The Royal Institution News

Silverstream Technologies appointed Catriona Savage into the newly created position of Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Savage will lead the continued development of the innovative Silverstream System and will further develop the technical centre-of-excellence built by Silverstream Technologies. The new role will lead on Product Development and Application Engineering and all aspects of product quality, safety and performance.Savage joins Silverstream following a career at BMT as Technical Assurance and Capability Director…

Catriona Savage, BMT’s Technical Assurance and Capability Director, has been names President of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA). She is the organization's first woman President.Savage, who is Honorary Professor at University College London Mechanical Engineering Department, takes over the RINA Presidency from Maurizio d’Amico who has served the institution over the last two years.Commenting on her presidency and vision for the future, Savage said, "I have been a member of RINA for over 25 years since I joined as a student at Southampton University.

Lisa Hammock, Environmental Protection and Sustainability Managing Consultant, BMT, was awarded the David Goodrich Prize by the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA). The prize, awarded annually and named after David Goodrich, a former president of RINA and one of the founders of BMT, is given for the best paper presented at the annual RINA Warships conference.The award was granted for Hammock's paper on ‘Unlocking the Potential of Sustainable Submarine Design’ at RINA Warship 2021.

Classification society ABS announced it has appointed specialist Stamatis Fradelos as vice president of regulatory affairs.Fradelos, who returns to ABS’ Athens office, where he was previously business director and member of the IACS Environmental Panel, will spearhead ABS engagement with administrations and regulatory bodies and support the industry with compliance guidance.“ABS is engaged with maritime regulators and administrators all over the world and Stamatis will take our work in this area to the next level.

BMT welcomed Catriona Savage to the role of Technical Assurance Director, responsible for its global technical authority. She re-joins BMT from a role as the Chair in Naval Architecture and an Honorary Professor at University College London. Previously, she was the Technical Director for BMT’s UK defense business.The Technical Assurance Director is a key leadership role and one that directly supports the successful delivery of business to BMT’s customers across all territories.

Ardmore Shipping Corporation (NYSE: ASC) (“Ardmore”) has announced the appointment of Dr. Kirsi Tikka to the company’s Board of Directors.Dr. Tikka has over 30 years of shipping experience having recently retired from the American Bureau of Shipping  (“ABS”) in July 2019. She joined ABS in 2001 and held various specialist and leadership positions within ABS including as ABS Executive Vice President Global Marine, Europe Division President, and as Vice President and Chief Engineer, Global.

Europort 2019 has finalized the most extensive conference and events program in its history, adding a number of elements that will ensure that this year’s edition of the biennial maritime and offshore gathering in Rotterdam is more thought-provoking than ever before.The four-day conference and exhibition, to be staged between November 5-8th at the Rotterdam Ahoy Center, will take place against a backdrop of revival across the specialized shipping markets for which Europort is renowned.

A Memorandum of Intent covering future collaboration has been signed by the organization orchestrating space programmes for 22 European countries and the coordinators of One Sea, the industry alliance bringing together exponents of autonomous ship technology.The agreement, between One Sea coordinator DIMECC and the European Space Agency (ESA), sets out common objectives to encourage the development of space-based applications to analyse, enable and implement maritime digitalization…

Three 'influencers' in the international maritime sector have joined One Sea,  the industry alliance that brings together leading exponents of autonomous ship technology.Global satellite group Inmarsat and NYK Group research subsidiary MTI (Monohakobi Technology Institute) have joined One Sea as full members, while the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to become a One Sea associate member.One Sea members ABB, Kongsberg Maritime and Wärtsilä ran separate autonomous ship trials off the Finnish and Norwegian coasts at the end of 2018.

Coltraco Ultrasonics Chief Executive, Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter, has been welcomed onto the Board of Trustees at The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA), an internationally renowned professional institute at the heart of surface and sub-surface ship design.Formed in 1860 and established by Royal Warrant RINA occupies a central and essential role at the heart of British and global maritime with 70% overseas members and Consultative Status at the International Maritime Organisation.Commenting on the appointment, RINA Chief Executive, Trevor Blakeley says, “The Royal Institution of Naval Architects is very pleased to welcome Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter as a member of its Board of Trustees.

Hazardous ship wrecks can cause many problems. Depending on its location, a wreck may be a hazard to navigation, potentially endangering other vessels and their crews. It may also cause substantial damage to the marine and coastal environments, depending on the nature of the cargo. On top of this, there is the issue of costs involved in marking and removing hazardous wrecks. International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention goes some way to resolving these issues. It covers the legal basis for States to remove, or have removed, shipwrecks, drifting ships, objects from ships at sea, and floating offshore installations.

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), MTI Co. Ltd., and Japan Marine United Corporation (JMU) have successfully developed a highly efficient propeller by analyzing the conditions surrounding vessel propellers in actual operation. This new propeller will be installed on two newly built containerships that will be delivered in 2019, and will achieve a 1.2 percent reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by improving fuel efficiency. The propeller plays a major role in the propulsion of a ship, and computer simulations and test tanks are used to create an ideal shape, but the actual water flow around the propeller of an oceangoing vessel can be rather complex.

