Memorial University Of Newfoundland News

William A. O’Neil, Secretary-General Emeritus of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), has died in the United Kingdom, aged 93.O’Neil was elected Secretary-General of the IMO for a first term of Office beginning in 1990, a second term beginning in 1994, a third term beginning in 1998 and a further two-year term from 2002 to 31 December 2003. He was the second longest serving Secretary-General of IMO.Current IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim expressed his sincere condolences to the Canadian Government…

Commercial fishing is one of the world's most dangerous professions yet the internationally-binding instrument which specifically addresses fishing vessel safety, the Cape Town Agreement, is not yet in force – because it needs more countries to ratify it.That's why International Maritime Organization (IMO)  has teamed up with the Pew Charitable Trust, an NGO, to organise a series of seminars for government officials and industry representatives in key developing countries, to raise awareness of the Cape Town Agreement and the benefits of ratifying it.A note from the UN-agency said that these benefits include fewer accidents, fewer lives lost and a more effective infrastructure for monitoring and targeting illegal…

Engineering, design and maritime consulting services provider NETSCo, Inc. has recently promoted Jan Flores to vice president, and welcomed new additions Trish McIntyre as engineering manager and Matt Davidson as junior naval architect/marine engineer. “In recent years, Jan has been instrumental in the success and growth of NETSCo and I am excited to promote him to this important position,” said Rich Mueller, founder, president and CEO of NETSCo. “Jan’s experience in taking our company goals and vision to new levels has strengthened our status as an industry leader.

ABS facilitated a Polar Code Operational Assessment, a milestone in the implementation of the IMO Polar Code. The assessment, which identifies operational risks and limitations, was performed with TE SubCom, a TE Connectivity Ltd. company and an industry pioneer in undersea communications technology, on its cable-laying vessel, Responder. “Completing this assessment is a critical milestone for the marine industry and the first of its kind in North America,” says ABS Chairman, President and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki. To obtain a Polar Ship Certification (PSC), vessels undergo an assessment that defines the intended operational profile and identifies relevant hazards.

ABS, a leading provider of classification and technical services to the global marine and offshore industries, announces the realignment of its Americas Division operations to create two new regions – Canada and Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. This realignment strengthens localized leadership to help ABS members and clients take advantage of expanding opportunities. “ABS recognizes that the expansion of the Panama Canal, increased Arctic operations and growth in LNG markets present pivotal opportunities for our members and clients, and we are proactively realigning operations to strengthen our world-class service delivery to support them,” says ABS Americas President and COO James Watson. “Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean are areas of tremendous potential.

A team of international scientists, led by the Marine Institute in Ireland, has completed a transatlantic sea bed mapping exercise, which has revealed previously uncharted seabed features including mountains and ridges taller than Carrauntoohil. Footprints of icebergs moving across the seabed, an ancient glacial moraine and a mountain higher than Carrauntoohil in Co Kerry have been mapped across the Atlantic by the team of scientists on board the State’s research ship, the MV Celtic Explorer. It followed the route taken by ships dropping the first transatlantic telecommunications cable between Ireland and Newfoundland in Canada in 1857.

It all adds up to the global effort to strengthen bottom lines, safety margins and the collective environmental footprint. The future for ferries seems to be on fire; both in good ways and bad. The good is always a good place to start. And, that’s because it is ferry fabrication time. The most notable ferry routes in America are jumping into the construction queue for new vessels and soon the next generation of ferry vessels will be hitting the piers (not literally of course).

Chevron Corporation announced today that Rhonda I. Zygocki, executive vice president, Policy and Planning, has elected to retire from the company after 34 years of outstanding service effective Feb. 1, 2015. The company also said it is making new reporting assignments for several executives. "Over the course of her career, Rhonda made many significant contributions to our business and distinguished herself as one of our most versatile and proven leaders," said John Watson, Chevron's chairman and chief executive officer. Zygocki is a native of St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. She began her career in petroleum engineering with Chevron Canada Resources in Calgary after graduating in 1980 from Memorial University of Newfoundland with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering.

