This conference will cover small scale LNG, managing US port calls, developments with membranes, training LNG ship operators, LNG carrier propulsion, floating LNG terminals, and winterisation of LNG carriers.

Speakers include:
Dr. Kirsi Tikka, vice president technology and business development, ABS

Håkan Werner, VP business development LNG, IM Skaugen.

Mokran Yataghene, project manager, Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT).

John Reynolds, chairman, GAC-RUR, Philadelphia

Alan Whitcher, senior lecturer, Warsash Maritime Academy

Rune Lysebo, ABB marine LNG team

Fred Venner, head of tankers, Bureau Veritas.
Jan V Koren, business director tankers, DNV Maritime



Companies registered to attend so far include Rolls-Royce Marine, Kongsberg Maritime, Yokogawa Electric, Wayata Kencana, Rosemount Tank Radar, Aker Yards, IOMM&P, Lloyds Bank, Bureau Veritas

AGENDA

CHAIR: Dr. Kirsi Tikka, vice president technology and business development, ABS

9.30 IM Skaugen’s new fleet of Multigas carriers – the flexible solution for Small Scale LNG. Håkan Werner, VP business development LNG, IM Skaugen.

SESSION - TECHNOLOGY AND CONSTRUCTION

10.00 Developments with membrane containment on LNG carriers. Mokran Yataghene, project manager, Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT).

10.30 Experience as an agent looking after LNG vessels calling in the US. John Reynolds, chairman, GAC-RUR, Philadelphia .
History of LNG in America - how it was shut down and returned as the fuel of the future in the US
Role of the ship agent in managing LNG cargoes into the US
How the ship agent in the future must operate
How LNG must gain the public's confidence

John Reynolds is chairman of GAC-RUR, a US shipping agency network formed from the acquisition of Rice Unruh Reynolds agency to GAC. Mr Reynolds was previously owner of Rice Unruh Reynolds Agency. Rice Unruh Reynolds has 20 operations in ports on the East, West and Gulf Coasts of the US. Mr Reynolds is a graduate of New York State Maritime Academy, and has a valid Coast Guard License. He is retired from the US Naval Reserve as a Commander. He lives on a horse farm outside of Philadelphia with his wife Lea and daughter Collin.

11.00 BREAK

11.30 Training LNG ship operators and competence assessment.Alan Whitcher, senior lecturer, Warsash Maritime Academy

Alan Whitcher is a senior lecturer in the Petrochemical section at Warsash Maritime Academy. After sailing on gas and oil tankers to the rank of chief officer he joined Warsash in 1996. Alan runs the liquid cargo handling simulator where ship models include LPG, membrane and spherical LNG, and oil tankers. Alan teaches on the gas tanker endorsement course and other gas related training both in the UK and overseas. He holds a Class 1 Certificate of Competence and an MSc in Information Systems

12.00 Development of LNGC Propulsion. Rune Lysebo, ABB marine LNG team - Comparison of different LNGC propulsion Systems.
- Experience from first LNGC with Electric Propulsion in operation : Gaz de France "Provalys".

12.30 Panel discussion

1.00 Lunch

2.00 Floating LNG Terminals, the impact on the gas industry Fred Venner, head of tankers, Bureau Veritas.

- Why floating facilities can be the answer to a number of problems
- An introduction to potential floating LNG facilities
- Main issues affecting floating facilities offshore
- Rules and regulations governing such units.
- Impact of such facilities on the gas industry.

Fred Venner is manager for tankers and gas carriers with the Bureau Veritas marine marketing team in Paris, a position he has held since 2002.He was previously regional marine commercial manager for Bureau Veritas in the Middle East (since 1997), before that Bureau Veritas owners’ representative building LNG carriers in Finland, and Abu Dhabi survey centre marine manager (since 1990). Before that he was a fleet superintendent with a Middle East tanker owner, and a chief engineer on LNG carriers, LPG carriers and oil tankers.

2.30 Developments with winterising LNG carriers. Jan V Koren, business director tankers, DNV Maritime

3.00 Panel discussion and questions

3.30 Close

Our LNG ship operations conference at Norshipping 2005 attracted 46 delegates, 9 speakers and 3 journalists, including OSM, Norwegian Hull Club, Eurasia, Shell, Moss Maritime, Repsol YPF, Daewoo, E.ON Ruhrgas, Rolls-Royce, Bergesen, Knutsen OAS Shipping, Samsung, HÖEGH LNG, Fleet Management

TOPICS TO BE COVERED

- Developments with membrane technology -

- Small LNG vessels -

- ship to ship LNG operations

- Developments with hybrid LNG / LPG vessels

- Developments with CNG vessels

- Experiences and challenges with LNG manning

- Meeting the manning challenges

- training for LNG

Discussion questions:

What progress is the industry making to ensure today's and tomorrow's LNG tankers are adequately manned?

How close to zero can the risk be kept?

What challenges will the industry experience as the fleet continues to grow?

LNG shipping can only grow, as the world becomes increasingly dependent on gas, and increasingly preferring maritime transportation solutions rather then being beholden to geopolitics by using pipelines.

With its companies IM Skaugen, Hoegh and BW Gas, Norway is in a leading position in the worldwide LNG industry, on building and operating LNG carriers.

The technology is fast moving, with the first ship to ship transfers of LNG recently taking place, new propulsion technologies, and the promise of a fully ice class LNG vessel.

In the 47 year history of seabourne LNG transportation, there have never been any major accidents, a fact regularly cited as an argument for increased LNG transportation. But the industry is well aware that with just one semi-major accident, anywhere in the world, things could all change.

The manning challenge, in particular, is very scary, with plenty of talk of companies stealing seafarers from one another, and there is no obvious solution to the problem.

The industry has realised that its rush to switch to seafarers from lower cost countries in the 80s may have gone to far, with LNG seafarers now commanding a similar wage regardless of nationality, but perhaps with a less loyal attachment to their employer than in a previous era.

For speaker enquiries, please contact Karl Jeffery, conference producer for Tanker Operator, on jeffery@thedigitalship.com