Strategic Planning News

For 15 years the Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS), an annual three-day event, has brought together government and maritime industry leaders, port representatives, international and domestic researchers and solution providers to examine current and emerging threats to maritime security. World events highlight that maritime security is increasingly at risk during the current period of great-power competition and ongoing conflicts. The active competition between nations who are not…

Jeffrey G. Sipes has been named chief executive officer at engineering and construction firm S&B, parent company to naval architecture and marine engineering firm TAI Engineers.“S&B has a remarkable record of growth and success over the past sixty years, and we look forward to decades of further success. The markets we serve are changing, creating new opportunities for growth. Jeff is the leader who can successfully guide the company to capitalize on these opportunities. He brings extensive experience and a deep understanding of both S&B’s markets and the company’s distinctive capabilities…

Maritime welfare charity The Mission to Seafarers announced Dr. Peter Rouch has been named as its next secretary general, succeeding Revd. Canon Andrew Wright, who will retire from the role in September this year, after almost 12 years of leading the organization. Rouch has been appointed to the role by the board of The Mission to Seafarers. He will join the Mission on July 1, enabling a period of handover between himself and Wright.Tom Boardley, chairman of The Mission to Seafarers, said, "We are delighted that Peter is joining the Mission and look forward to welcoming him in July.

Despite short-term obstacles driven by high inflation and interest rates coupled with supply chain issues, we maintain that the foundations supporting long-term offshore wind activity remain solid. As we prepare for the new year, let us look at 10 factors that will shape the offshore wind sector in 2024.1. A Continuously Dynamic Energy TrilemmaThe dynamic relationship of the three key drivers of affordable energy, energy security and energy transition was clearly evident in 2023 as energy affordability and security were generally more prominent themes than the transition.

Like many ports, the Alaskan Port of Homer faces aging infrastructure and capital needs well beyond the local funding capacity. The port is a key link in the supply chain for 47 remote, rural, disadvantaged or Alaska Native communities served by Homer, making proposed port infrastructure upgrades critical for shipping statewide as well as for the local community.Enter the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This unprecedented…

DNV has awarded an Approval in Principle (AiP) to HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) and its subsidiaries HD Hyundai Heavy Industry (HD HHI) and Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) for their new hydrogen system.HD KSOE aims to complete the development of the hydrogen carrier technology that enables large-capacity hydrogen transportation and storage by around 2030.HD KSOE's new system utilizes boil-off gas from hydrogen transport for a hybrid propulsion system, integrating hydrogen dual-fuel engines and fuel cells.

A shift to coastal shipping and rail could cut NZ’s freight transport emissions – why aren’t we doing it?According to a recent study, coastal shipping produces a fifth of the carbon emissions (well-to-wheel) of road freight. Rail also performed well, with about a quarter of trucking emissions.Despite this, trucking accounts for nearly 80% of New Zealand’s heavy goods transport, and a 94.5% share of the total emissions from heavy freight transport.The dominance of trucking follows the expansion of the road network…

Reserve, La. based DSC Dredge announced it has appointed Doy Dugan to succeed Kevin Dolan as vice president and chief financial officer.Dugan is a CPA with an MBA and brings to the role more than 30 years of global financial and operational experience working for both public and private companies. Most recently he served as CFO at Diversified Well Logging and prior to that, he held the CFO position at Advanced Drilling Solutions and Spartan Offshore. Dugan began his career at Falcon Drilling Company…

ABS has appointed Panos Koutsourakis to head its global sustainability team. Koutsourakis is an 18-year industry veteran who has key industry experience with shipping companies, classification, operations, design and new construction, decarbonization technologies and strategic planning.As Vice President, Global Sustainability, Koutsourakis heads-up a global network of sustainability centers in key maritime locations, including Singapore, Athens, Houston, Copenhagen and Shanghai.

Gnostech, an applied engineering company specializing in cybersecurity, software development, C4ISR systems and GPS, announced it has hired James “Jamie” Schlosser as Vice President of Innovation and Research at its San Diego office.Schlosser brings over 44 years of experience in Naval Information Warfare operations and acquisition both on active duty and as a civil servant. He recently retired from Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) after more than 23 years of service.

Armach Robotics announced it has promoted its operations VP John Dunn to chief operating officer.Armach, which uses small autonomous robots to keep ships clean and collect hull data that can inform future maintenance and operations, hired Dunn when the company was launched in late 2021, as a spin-off company by marine software company Greensea Systems.In his new role, Dunn continues to play a central role in further developing and overseeing Armach’s ongoing business operations.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson has selected Jackie Q. Carter to serve as Municipal Port Director. In this position, Carter will direct commercial and recreational operations at Port Milwaukee, oversee a staff of twenty people, and administer Foreign Trade Zone No. 41. The appointment is subject to Common Council approval.A lifelong resident of Milwaukee, Carter has worked in the local non-profit and public sector for more than 20 years. She most recently served as the Finance & Administration Officer for Port Milwaukee…

The Dutra Group has named Harry K. Stewart as its Chief Executive Officer. Stewart, who previously held the position of Chief Operating Officer at Dutra, assumes his new role as the company celebrates its 50th anniversary. Bill T. Dutra, who led the company since its founding, will move into the role of Executive Chairman.Bill Dutra, who founded the company at age 26, is immediately recognizable by the trademark Borsalino and Stetson hats he wears in tribute to his grandfather, Antone Dutra.

