NEWS
BRIEFS Hall build
UK shipbuilder Babcock International Group has awarded a £31.5 million contract to Robertson Construction for the development of a new Assembly Hall at its Rosyth site, which will initially be used for the Type 31 general purpose frigate programme.
BREXIT buster
Stena Line will add an additional freight-only vessel to its Rosslare to Cherbourg route from 4th January 2021. The Stena Foreteller will join the Stena Horizon which already operates on the route, doubling the freight capacity as well as the frequency of sailings between Ireland and the Continent.
Coastal award
The Southsea Coastal Scheme has been hailed as a best practice example of investing public money at the 2020 Flood and Coastal Excellence Awards, run by the Environment Agency. The Portsmouth City Council-led project in the UK took the ‘Best Investment Business Case’ category.
Totally safe
Total E&P UK Ltd has presented Fugro with their prestigious ‘Partnership of the Year 2019’ award at their annual HSE award ceremony. Fugro won the award after completing 122 days of successful inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) operations using their remotely operated vehicle (ROV) support vessel Skandi Carla.
SUT CEO
Dr Cheryl Burgess will join the Society for Underwater Technology as Chief Executive in January 2021, bringing over three decades’ experience in the energy industry including oil & gas (both offshore and onshore); renewables; and utilities.
4 | DECEMBER 2020
Høglund Marine Solutions has set up a new office in Europe to support its growing base of customers in the Baltic. The automation, gas and system integration specialist’s Helsinki office will be led by Anders Backlund, with the aim of strengthening relationships with partners, customers and suppliers in this major shipping region. Mr Backlund is a 30-year veteran of the marine technology industry and joins Høglund as General Manager for Høglund Finland after three years as Senior Principal and Business Development Manager for global ship design and engineering service providers, Hebert Engineering Corp. “I’m very happy to be joining Høglund as representative in Finland, with the aim to support the regional clients and develop supplier relationships in this key
NEW EUROPE OFFICE FOR HØGLUND MARINE 8 Anders Backlund, general manager for Høglund’s new Finland branch
maritime technology region,” said Mr Backlund. KEY SUPPORT Mr Backlund will support Høglund’s operations in Finland providing essential systems for newbuild and retrofit vessels. From automation and information systems to gas handling and
cargo handling, His diverse background has seen him involved in projects ranging from designing propulsion systems and managing complex installation projects to sales, marketing and business development. Before working at Hebert Engineering Corp., he held sales and managerial positions at Rolls Royce Marine, where he was responsible for sales and customer relations throughout the Scandinavian and Baltic region. He started his career as a naval architect and marine engineer with Kværner.
FOILING FERRIES PROJECT APPOINTS BOARD A supervisory board has been appointed to oversee the Belfast Maritime Consortium’s ambitious project to develop revolutionary zero-emission ferries in the city. Earlier this year, the 13-partner syndicate, headed by Artemis Technologies, won a £33 million government innovation grant for the plans from the UK Research and Innovation’s flagship Strength in Places (SIP) Fund. Working closely with the SIP Programme Director, Prof. Mark Gillan, the supervisory board will provide strategic leadership and support to the Belfast Maritime Consortium UKRI Strength in Places project, and oversee its successful completion. Former Transport Minister, Nusrat Ghani MP, will chair the supervisory board which will include members from consortium partners, Dr Iain Percy
OBE, CEO of Artemis Technologies, Nick Laird, Director, Advanced Air Programmes, Spirit AeroSystems, and Joe O’Neill, CEO, Belfast Harbour. The board will be completed by independent members Dr Jayne Brady MBE, Digital
8 Foil-supported battery ferries: coming soon to Belfast Lough
Innovation Commissioner, Belfast City Region Deal, David Morant, Managing Director, Scorpio UK, and Harry Theochari, Partner and Global Head of Transport at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP.
NORMANDY PORTS ‘AS BREXIT READY AS THEY CAN BE’ After successfully completing the work to ensure customs checks can be carried out whilst keeping traffic flowing as smoothly as possible and after several dry runs, the Normandy channel ports - Le Havre for HAROPA and Caen-Ouistreham, Cherbourg and Dieppe for Ports of Normandy - have joined
forces to help supply chain actors to be as ready as they can be for Brexit when it comes into force on 1 January, producing a series of handy fact sheets and organising site visits. The border crossing process will rely on the smart border system, which is designed to keep port traffic moving in spite of the
tighter controls due to Brexit. Trial runs have confirmed that the entire process is operational: from pairing at the port of embarkation to inspection of the goods, if required. All the equipment has been tested: information systems, port layouts and flows, on-board information, and personnel communication.
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