IMarEST Successfully Ends its Annual Dinner (UK)

The 109th President of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology’s (IMarEST) year in office got off to a flying start at the Institute’s 108TH Annual Dinner on 11 March, which saw a trio of fascinating speeches; the presentation of an Honorary Fellowship; and over £3000 raised for the IMarEST Guild of Benevolence’s Titanic Centenary Appeal.

Professor John Carlton DSc BA CEng CMarEng FIMarEST FIMechE MRINA, Professor of Marine Engineering, City University London and, until his retirement in 2010, the Lloyd’s Register Global Head of Marine Technology and Investigation, was appointed President of IMarEST at its AGM on 10 March, with the Annual Dinner, attended by over 400 guests, held the following evening.

In his inaugural speech as President, John Carlton spoke of his intention to “encourage and foster, where possible, the technical activities of this Institute so that its attractiveness can be enhanced to the maritime industries and to new and existing members” having previously explained “it is the technical services that we offer that differentiate us and attract new, and retain existing, members….. the services we offer must embrace a balanced portfolio of learned papers, our proceedings; conferences, lectures and seminars where our members and visiting lecturers can instruct and exchange information; industry based information and intelligence delivered through our magazines; and, of course, education of the young which reaches all the way down to schools.”

Other speeches were given by Robert Thompson, the First Deputy Managing Director of SCF-Unicom and Rear Admiral Bob Love OBE, created CB in the New Year’s Honours and Director Ships, DE&S, Ministry of Defence.

IMarEST Honorary Fellowship award

Professor Carlton’s first duty as President was to present the Institute’s highest honour – an Honorary Fellowship – to Simon Rickaby BSc (Hons) Eng, CEng, CMarEng, FIMarEST, FCMI, one of its Fellows, a Past IMarEST President (2002/3), and Immediate Past Chairman of the Wales Branch of the Institute.

Speaking about Simon Rickaby, John Carlton highlighted the fact that he: “has achieved a considerable amount during his career, having come through all levels in our industry from shop floor to boardroom; and who continues to serve this Institute faithfully and valuably in so many ways. His counsel, in whatever capacity that he is serving is always greatly valued.

“Simon comes from a family of marine engineers and if Malcolm Vincent (the newly appointed President Elect) looks on the back of his President Elect’s ‘gong’ he will note that it is dedicated to the memory of Simon’s father – Mr W.P. Rickaby.”

A delighted Simon Rickaby expressed delight and surprise at the presentation honour; and after the Dinner explained: “I am a very lucky man, doing a job I thoroughly enjoy; and serving on committees and other bodies that constantly add to my knowledge – there’s never a day when I don’t learn something new; and this is part of the enjoyment of my life. Receiving an Honorary Fellowship is truly the icing on top of the proverbial cake.”

Simon Rickaby has extensive spill response experience in oil and hazardous materials in the UK and overseas. Starting as a diesel engineer apprentice he has worked upwards through a variety of positions to board level, he is well regarded for work he has undertaken and papers he has presented worldwide in the field of incident response to oil and chemical incidents; and was widely quoted by the media during the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. He is the Executive Officer responsible for the Braemar Shipping Services plc Environmental Division, and a member of the BSS Plc Technical Board.

Simon attends the IMO Marine Environmental Protection Committee as an NGO delegate for the IMarEST, principally involved in OPRC and HNS matters and the implementation of National Contingency Plans, but was also involved with MARPOL implementation and amendments. He has been a member of various MEPC OPRC Working Groups, Drafting Groups and Technical Groups. On behalf of the IMarEST he personally wrote the IMO Foundation course for Response to Marine Oil Spills, which was approved at the 2004 MEPC. He is currently involved in various investigations with loss adjusters, and overseeing the establishment, design, building and operation of MARPOL waste reception facilities in the major ports throughout Nigeria, which is an ironic return to his early career, as his first spill, 32 years ago, was in Apapa Port, Lagos in 1978.

Titanic result to Titanic Centenary Appeal

Guests at the 108th IMarEST Annual Dinner contributed £3,052 to the Titanic Centenary Appeal of the IMarEST Guild of Benevolence.

“In just over a year it will be the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, when all her engineers were lost through staying at their posts to maintain the ship’s services for as long as they could,” John Carlton explained. “The Guild of Benevolence was formed to help support the widows, dependents and orphans of those marine engineers that were lost on that evening. Since that time its work has grown significantly through the years in supporting marine engineers and their dependents who have fallen on hard times. For example, during the past five years the Guild has received many applications and after due and sometimes difficult consideration distributed £1 million of benefit to those in need.

“In their appeal the Guild has set itself the target of raising £1 million to enable them to continue to undertake their very valuable work around the world. This goal will be attempted through a series of events and collections ashore and afloat.”

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Source: imarest , March 25, 2011;