University Of British Columbia News

Naval architecture and marine engineering firm TAI Engineers, owned by S&B, announced it has appointed Amer Kalla as director of production design, based in Houston."We are excited to have Amer Kalla join the TAI team. His wealth of experience and expertise will play a crucial role in advancing our production design capabilities and contributing to the success of our projects,” said Kris Karri, senior vice president of operations and chief engineer at TAI Engineers. “Kalla will be responsible for TAI’s global production design team in the U.S.

Last week, Jason Leggatt, President of Mustang Survival, and Andrew Branagh, CEO of The Wing Group, announced together that Leggatt has resigned from his daily management position as President.Leggatt will become a member of the Board following his departure, enabling him to provide the Board counsel and strategic guidance for The Wing Group and the Mustang Survival business in a governance role.The Wing Group/Mustang Survival has commenced the search process for a new business unit President engaging the executive recruiting firm Boyden Canada.

Following the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association’s (WFSA) Professional Program (held virtually on May 18, 2022), Awards were presented to finalist teams in the WFSA’s Ferry Design Competition, now in its ninth year.Dr. Roberta Weisbrod, WFSA’s Executive Director, said the specifications for the design ferry were crafted to be ever more challenging from year to year, but that this year’s objective creating a safe and affordable ferry for transiting India’s Brahmaputra River, “that…

Expanding to strengthen support in Asia, International Registries, Inc. and its affiliates (IRI) opened offices in Vancouver, British Columbia and Qingdao, China today. This is the first Canadian office of IRI and the 11th office in Asia. The opening of the Vancouver office expands on the historical and powerful link between Vancouver and China, while Qingdao opens to facilitate inspections and client services in Northern China. Both offices will serve Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) corporate and maritime clients. Annie Ng, Head of Asia and Managing Director, Vancouver Office will remain Head of Asia and reposition to lead from Vancouver.“Vancouver is an important cultural and trading link between North America and Asia…

Canadian operator Seaspan Ferries Corporation said it will be the first to trial Corvus Energy’s new Blue Whale ESS, featuring a unique rack-free design of stacking modular blocks to provide higher volumetric battery room energy density and, consequently, maximized passenger or payload capacity.The new large-scale energy storage system (ESS)—a battery system designed for large ships with high zero-emission energy demand, such as cruise ships, large Ro-Pax and Ro-Ro ferries and cargo ships—will be installed on board Seaspan Reliant…

The Arctic has long proven to be a barometer of the health of our planet. This remote part of the world faces unprecedented environmental assaults, as climate change and industrial chemicals threaten a way of life for Inuit and other Indigenous and northern communities that rely heavily on seafood and marine mammals for food.But who would have imagined that the clothes we wear might add to this onslaught? Evidence increasingly shows that tiny synthetic fibers are permeating the Arctic Ocean and finding their way into zooplankton…

Ten new research institutes from Europe, North America and Australia have joined the Nereus Program research partnership, bringing the total to 17. Launched in September 2011, the program is an international collaboration between The Nippon Foundation and the University of British Columbia with the aim to make comprehensive forecasts of the ocean’s future, the program has grown into one of the world’s largest research initiatives in its field. Principle investigators from eight…

Seaspan ULC (Seaspan) has appointed Brent Hale as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). Brent joined Seaspan in June 2015 as Vice President - Human Resources (HR). In this capacity Brent led the strategic reorganization of HR at Seaspan - implementing new HR and Labor Relations initiatives that facilitated rapid growth across the enterprise while significantly improving quality and efficiency. In his new role as CAO, Brent is accountable for leading Seaspan’s Corporate Shared Services, while continuing to be a member of the Executive Leadership Team.

U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday slammed an agreement made with Canada to ban offshore Arctic drilling, saying Ottawa's plan to review its ban every five years gives Canada a leg up on energy exploration. U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced a ban on new oil and gas drilling federal waters in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, while Canada instituted a similar ban in its Arctic waters. Unlike the United States, where the ban is indefinite, Canada said it will review its restrictions every five years.

Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards has appointed Tony Tinto to Vice President, Planning & Estimating. Tony joined Vancouver Shipyards (VSY) in 2006 as a Project Manager, before moving over to affiliate company Vancouver Drydock in 2007 in a similar capacity. In 2012, Tony returned to VSY as Director, Planning & Production Control, and was appointed to the role of interim Vice President, Planning & Estimating in November 2016. Prior to his arrival at Seaspan in 2006, Tony worked as a Design & Engineering Manager for Westbay SonShip & Yachts. As part of the Seaspan Shipyards senior leadership team, Tony is responsible for providing leadership and direction on network planning, detail planning and production control, as well as estimating for new ship construction.

Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards has announced the appointment of Tony Tinto to Vice President, Planning & Estimating. Tinto joined Vancouver Shipyards (VSY) in 2006 as a Project Manager, before moving over to affiliate company Vancouver Drydock in 2007 in a similar capacity. In 2012, Tinto  returned to VSY as Director, Planning & Production Control, and was appointed to the role of interim Vice President, Planning & Estimating in November 2016. Prior to his arrival at Seaspan in 2006, Tinto worked as a Design & Engineering Manager for Westbay SonShip & Yachts.

