Page 39: of Marine News Magazine (August 2011)

PEOPLE & COMPANY NEWS DONJON-SMIT Client Receives1st Response Plan Approval Under New RegsPaul HankinsA Donjon-SMIT client received the first Tank Vessel Response Plan (TVRP) Salvage and Marine Firefighting (SMFF) Update Approval issued by the U.S. Coast Guard under the new SMFF regula- tions. The SMFF regulations, effec- tive as of February 22, 2011, required that plan-holders revise their TVRPs with numerous new salvage and marine firefighting response proce- dures to be supported by extensive additional contracted response resources. The rules also required documentary evidence of compli- ance, including an SMFF Contractand Funding Agreement and Vessel Pre-fire Plans. Donjon-SMITs innovative approach to SMFF regulatory com- pliance documentation locates a sub-stantial segment of the newly required information and documents on the web, simplifying the TVRP update submission process by mini- mizing the paperwork. Our goal has been to ensure our clients full com- pliance with every element of the SMFF regulations. That goal has guided our unique approach to the specifics of TVRP SMFF documenta- tion requirements,? said Donjon- SMIT President Paul Hankins. Our system maximizes web-based efficien- cies, providing our clients with an SMFF compliance documentationproduct that is both comprehensive and user-friendly.? IHC Merwede and BAE Systemsto Jointly Service OSV MarketIHC Merwede, international sup- plier of innovative offshore vessels and equipment, and global defenceand security company BAE Systems will enter into a cooperation agree- ment to meet the demands of the off-shore construction vessel market in the USA. The partnership enables IHC Merwede to enter new markets and also allows BAE Systems to increase vessel new construction in its com- mercially focused shipyards. According to the agreement, IHC Merwede will be responsible for the design and build of the vessels. Their Houston office, IHC Merwede America Corp. will be responsible for the sales and business development activities. BAE Systems will provide the production facilities for IHC Merwede at its shipyards in Mobile, Alabama and Jacksonville, Florida. The vessels will be built in compliance with US regulations for coastwise trade (Jones Act). TOUCHINGALLTHE BASES: GOINGGREENIN LAMeanwhile, efforts to conserve energy have made headway in recent years, with implications for fossil fuels, speakers said. Dave Robau, executive director of the Gulf Coast Energy Network, and Bryan Ancell, engineer at Eaton Corp., a diversified industrial manufacturer, pointed to initiatives by U.S. military installations to reduce energy use. As the country's top energy consumer, the federal government has considerable buying power, Robau said. Starting in 2013, all new buildings on military bases are required to reach LEED or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design sil- ver standards, set by the U.S. Green Building Council. A few bases have done better already, earning the LEED Gold standard for their structures. The U.S. Dept. of Defense is trying to reduce energy demand across the agency. It costs $400 a gallon to bring gasoline into Afghanistan, and they want to bring that down to better use taxpayer money,? Robau said. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 requires a 30% cut in energy use in federal buildings by 2015 from a 2005 base, speakers noted. And President Obama signed an executive order in 2009 calling for net-zero-energy requirements for federal buildings by 2020. A net-zero building produces as much energy as it uses, Ancell of Eaton Corp. explained. And, Conference moderator Tucker Crawford, chief executive and founder of South Coast Solar, LLC, perhaps summed it up best when he said that greater New Orleans has been a leader in renovating with green in mind,? especially in the six years since Hurricane Katrina. Louisiana Energy Day (Continued from page 33)www.marinelink.com MN39