Interviews – Page 8
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NewsPeter Robinson: MPI Workboats
“Back in wind’s early days we’d go merrily putting the jackup’s feet down with just a few borehole samples taken here and there to tell us what we were standing on - like a farmer tramping round a cow-field, lucky to avoid the obvious hazards,” said Peter Robinson of MPI.
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NewsMarielle Gehlert: Ahrenkiel Steamship Company
“Sometimes I miss the physical work of refitting vessels,” Marielle Gehlert of German vessel managers and owners Ahrenkiel Steamship Company told Maritime Journal. "At least that was relatively straightforward.
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NewsKerrie Forster: Acta Marine
Human nature is at least part of the reason workboat regulations will never be perfect, explained Kerrie Forster: “If you change the goalposts someone will make something that will only just fit - and eventually you’ll have to change the rules again to deal with the new issues.”
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NewsRob Voskuil: Dutch Workboats
While modern technology can help you make some “very clever decisions”, said Dutch Work Boats MD and founder Rob Voskuil, it is definitely a mixed blessing.
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NewsDamen opens the doors on its first Workboat Festival
Damen Shipyards Group opened its doors recently welcoming a cross-section of customers and industry partners to a one-day event showcasing a selection of vessels from its varied workboat catalogue.
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NewsTime for change: a view from Lord Jeffrey Mountevans
While Jeffrey, Lord Mountevans, described the initial City of London reaction to Brexit as “shock”, as Lord Mayor he was on the spot to evaluate the fallout.
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NewsNeeme Muru: Design and Sales Engineer at Baltic Workboats AS
“In 13 years at Baltic Workboats, I’ve performed just about every role in the company” says the 42-year-old in the airy boardroom of the Saaremaa, Estonia-based manufacturer.
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NewsIan Greenwood: WFSV skipper
Life as a workboat captain “can be really varied” Ian Greenwood told ''MJ''. However, this turns out to be something of an understatement.
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NewsBart van der Helst: Esco Power
It was, said Bart van der Helst of Belgian marine transmission specialist Esco Power “an easy transition” from aircraft to the marine industry, “the main difference being that I am usually in the cockpit”.
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NewsEd Dudson: BMT Nigel Gee
Really innovative projects still give Naval Architect Ed Dudson of BMT Nigel Gee “one or two moments” of apprehension: “At launch you wonder if the yard has built the vessel to sit at the right load line. And then there’s the sea trials – will it do the speed written ...
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NewsBjarte Skaala: Norsafe designer
It’s been said that the Skaala family “drank lifeboat production along with their milk”; the father starting the original Harding factory in Norway with the oldest son Geir driving Norsafe to multinational status. So it’s not surprising the youngest, Bjarte, soon followed, finishing the lines of his first 20ft workboat ...
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NewsChris Livett: Staying afloat on the Thames
Chris Livett, of Thames vessel operators Livetts, puts his business and financial survival down to being “part marine entrepreneur, part Thames chameleon”, but there’s also a good streak of humanitarian in there as well.
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NewsEwoud Visser: DUC Marine
“You can’t stay still in this kind of market,” said Ewoud Visser of DUC Marine, the Netherlands-headquartered offshore services group. “You have to make a decision about whether to scale up and meet the new challenges, or just downsize.”
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NewsGrzegorz Mazerski: Deltamarin
“I thought I’d understood vessel design during my university courses,” said Grzegorz Mazerski of Finish ship designers Deltamarin, “but the three years I spent in a Polish yard after college were the real school.”
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NewsDennis Doerffel: REAP Systems
Being one of the first can be challenging. But the idea is to make sure that you are not also one of the last, Dennis Doerffel, founder of battery specialist REAP Systems, told ''MJ''.
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NewsHerman Groot Beumer: a ship-shaped future
Herman Groot Beumer of Netherlands-based motion compensated access systems specialist Barge Master, is sure “that the future of offshore construction will be ship-shaped”. However, there are a few hurdles to overcome first.
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NewsNiko Dalpis: Emigreen
It was either find something interesting “or take up Soduku” admitted Niko Dalpis, the man behind Emigreen, a company responsible for the ‘greening’ of a truly huge range of high profile workboats that cover everything from Dutch harbour craft to Norwegian polar exploration vessels.
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NewsPieter Kroezen: InandAut
“Back in the mid-90s, after the wall came down, West German companies were trying to sell into the former East Germany,” said Pieter Kroezen of Netherlands-based InandAut, but sometimes without as much success as they’d hoped.
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NewsPerry van Oossanen: Looking over the overlooked
“I don’t think innovation is the result of a clever idea in a single moment; it’s more about putting together all the pieces of a puzzle,” Perry van Oossanen told ''MJ''. “Slowly the lightbulb begins to glow.”
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NewsDenis Hogan: Lifting Equipment Engineers Association
“Getting three or four ‘options’ back from a straight question asking for advice isn’t good enough,” said Denis Hogan of LEEA, “an industry association should be able to give solid guidance on what to do”.