The World Ferry Safety Association (WFSA) has announced the results of its Second Annual international student design competition for a Safe Affordable Ferry. The goal of the design competition is to elicit new approaches for ferry design in the developing world as well as to encourage designers to enter this arena for which there is a need and a developing market. Ms. Roberta Weisbrod, WFSA’s Executive Director, said: “The Sewol disaster reminds us that these are all our children. The top prize of $5,000 is to be awarded to the student team from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, which designed a double-hulled vessel using such standard and affordable features as mild (low carbon…

Aalto University, together with three other universities, has received significant funding for an international Research Center of Excellence for Arctic Technology from Lloyd’s Register Foundation (LRF). After an extensive international tendering process for fundamental research projects, LRF has established a Research Center of Excellence in Arctic Shipping and Operations. The Center will be headed by Aalto University. Also taking part are Helsinki University, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology NTNU (Trondheim) and Memorial University of Newfoundland (St. John's, Canada).

AXYS Technologies Inc. deliver 8 oceanographic buoys to the Fisheries & Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland (Marine Institute ). The buoys will expand the existing ocean observing network, known as “SmartBay ”, located at Placentia Bay along Newfoundland’s southern coastline. The data provides fishermen, vessel operators, weather forecasters and other stakeholders near real time access to a variety of marine meteorological and oceanographic data. The Marine Institute plans to deploy the buoys in the spring and summer of 2013…

Sharon R. Duggan has been appointed to the board of Marine Atlantic Inc. by the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. Marine Atlantic Inc. is a federal Crown corporation that reports to Parliament through the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. The corporation provides a constitutionally mandated passenger and commercial marine transportation service between the Island of Newfoundland and the Province of Nova Scotia. Its mission is to provide a safe, environmentally responsible and quality ferry service in a reliable and cost-effective manner. "I am pleased that Ms. Duggan has agreed to serve on the board of Marine Atlantic," said Minister Lebel. Ms.

Lockheed Martin Canada, a major supplier of systems, software and professional services to the Royal Canadian Navy, will be in Saint John, Halifax and St. John’s this week to meet with companies that could become partners and suppliers on shipbuilding projects, including the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships and other future programs. In each location, Lockheed Martin officials will provide a briefing on how companies can prepare and position themselves for shipbuilding work through major contractors and then will conduct a series of one-on-one meetings to learn about the capabilities of many New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador based companies.

Industry experts share views on key Arctic R&D issues. ABS, a provider of classification services to the global offshore industry, offers a series of Arctic workshops that aim to help define the region’s most pressing research and development (R&D) needs. The next workshop on the agenda takes place March 19-20 in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where approximately 70 Arctic specialists from industry and academia will brainstorm challenges and potential solutions to operating in harsh and frontier areas and identify new joint research opportunities. Over the last year, ABS has organized a series of invitational workshops where technology leaders from industry and academia have gathered to chart a way forward together.

Citizens are sometimes left wondering how they can comply with the letter of the law. According to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), in order to receive certification, seafarers must be able to demonstrate that they possess critical safety skills that would be required in shipboard emergencies, such as firefighting and lifeboat launching. As an example of such an emergency, Captain Anthony Patterson, President and CEO of Virtual Marine Technology (VMT) of St.

Houston, TX -The Research & Development Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador (RDC) and ABS of Texas have announced a combined $600,000 investment for the ABS Harsh Environment Technology Center and associated research program. This investment will fund research on how ship and offshore structures can be improved to work more effectively in volatile ocean conditions, such as the North Atlantic. “This partnership further demonstrates Newfoundland and Labrador as a recognized leader on the international stage when it comes to research and development of technologies for ships and offshore structures operating in harsh environments,” said Keith Hutchings, Minister Responsible for the RDC. “Worldwide, there is an industry need for this type of research and development.

