Shell and GTT Partner on LH2 Carrier Design
Energy giant Shell is partnering with French engineering firm GTT with the aim to develop "breakthrough, cutting-edge technologies" to enable maritime transport of liquid hydrogen (LH2).The cooperation agreement between Shell International Trading and Shipping Company and GTT is part of Shell's strategy to develop a hydrogen energy supply chain by creating scalable and safe liquefied hydrogen shipping technologies. This includes the development by GTT of a preliminary LH2 carrier…
ChartCo Acquires Marine Position
ChartCo, a global supplier of maritime digital data and compliance services, has announced its acquisition of the Swedish environmental shipping technology expert business Marine Position. The transaction extends ChartCo's core product strategy of providing a centralized digital platform on board vessels which is linked to key shoreside activities. Marine Position AB is a global specialist provider of maritime environmental regulations and compliance covering international, national and local requirements.
Interferry Urges Proactive Approach to Industry Challenges
More than 250 top-level delegates attended trade association Interferry’s 38th annual conference in Malta to debate the major factors affecting ferry operations around the world. Under a new format mixing presentations with panel discussions and audience input, the event underlined the diversity of political, technical, operational and commercial issues challenging the industry. Among several sessions focused on safety, a former airline pilot confirmed the alarming certainty of human error…
Safety-conscious Interferry Sets Sights on Perfection Myth
The trade association event takes place in Malta from October 5-9 with an agenda dominated by safety issues. Insights on how the aviation industry builds and maintains safety culture will come from special guest speaker Jarle Gimmestad of Norway-based operational safety consultancy Gimmestad AS. He was previously with Scandinavian airline SAS as a captain and then as human factors and crew resource manager, which included working with the accident investigation group. Pointing to the continuously improving safety record of air travel, he noted, “There is a significant tendency - while undesired events used to be caused by technical insufficiency, we now realize that most are contributed by human error. We have left the myth of perfection. Human error is a natural part of human behavior.
Better Pressure Testing Saves $193m per Rig
According to ODS-Petrodata, the cost of operating a highly automated rig in the Gulf of Mexico has almost tripled in the last four years. Accordingly, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) recently funded a three-year Joint Industry Project (JIP) to determine the historical failure rates (and resulting non-productive time) associated with subsea Blowout Prevention Equipment (BOPE). Athens Group CTO and drilling technology expert, Don Shafer will be presenting the findings of that study at the AADE 2009 National Technical Conference March 31 in New Orleans, LA. “With an understanding of the causes of their failure, BOPE and control systems reliability can be increased,” said Shafer. According to the study, many stack configurations exceed minimum requirements and are redundant.
New Chief Surveyor at GL
Germanischer Lloyd's (GL) new Chief Surveyor is Norbert Kray (42). He will be taking on the professional support of the classification society's 1,000 surveyors in over 77 countries. In future, the qualified naval architect and marine technology expert will appoint new technical surveyors, monitor their work and further develop new rules for the construction and operation of ships. to Germanischer Lloyd in 1997. and Repair Management. of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). Emergency Response Service (ERS). registered vessels.
Zaloom Joins Sea Tow
Sea Tow Services International, Inc., announced the expansion of its Business Technology group with the hiring of technology expert Charles Zaloom. He will serve as the company’s Director of Business Technology, effective immediately. “We are entering a period of extensive growth both physically, through the expansion of our corporate office and our national franchise network, as well as professionally through an increase in strategic business relationships and alliances,” explained Keith Cummings, President of Sea Tow Services International. “We know that capitalizing on the major technological advancements and alliances is the key to sustaining this strategic growth, which is one of Mr. Zaloom’s core competencies.
New SCI Cchaplain Covers Waterways
Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) welcomes Pamela Stephens as a new full-time chaplain based in the Port of Houston for its Ministry on the River program. In July, Chaplain Stephens joined Ann Mills in Paducah (KY) and the Rev. Jim Wilkinson in Louisville (KY) to coordinate SCI’s pastoral care network along 2,200 miles of America’s inland waterways. “Pam’s home base at SCI’s Houston Center will mean that the resources of the Institute are available to her as she provides pastoral care to more river and coastal mariners working in this region. A ministry of presence in the Gulf Region will take her from the bayous of Texas and Louisiana to the everglades of Florida,” said the Rev. David Rider, SCI's Executive Director.
