Loc 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.

AqualisBraemar LOC ASA Group's (ABL Group) operations in the USA announced the new appointment of Sean Murphy as Senior Surveyor based in Boston, adding to ABL’s strengths in both the local maritime and offshore renewables industries.Murphy is a chartered naval architect and marine engineer, and a graduate of Webb Institute with a masters in engineering management from Duke University.He has extensive experience in marine casualty investigations for various interests, serving as an expert witness in his field.

Energy and marine consultancy AqualisBraemar LOC Group has completed the acquisition of the UK operations of ship design and marine consultancy company OSD-IMT from Damen Shipyard Group.OSD-IMT is a specialist consultancy in ship design for new build, refit, and conversion projects. The company operates the renewables, maritime, defense, and offshore oil and gas sectors. In particular, the company specializes in newbuild construction, support, and supply vessels for the offshore energy industry…

AqualisBraemar LOC, an energy and marine industry consultancy, has agreed to buy the UK operations of ship design and marine consultancy company OSD-IMT from the Dutch-based Damen Shipyards Group.OSD-IMT is a specialist consultancy in ship design for new build, refit, and conversion projects. The company operates the renewables, maritime, defense, and offshore oil and gas sectors."Combining OSD-IMT's wide track record with ABL Group's own expertise in specialist ship design, marine…

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…

Ocean transportation services company Dship Carriers has said it has transported a 750-metric-ton Pile Installation Frame (PIF), measuring 33.5 x 33.5 x 29 meters, as well as other offshore and seabed equipment from Rotterdam, the Netherlands to An Ping, Taiwan.The delivery is part of a contract awarded by offshore installation services company Seaway 7 for an offshore windfarm project. Dship Carriers delivered the goods using its recently acquired MV Bruce multi-purpose heavy lift vessel."With a 75-meter-long main cargo hold…

Longitude Engineering, an LOC Group company, has said it has provided concept and basic design services, as well as construction specification for yard engagement and procurement activities, for a new DP2 cable lay ship for Woen Jinn Harbor Engineering (Woen Jinn), in Taiwan. Prior to the design, Longitude also provided an evaluation on the company’s current assets and potential conversions to meet the operational criteria, Longitude said Monday.The DP2 oceangoing vessel design…

When it comes to shock-mitigation, bigger is truly better.Let’s consider a thought experiment: You must take the wheel of one of two cars speeding along straight tracks with no exits. Both cars are traveling at 100 km/hour, but the first is 100 meters from a brick wall while the second is only 10 meters from an identical wall. There is nothing to do but decelerate before the crash, and assuming your decision is guided by self-preservation the choice is obvious. Why? Because even the best tactical driver can’t overcome physics…

LOC Group, a provider of services to the offshore oil and gas industry, announced it has become the third-party provider for marine assurance and inspection with BP Egypt.LOC Egypt has been awarded a two-year marine assurance and inspection contract by BP Egypt. This is the first time LOC Egypt has been awarded work by BP, the major oil and gas operator in Egypt. The First vessel inspection is expected to commence imminently to ensure efficient participation in their offshore campaign/Project.Tamer Gamil, LOC Egypt Country Manager, said, “This is the first agreement we have won with BP Egypt, which demonstrates the considerable progress we have made as an organization since opening our office here in January 2018.”R V Ahilan…

When it comes to shock-mitigation, bigger is truly better.Let’s consider a thought experiment: You must take the wheel of one of two cars speeding along straight tracks with no exits. Both cars are traveling at 100 km/hour, but the first is 100 meters from a brick wall while the second is only 10 meters from an identical wall. There is nothing to do but decelerate before the crash, and assuming your decision is guided by self-preservation the choice is obvious. Why? Because even the best tactical driver can’t overcome physics…

A platform supply vessel (PSV) owned and operated by Wilson Sons UltraTug Offshore has been converted to a shallow dive support vessel (SDSV) for a Petrobras job offshore Brazil.The vessel, Fulmar, needed an upgrade from DP1 to DP2 Class notation, and the work was completed in April by Wilson Sons Estaleiros in partnership with Damen at the Wilson Sons shipyards in Guarujá.Damen said it carried out quick scan and later a feasibility study for the project before Wilson Sons had been awarded the contract.Daniel Pereira, Maintenance Manager said, “The project was not without its challenges.

The third edition of the Asian Marine Casualty Forum (AMCF) concluded with delegates calling for greater cooperation and continuing dialogue to address the major challenges now facing the marine casualty and salvage industry.Following the unprecedented success of the Forum last week, the organisers LOC, hope the AMCF will return for a fourth edition of the conference during Singapore Maritime Week in April 2021.Highlights of the final day on Friday 12th of AMCF 2019 included a session on bribery and corruption, wrecks and the environment and container ship casualties, with delegates hearing from world leading industry specialists and…

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…

It’s not where you are, it’s where you should not be that mattersCaptain Whyte, a leading marine accident analyst at LOC Group, an independent marine and engineering consultancy which provides services to the shipping and offshore energy industries, explains how electronic data is making accident investigation clearer by providing irrefutable evidence.“Fundamentally, situational awareness underpins everything we do”, said Captain Whyte. “Whether that’s crossing the road or driving ships at sea. We need to know where we are, what we’re doing and where we are going.

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…

Naval experts from around the world are meeting in Cartagena, Colombia, for the Operations and Technology (OPTECH) South 2017 conference. The event is being conducted by the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School’s (NPS) Littoral Operations Center (LOC), supported by the Office of Naval Research-Global and the Colombian Naval Science and Technology Office and Swedish defense company Saab. The littoral is the complex “near shore” environment where hydrography, geography, commerce, fishing…

In the waning days of 2016, the outlook brightened dramatically for the big U.S. dredging contractors. Just before Congress dispersed for the Holidays, then-President Obama signed a pivotal piece of legislation – the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, S612. Authorized needed investment in America’s ports, channels, locks, dams, and other infrastructure that supports the maritime and waterways transportation system and provides flood protection. Authorized U.S.

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.

LOC Group has today announced the appointment of Dr RV Ahilan to the position of joint CEO, alongside Jerome Rutler. Ahilan brings a strong strategic and technical understanding of LOC's key offshore markets to the leadership team. Over a 30-year career in maritime, oil and gas and renewable energy consulting, Ahilan served as Executive Vice President of the Renewables Advisory Division at DNV GL, President of GL Garrad Hassan and MD of GL Noble Denton in Americas and Europe before he joined LOC Group in February 2016. Commenting on his appointment, Ahilan said: "We must be prepared as a business to serve our industry as it continues to evolve, and to provide support to all our clients for the successful construction and operation of shipping, energy and power assets.

Following the success of the inaugural Asian Marine Casualty Forum (AMCF) in 2015 and by popular demand, the bi-annual industry forum aimed at addressing the current crises in maritime casualty management, is back for the second time running and officially launched in Singapore today. The much welcomed not-for–profit event with its“arranged by the industry for the industry” feature remains and already, sponsorship response has been well beyond expectations. LOC Group (LOC), the leading international maritime consultancy group, will once again be hosting the forum, a cornerstone event of the forthcoming Singapore Maritime Week (22-28 April 2017) – which gathers the international maritime community in Singapore for a week-long of conferences…