Growing number of companies become IMarEST marine partners

An increasing number of companies are recognising the advantage of joining the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology as a Marine Partner, and forming the membership network for organisations operating in the marine and offshore sectors designed to bring the maritime community together.

There are now 26 IMarEST Marine Partners. Four of those who have joined so far this year include Burness Corless-ThreeQuays (BCTQ); Converteam; DV Howells Ltd (DVH) and Jee Limited.

“We’re delighted to welcome all of them, and will be announcing more Marine Partners very soon,” says IMarEST’s chief executive, Keith Read CBE. “Through our interdisciplinary approach, we are able to work with each Marine Partner to design a programme of benefits that exactly fits its requirements.

“This can vary from providing help and guidance to companies in developing employee careers and professional development to the opportunity to work with IMarEST on events, publishing, awards through sponsorship, presenting papers at conferences and lectures, and publishing technical papers; and from benefiting from IMarEST accreditation and advice for training courses to networking and opportunities to establish new business contacts through IMarEST affiliated organizations, technical and government bodies, and global branch network. It is a joy to work with each of them.”

Each of the companies has a very distinct view of the advantages of being a Marine Partner. “I have been a member of IMarEST for most of my working life and know only too well the benefits it has brought me,” explains Dr Graeme Armstrong, General Manager and Principal Consultant at BCTQ. “The Institute’s expansion to encompass science and technology, in addition to marine engineering, widened the membership at home and overseas to everyone’s mutual benefit. It is this wide international membership; the global respect in which IMarEST is held; and its active role around the world that was key to BCTQ deciding to become a Marine Partner. We value our links with IMarEST and the ability to have such an active involvement with the Institute not only provides the company with global exposure, but a wide range of CPD opportunities for our highly professional team.”

Simon Rickaby DVH’s Managing Director and a IMarEST Past President explains: “The marine partnership between DVH and IMarEST is a natural development since the Institute started to recognise maritime professionals regardless of their academic discipline. DVH personnel come from many diverse backgrounds so IMarEST is working with DVH for its personnel to attain professional qualifications and recognition which matches industry’s recognition of DVH’s class leading standard of excellence and professionalism given to its clients”.  

While Jee’s Managing Director, Trevor Jee comments: “We’re delighted to sign up as an IMarEST Marine Partner. As a company we’re committed to the continual development of the engineering community through our subsea engineering studies and training courses. Joining the Marine Partner Scheme opens up new opportunities and allows us to add value to the marine and offshore community. We are also expanding our operations and welcome marine engineers to join our team.”

Further information on the Marine Partners network is available from www.imarest.org/marinepartners/

About the latest Marine Partners

• The Burness Corless-Three Quays (BCTQ) Group is a world-leading fully integrated maritime consultancy, able to offer the largest variety of maritime sector services and products, including: marine design; naval architecture; marine engineering services; marine expert services; marine surveying services; MCA certifying authority; marine procurement and marine safety services. BCTQ was the first organisation to be awarded ISM (International Maritime Safety) accreditation.
  
  The group possesses a worldwide team of professionals working on a variety of marine projects from roll on roll off, cargo, oil and gas, defence and port systems, to large commercial passenger vessels and private yachts.

• At the cutting edge of technology and innovation, Converteam has a deserved reputation for excellence in the field of power conversion. We provide customised solutions to convert electrical energy through optimum application of technology in drives, controls, motors and generators. Our customers operate in three main markets: Marine, Energy and Industry as well as in many specialized areas. Our extensive offering -from design-only to turnkey systems, installation and commissioning- is backed by a full range of services. Our 3,500 employees around the world build close ties to customers, enabling them to offer solutions that meet the most demanding standards of quality and performance, as well the follow-up to match individual needs.

• For over fifty years DV Howells has lead the way in providing fast, effective and safe solutions to a spectrum of hazards as an incident response organisation, its roots started as marine contractors on the Milford Haven in 1948 and today their experienced personnel provide a worldwide service, responding quickly and effectively to marine, oil, chemical, biological and radiological incidents in a controlled
  manner. DV Howells has retained its marine roots by joining Braemar Seascope Plc in 2006 (now called Braemar Shipping Services PLC) quoted on the London Stock Exchange.
  
  DV Howells was the first company worldwide to be accredited to ISO9001 for oil spill response, IMO OPRC training and environmental consultancy, in addition to being the first UK response organisation to achieve Level 3 response contractor accreditation for the UK Environmental Regulators.
  
  DV Howells operates the UK's Marine Pollution Salvage Centre based at Milford Haven as approved contractors to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) with 9 manned and equipped bases on 24/7 operational duties in the UK and Northern Ireland. The company has UK and worldwide contracts with the UN, the UK Environment Agency, the Ministry of Defence, Network Rail, major oil, LNG and chemical producers, shipping companies, national utilities, airports, port authorities and transport companies.
  
  DV Howells is ISO 14000 accredited and its ISO 9001 accredited environmental consultancy services are used worldwide by National Maritime Authorities and major Oil companies, having provided consultants to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for the facilitation of National Contingency Planning workshops in several African countries. The company has been accredited by the Nautical Institute as an approved provider of IMO OPRC training courses for the UK's MCA and DTI in addition to the US OSHA HazWoper and UK HazMat courses the company provides.
  
  A one week snap shot of the company in July 2007 showed how versatile the company's operations are: working in Portland on the handling of the salvaged hazardous cargo containers from the MSC Napoli, 2 trainers in Hong Kong training an International LNG shipping company, providing flood relief with MCA salvage pumps in Yorkshire, installation of MARPOL waste reception facilities in Nigeria, provision and operation of a tier 2 oil spill response base in Luanda for a major International Oil company, the cleaning and subsequent removal of a tank farm fuel oil tank in South West England, writing of coast contingency plans for several Coastal County councils, the provision of IMO level 2 On Scene Commander and MCA 4p training course for a major UK port, the provision on a long term contract of an oil spill response adviser to a West African major oil company and in the same week DV Howells' chemicals response manager attended the IMO Marine Environmental Protection Committee OPRC Hazardous and Noxious Substances Technical Group on behalf of the IMarEST which has NGO status.

• Jee Limited provides pipeline, riser and subsea engineering consultancy and training to the offshore oil and gas industry with offices in London and Abu Dhabi. Its consultancy expertise extends the entire lifecycle of a pipeline, from feasibility studies, pre-FEED and FEED, to operations support and decommissioning, combining expert opinion with pragmatic solutions at all levels, from design to verification. Its scheduled public courses run in the UK, Abu Dhabi, the USA and the Far East and in-company courses are also delivered worldwide at its clients’ request.

 

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