16 December 2004:
Congratulations – the order of the day at IMarEST

The Award of Honorary Fellowships to three men who have given outstanding services to the IMarEST - Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology; and two senior members of the Institute being awarded their Chartered Scientist Charters at an inaugural ceremony involving some of the UK’s most prominent scientists, are important landmarks in the Institute’s history.

In recognition of outstanding service to the IMarEST, Lord Greenway, Sir John Parker DSc FREng and Alan Taylor CEng, OAM have been elected Honorary Fellows of the Institute. All three attended the Council Dining Club on 14 December to receive their presentation from the President of IMarEST, Bil Loth.

“We are delighted that all three not only accepted our invitation to become Honorary Fellows of the IMarEST, but joined us on 14 December,” says the Institute’s Director General, Keith Read, CBE. “Lord Greenway has brought considerable prestige to the Institute in his capacity as Chairman of Trustees of the IMarEST Memorial Fund; Past President (1998) Alan Taylor has done much to raise the profile of the Institute through his pioneering work in the field of ballast water; and Sir John Parker’s achievements have similarly boosted the standing of the Institute and have also earned him a knighthood (2001) for services to the defence and shipbuilding industries.”

• Lord Greenway - the 4 th Baron Greenway – is a photographer and author, whose titles include ‘Soviet Merchant Ships’, ‘Comecon Merchant Ships’, ‘A Century of Cross Channel Passenger Ferries’, A Century of North Sea Passenger Steamers’ and whose interests include ocean racing.

• During his 47 years associated with the marine industry Alan Taylor has sailed from junior engineer to chief engineer on steam and motor ships. He has superintended, operated, managed, dry docked and repaired passenger ships, bulk carriers, pitch carriers, container ships, general purpose ships, RO-RO gas turbine ships and various other ships. He has also been involved in the design and construction of over 34 ships, which have included LNG carriers, bulk carriers, bulk oil carriers, pitch and bitumen carriers, container ships and various re-engine and conversion projects. He has bought and sold various types of ships and been involved in the salvage of a grounded geared bulk carrier, its oil spill and its subsequent dumping at sea. He is currently Managing Director of Alan H. Taylor and Associates supplying expertise in crisis and emergency management, risk assessment, environmental management, shipping technical and ship operations and is also a Director of the Victorian Channels Authority, Australia’s largest container port. One most recent claim to fame is that with Dr Geoff Rigby and Dr Gustaaf Hallegraeff he was awarded an Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Environmental Research – regarded as something of a ‘Science Oscar’ – for the work they have jointly done into preventing the translocation and introduction of harmful marine organisms via ships’ ballast water.

• Sir John Parker, a fellow member of IMarEST, is Chairman of the Board of National Grid Transco plc and oversees the overall strategic direction of the Group. He began his career as a naval architect in 1964 with Harland & Wolff before becoming General Manager of Ship Sales & Projects. In 1966 carried out research secondments at the National Physical Laboratory & Lloyds Register of Shipping. He joined Austin & Pickersgill as Managing Director in 1974; was appointed a member of the Board of British Shipbuilders’ Corporation in 1978 – and later became Deputy Chief Executive. He returned to the publicly owned Harland & Wolff as Chairman & CE in 1983, leading the company into the private sector with Fred Olsen in 1989. He joined Babcock International Group as Deputy Chairman & CE in 1993 becoming Group Chairman in 1994. Sir John has a number of non-executive director roles. He is a past President of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects; was Chairman of the Council of European Shipbuilders Association; is a member of the General Committee of Lloyds Register of Shipping since 1983. Sir John Parker will succeed Lord Sterling as Chairman of the P&O Group in May 2005.
  

Congratulations to new “Chartered Scientists”

Two senior members of IMarEST, Dr David T Pugh OBE CSci CMarSci CMarTech FIMarEST, and Dr Ralph F Rayner CSci CMarSci FIMarEST were among 23 of the UK’s top scientists who officially became “Chartered Scientist” for the first time at a ceremony held at the Institute of Physics on 30 November.

They are among the first to be awarded the new Chartered Scientist (CSci) qualification which aims to promote public confidence in science by ensuring all scientists have a high standard of competence, education and training. The new CSci qualification, which has been awarded to 8000 people in 2004, hopes to improve public trust in science. Two leading scientists were nominated for a CSci award by each of the 12 learned scientific societies including IMarEST. “We wholeheartedly welcome this new qualification, and were delighted that David and Ralph were able to represent us at such a memorable ceremony along with scientists such as Professor John O’Reilly and Lord Oxburgh” says Keith Read.

Further information on the work of the IMarEST and its membership is available on the Institute’s website at www.imarest.org

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