineering consultancy services…

More than 250 shipping and insurance professionals gathered for the first ever Asian Maritime Casualty Forum held during Singapore Maritime Week. The two-day conference, hosted by global marine and engineering consultancy London Offshore Consultants (LOC), highlighted some of the vital issues in salvage and vessel wreck removal and in particular rising costs, technological challenges and the need for the parties involved in major casualties to work more closely together. The industry…

Global marine engineering consultancy LOC Group (London Offshore Consultants) announced appointments in two new positions; John Quarrington has joined the company in London as Group Marine Warranty Surveying Manager and Mark McGurran has been appointed to the Singapore office in the role of Asia Regional Hull & Machinery Coordinator. John Quarrington is based in London where he will be supporting the Group Energy Services Director (Alex Harrison) with the continued development of LOC’s global marine warranty surveying activities across its 33 offices. A master mariner by background, John has worked for large engineering consultancies and oil companies around the world taking the lead on a range of oil and gas projects.

London Offshore Consultants (LOC), announced the expansion of its Australian operations with the official opening of its Sydney office today (March 12, 2015). The office will be the second LOC operation in Australia after it opened its first office in Perth.Set up to cover theeastof Australia, the Sydney office will mainly servethe marine market. The services will include hull and machinery advisory, P&I Club work, expert services and casualty management. The office will be headed by Drew Shannon, a Master Marinerwith more than13 years’ of experience in marine operations management, risk analysis and salvage operations. He is one of LOC’s 12 appointed Special Casualty Representatives globally.

London Offshore Consultants, a global leader in marine and engineering consultancy for the shipping and offshore energy sectors, has further expanded its footprint in Asia, successfully registering LOC Seoul and opening the company's first office in South Korea. "Initially concentrating on the vibrant energy markets, our ultimate objective is for LOC Seoul to cover all aspects of our work," said Captain Jon Walker, Regional Head of Asia for the LOC Group. "We currently work with many Korean shipyards undertaking offshore construction for global projects. There is also substantial international work undertaken by Korean offshore companies insured domestically, so LOC Seoul will now be able to service these clients directly. We have already received our first major job.

London Offshore Consultants (LOC), a global marine and engineering consultant for the shipping and offshore energy sectors, announces plans to increase its presence in Australia. Identifying a strategic growth plan which allows the group to maintain quality and improve client response time, satellite operations, firstly in Sydney, and then the surrounding region, will be opened to support the existing operation in Perth. The expansion announcement comes in the same month as LOC celebrates its 25th anniversary in Australia.

LOC Group Ltd (incorporating London Offshore Consultants) – a leading global marine engineering consultancy – has secured a minority external investment from Bridgepoint Development Capital (BDC). Financial details of the investment were not disclosed. Established in 1979, LOC Group operates from 30 offices located around the globe across six continents and is owned by its employees using a quasi-partnership model. Headquartered in London, LOC employs over 400 staff including master mariners, naval architects, and marine and structural engineers. In its energy division, LOC is a top three global provider of marine warranty surveys for the transport and installation of offshore capital equipment with customers comprising oil & gas majors, independents and national oil companies.

A&P North East Shipyard recently welcomed graduates for work placements alongside staff in the Health and Safety, Environmental and Quality divisions of the company. The programme dates back to 2009 when A&P North East were approached by London Offshore Consultants Limited to see if the yard could help them with work-placed visits for graduates. By providing young people with this opportunity it was seen as an opportunity to bridge the gap between education and working sites. A&P North East consequently welcomes different graduates each year at the Tyneside and Teesside sites.

Marine & engineering specialist advisors underscore Asia capabilities and commitment to the region. London Offshore Consultants (LOC), the leading marine and engineering advisory group, have doubled the size of their Hong Kong office with the appointment of Ed Wollaston and Steve Salt, effective immediately. Mr Wollaston, a naval architect and chartered engineer, will be responsible for claims investigation specialising in classification and ship structural issues. Ed has been with LOC since 2007 in the group’s London office and has worked on pivotal claims for flag states…

New offices opened in Newcastle (UK) and Leeuwarden (Netherlands). LOC (London Offshore Consultants) opened two new offices to strengthen its service delivery in the North Sea region. Complementing existing LOC hubs in London, Aberdeen and Stavanger, the new offices – both opened on the same day (March, 14) – are located in Newcastle, U.K. and Leeuwarden, Netherlands. Both offices will deliver a range of services to the local customer base including marine engineering, naval architecture, civil engineering, renewable and mariner-related services. Peter Holloway, LOC’s regional director for Europe and Africa, explains why Newcastle and Leeuwarden were selected: “Newcastle…

London Offshore Consultants (LOC) announced further expansion in Asia Pacific with the opening of a new office in Vietnam. The new office in the port of Vung Tau, which will formally begin operations in May, will be managed by Kenny Ong, who is highly experienced in major offshore oil and gas projects across Asia, especially in Vietnam. The office will provide oil majors, contractors, underwriters, and other insurers operating in Vietnam’s oil and gas sectors with specialist consultancy services for planning, design and execution of complex, high-value marine and energy-based operations.

Marine and engineering consultancy, London Offshore Consultants (LOC) open new Vung Tau office managed by Kenny Ong. The new office will formally begin operations in May, managed by Kenny Ong, who is highly experienced in major offshore oil and gas projects across Asia, especially in Vietnam. The office will provide oil majors, contractors, underwriters, and other insurers operating in Vietnam’s oil and gas sectors with specialist consultancy services for planning, design and execution of complex, high-value marine and energy-based operations.