Peter Lister has joined the senior leadership team at Seaspan Marine as Vice President, Commercial Services, responsible for marketing, sales and customer relations. He will develop and build marketing strategies, customer service quality control measures, customer service standards and account management processes. Lister brings to the role more than 20 years of experience as a research and innovation leader in the forestry sector. He joins the company from FPInnovations where he served as Vice President, Forest Operations & Wood Products.

The first commercial cruise ship to sail through Canada's Northwest Passage was set to depart on Tuesday, part of a growing Arctic tourism industry spurred by rising temperatures and receding ice. The ship Crystal Serenity was to depart from Anchorage, Alaska, and cut through frigid northern waters before reaching New York in one month, according to a schedule from its American operator, Crystal Cruises. The route was first navigated more than a century ago by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, but has been ice-free only in recent years.

The Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation, in conjunction with Seaspan, announced today a multi-year, multimillion dollar investment in the future of British Columbia’s marine industrial sector. The commitment totals $2.9 million and includes a three-year, $900,000 donation by the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation to three institutional trades training programs in Canada. This donation has been given in support of the Industrial and Regional Benefits Policy program under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).

Seaspan has named three new Vice Presidents to its Senior Leadership Team, announcing the appointments of Linda Wortman as Vice President, Finance & Accounting; Catherine Chick as Vice President, Business Services & Technology; and Shawn Chylinski as Vice President, Health, Safety, Environment & Quality. As Vice President, Finance & Accounting, Linda is responsible for strategic financial oversight of the marine division and corporate services. She is a key advisor to the CFO and Executive Leadership Team and ensures information and metrics are available to inform value added business decisions. Linda joined Seaspan in 2008 as Controller, Marine and was appointed to the role of Vice President, Finance & Accounting in January 2016.

The University of British Columbia announced it will receive a $2 million investment from Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) over the next seven years to support innovative teaching and research in the naval architecture and marine engineering programs at the UBC faculty of applied science. As a result, two new UBC chair positions will be created, one in naval architecture and one in marine systems engineering, both of which are expected to be recruited this summer. “UBC is western North America’s only academic institution offering graduate programs in naval architecture and marine engineering,” said UBC Interim President Martha Piper. This multi-million dollar investment is a result of Seaspan’s Value Proposition obligations under the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS).

Interferry CEO Len Roueche reviews the latest regulatory challenges impacting the ferry industry. With U.S. origins dating back more than 40 years, Interferry is the trade association and main voice for the global ferry sector – a crucial but often forgotten part of the wider shipping industry. Historically this has been particularly true with regard to regulatory issues at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), but in recent times the association has emerged as an increasingly influential platform within the corridors of power.

Russia has submitted its bid for vast territories in the Arctic to the United Nations, AP reported as the Foreign Ministry saying. The ministry said in a statement that Russia is claiming 1.2 million square kilometres (over 463,000 square miles) of Artic sea shelf extending more than 350 nautical miles (about 650 kilometres) from the shore. It said the bid contains new arguments. “Ample scientific data collected in years of Arctic research are used to back the Russian claim,” it said. Moscow also is asserting ownership of the emerging Northern Sea Route, the potentially lucrative seasonal shipping route opening above its northern coastline as Arctic ice melts. Rivalry for Arctic resources has intensified as shrinking polar ice is opening up new opportunities for exploration.

Student teams from six maritime universities and schools have submitted proposals for the Second Annual Design Competition for Safe Affordable Ferries sponsored by the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association. A panel of five judges will review the submissions and will announce the winners by early Fall 2014. The top prize is $5,000 with second and third prizes also to be awarded. The student teams were asked to submit a design for a ferry to transport up to 200 passengers and ro-ro cargo between Lae and Kavieng in Papua New Guinea (with several intermediate stops), a distance of 350 nautical miles.

Brent Hale has joined Seaspan as vice president of human resources, the company announced. As part of Seaspan’s senior executive team, Hale will provide leadership for strategic plans, and guide the development and implementation of human resources and labor relations initiatives and processes to achieve its corporate goals. “I am very pleased to welcome Brent to the Seaspan family and our world-class leadership team, said Jonathan Whitworth, CEO, Seaspan. Hale joins the company from ICBC where he served as director of strategic HR and governance.

Marine Engineering and naval architecture students provide a fresh perspective on design, safety and innovation, too. When most of us board a passenger ferry, thinking about the safety and stability of the vessel will rarely cross our minds. Typically, those thoughts are obscured by other “more important” things, along with the distractions of electronic devices that keep us so pre-occupied that we even tune out the essential safety briefing that occurs during departure. While the record of U.S.

Wishing to enhance their elegibility for jobs in Western Canada's expanding shipbuilding industry, a group of University of British Columbia (UBC) Mechanical Engineering students approached SSI about further training in the company's ShipConstructor CAD/CAM application. The developers responded by putting on a special training course for them, plus access to the software. The students had found ShipConstructor software to be the industry production standard at the Canadian marine design offices where they were serving internships, for instance at STX Canada Marine and Robert Allan Ltd.

A convergence of forces makes for market opportunities for new safe ferry systems in the developing world. Need, policy, and funding are poised to provide a moment of opportunity. The expanding global economy has resulted in economic and population growth in developing world cities, resulting in horrendous road congestion. In response, governments and businesses have begun planning for intra-urban ferries wherever possible. Ferries in the developing world have a deserved reputation for being unsafe.