The drivers for global offshore wind growth look good for 2023. Global offshore wind is forecast to grow from over 60 GW at the end of 2022 to 240 GW by 2030 and over 410 GW by 2035. But the sunny outlook must be balanced with some building dark clouds. As we prepare for the new year, let us look at ten factors that will shape the offshore wind sector in 2023.1. Solid foundations: Optimism for the supply chain is founded on declared and inferred offshore wind deployment targets by a growing number of countries of over 400 GW, driven by energy transition and energy security policies.2.

December was a month of major “firsts” in the U.S. offshore wind space. The first federal auction for offshore wind was held for the West Coast, and the first federal leases for commercial floating wind projects were provisionally awarded. These events are key milestones in the journey to achieve the federal vision of 15 GW of floating wind in the USA by 2035. Several major challenges in developing the supply chain will need to be addressed if these ambitions are to be met.The drive to grow the U.S. offshore wind segment into a leading offshore wind market continues.

As the dust settles from Wednesday's California floating wind auction, and developers begin to discuss their plans, energy industry intelligence firm Intelatus says development of the floating wind manufacturing and installation supply chain must speed up.Developers are beginning to release details of their bids for yesterday’s California floating wind auction. The successful bidders for the two north California Humboldt sites, RWE and CIP, both bid the highest prices per square kilometer of lease area.

Five developers selected to build the first floating wind farms in U.S. federal watersTo support the California Energy Commission’s planning goals of 2-5 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and 25 GW by 2045 as well as a federal target to deploy 15 GW of floating wind by 2035, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has concluded the auction date for five 33-year leases offshore California. Exhibit 1 summarizes the outcome of the auction and estimates the potential of the lease areas using BOEMs standard power density formula of 3 MW per square kilometer…

The 2022 Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS) is scheduled to be held Nov. 15-17, 2022, hosted by Argonne National Laboratory at the Argonne campus in Lemont, Illinois. MRS is an annual international event focused on risks involving the global maritime transportation system (MTS). For the MRS, the U.S. Coast Guard partners with the sponsor, the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and the hosting agency. MRS began in 2011 and has grown in size, scope and interest. The MRS event will be followed by the U.S.

China’s saber-rattling around Taiwan underlines the need for Australia to be prepared for conflict in the South China Sea.With its growing navy and air force, and the bases it has built throughout the area, China is increasingly capable of disrupting shipping lanes crucial to Australia’s exports and imports.Chinese military bases across the South China Sea (© OpenStreetMap contributors)Of particular concern is our reliance on liquid fuels imported via South China Sea shipping routes. This reliance has become more pronounced over the past few decades as all but two local refineries have closed.

The United States' Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Tuesday announced Karen J. Baker will lead its Office of Renewable Energy Programs (OREP).BOEM, an agency within the Department of the Interior, manages U.S. offshore energy resources.As Chief of BOEM's OREP, Baker will oversee the development of renewable energy resources on the Outer Continental Shelf through planning, stakeholder engagement, environmental analysis and technical review.“We’re very excited to add Ms. Baker to our team at such a pivotal time in offshore wind development,” said BOEM Director Amanda Lefton.

Over the last year we have seen an upswing in floating production and storage systems ordering after many years of low activity. According to our colleagues at World Energy Reports, “The global oil and natural gas markets are contending with rebounding energy demand on top of supply disruptions from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As a result, activity and business sentiment in the floating production sector has seldom been stronger.”  This increased activity in the floating production…

The theme of Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS) 2022 is “The Importance of Inland Systems to the MTS.” The global MTS consists of numerous inland networks that connect the major transnational and inland ports. The United States has more than 25,000 miles of navigable waters, which can carry around 630 million tons of cargo annually. Barges carry the bulk of the commodities on the inland river networks while freighters carry the commodities on the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway. About 60 percent of the U.S. farm exports travel through inland waterways.

HII announced on Monday that Henry Choi has joined its Mission Technologies division as vice president of business development for cyber, electronic warfare (EW) and space.Choi is responsible for driving business growth, strategy and customer engagement for HII’s full-spectrum cyber, EW and space capabilities that address today’s rapidly changing, multi-domain global security threats.“As HII expands its capabilities with mission-critical national security solutions, it is imperative that we have the right team and talent to deliver results for our mission partners…