Rob Allan was presented with the Meritorious Achievement Award as one of the President’s Awards conferred by Engineers & Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC) on October 20, 2017 at their Annual Award Gala held in Whistler, BC. This award is given annually to a member of the Association who has achieved distinction and outstanding goals associated with his/her profession. Allan has over 45 years of experience in the design of commercial workboats of all types, but especially high-performance tugboats for tanker escort and offshore terminal operations.

The fatal explosion in the pump room on the Brazilian FPSO Cidade de São Mateus in February 2015, demonstrated the potential for major accidents on this type of unit. Although there has never been an explosion in the oil storage tanks of an FPSO, there is a potential for such an event and offshore operators should assess the risks of such events to design against them. It is therefore imperative that risk assessments of FPSOs address this type of event. For this, they need to estimate its annual likelihood of occurring.

Vryhof, a provider of anchoring and mooring solutions, said it is expanding its global footprint with its companies Deep Sea Mooring (DSM) opening a new office in Aberdeen and Vryhof Anchors appointing Singapore-based Franklin Offshore as its exclusive representative for selling Vryhof solutions in a number of Asia Pacific countries. “In an industry that has seen considerable negativity over the past year, this is a real statement of intent by Vryhof on our ambitions to expand our products and services in new markets and meet increased demand,” said Wolfgang Wandl, CEO of Vryhof.

Frederick J. Harris, recently retired president of General Dynamics NASSCO and Bath Iron Works shipyards, has joined the operating executive board (OEB) of private equity firm J.F. Lehman & Company. The OEB is a group of industry and government executives with significant experience in the firm’s target industries. Through key relationships and sector-specific knowledge, OEB members contribute to sourcing and evaluating transactions, advising on portfolio company strategy and recruiting senior level portfolio company management.

The Project SEAHORSE consortium, led by the University of Strathclyde, brought together experts from across the maritime world to research and implement safety considerations pioneered by the aviation industry – the first project of its kind in the world. It has been recognized with the Maritime Safety Award from the Royal Institution of Naval Architects in association with Lloyd’s Register. Headed up by Professor Osman Turan from the University of Strathclyde’s Department of Naval Architecture…

Shipping’s data revolution, its environmental responsibilities and its continuing reliance on ‘the human factor’ will be the focus of attention as the eyes of the maritime world turn once more to Rotterdam between 7th-10th November 2017, for the staging of the long-established, and always well-supported Europort event. Organised by Rotterdam Ahoy, Europort is the highlight of the maritime exhibition calendar in 2017, with a finely crafted programme expected to attract an estimated 30,000 visitors and 1,100 exhibitors. The Europort exhibition team has chosen three highly topical themes for the event this year. These are: Big Data; The New Environmental Age; and The Human Factor.

The Iranian Maritime Industry Knowledge Hub will be soon opened up and ready to use by public in the area of shipping and offshore industry. Reza Mohammad Alibeike, member of The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST), said, "In order to promote culture and knowledge of common people and maritime activists with the maritime industry issues and related jobs, I decided to design and execute a simple, but smart and practical structure. The member of Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) emphasized that in his software maritime industry is defined and its different segments are distinct. Due to absence of a scientific and reasonable definition of maritime industry and lack of unawareness of the authorities…

Three of the maritime industry’s most respected global professional bodies have announced their commitment to September’s Maritime Academic Conference and Expo in Dubai, demonstrating the priority they are giving to regional education and training needs. The Nautical Institute, the Institute of Marine Engineering Science and Technology and the Royal Institution of Naval Architects have confirmed participation in MARACAD - which will be staged September 20th–21st September at Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE. His Excellency Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Belhaif Al Nuaimi, the UAE Minister of Public Works Chairman of The Federal Transport Authority – Land and Maritime…

The 20 year four-fold growth pattern in the world’s FPSO fleet stalls out in 2016 with a record number of FPSOs idle and available for redeployment – or perhaps to be forced into other uses, lay up or scrap. FPSO redeployments typically are far more complex, costly and risky than for (say) drillships and yet the need for redeploying idle FPSOs is now in the forefront of the industry like never before as FPSO owners also have to face the worst ever down market for their equipment and services.

Bad ship design can make life onboard difficult and uncomfortable, cause accidents and even kill. Naval architects have a huge responsibility, but few of them have direct experience of how their designs affect those who use them. Improving Ship Operational Design, published by The Nautical Institute, hopes to make maritime operations safer and more effective by giving ship designers an insight into how those onboard work and live. The book was launched at the Royal Institution of Naval Architects’ (RINA) conference…

The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) has elected John Hatley PE, Vice President, Americas, and Director of Market Shaping, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions, as a Fellow of the institution. Candidates for election as a Fellow (FRINA) must have demonstrated exceptional contributions to the profession, a record of superior achievements in their career and having held positions of responsibility. Nominees are endorsed by two sitting FRINA, following which a membership committee carries out a full professional review and assessment of the applicant's history of achievements.