Dr. Roger Basu has joined the faculty at Webb Institute as Associate Professor of Naval Architecture. Dr. Basu has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the marine industry primarily involved with the analysis and reliability of ship and offshore structures. He recently retired from the American Bureau of Shipping as the Director of Shared Technology where his responsibilities included the lead in establishing the ABS Harsh Environment Technology Center in conjunction with Memorial University of Newfoundland. Dr. Basu is well known in the industry.

STX Marine Inc. announced that Mike Carroll has been promoted to the position of Vice President – Operations for the Houston office.  He has been with the company for 10 years and has been instrumental in expanding the capabilities and profile of the company in the US and will be responsible for the further success and development of the office.  He has considerable experience in managing the design of a wide range of complex vessels and marine structures and is active in working with the USCG and Classification Societies in the interpretation of international rules/regulations for vessels in the Jones Act sector.  Mike has Bachelors of Technology Degree and Diploma of Naval Architecture from Memorial University in Newfoundland.

Oceanic Consulting Corporation, a Newfoundland-based ocean engineering firm, has been awarded a contract to evaluate the design of the racing yacht for Switzerland's 2003 America's Cup Challenge. Oceanic's contract will be ongoing until late 2001, with model tests being conducted at the National Research Council of Canada's Institute for Marine Dynamics (NRC-IMD) in St. John's, and with technical services support from Memorial University of Newfoundland. The Swiss team chose Oceanic based on a proven track record in performance evaluation of racing yachts and state-of-the-art model testing capabilities. In the 1995 America's Cup, one of the fastest challenger boats was designed using model test results produced at NRC-IMD.

The first comprehensive research study released from the ABS Harsh Environment Technology Center (HETC), based at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), examines the challenges and management of water produced in association with energy operations in Arctic environments. Produced water represents the largest volume of waste from oil and gas operations and is associated with significant management costs. Professor Kelly Hawboldt of MUN and her research team explore the effects of produced water on the Arctic environment where cold temperatures, fragile ecosystems and unmanned operations pose unique challenges. The study titled “Review of Produced Water Management and Challenges in Harsh/Arctic Environments” examines produced water characteristics…

Creative Systems, Inc., developers of GHS, has several training classes scheduled for the remainder of 2011. This training provides the naval architect the knowledge and confidence to make use of the flexibility of power that are available in this software package. The Canadian Coast Guard will be hosting general GHS class, including model building and stability calculations. London Offshore Consultants will be hosting intermediate GHS class, dealing with salvage operations. Nick Danese Applied Research will be hosting an advanced GHS class in Probabilistic Damage. Class sizes are limited, so please contact Creative Systems directly for a seat in any of these classes. Additional future classes can be arranged at your location or at the offices of Creative Systems in Port Townsend, WA, USA.

RBR has joined the Smart Ocean Sensor Consortium (SOSC) as a founding member. The SOSC is a group of key manufacturers and users of Oceanographic instruments dedicated to improving the reliability, utility and cost-effectiveness of hydrographic sensor networks through the adoption, development, and promotion of appropriate standard interfaces and protocols. Manufacturing members will supply a universal unique identifier (UUID) with each compliant instrument, and will comply with a group-defined interface to retrieve the UUID from the device's serial port. The SOSC will work towards a sponsored submission to the Open Geospatial Consortium process as one of its goals for wider acceptance and dissemination. Ph. +1 709 778 0200, Fax.

ABS announced at the Second Annual Arctic Shipping North America Conference in St. John’s Newfoundland, Canada, the creation of the ABS Harsh Environment Technology Center located on the campus of Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). The Center will support the development of technologies for ships and offshore structures operating in harsh environments, particularly the Arctic. Applied research will be conducted to study vessels and units operating in ice covered waters, low temperature environments and severe wave and wind climates. It is envisioned that the R&D facility will become an established fixture on the campus. Large exploration and production field developments in harsh waters have called for ice class guidance for offshore structures.