Page 21: of Marine Technology Magazine (November 2012)

Has the case of the Costa Concordia focused atten- tion on professional marine salvage in the right ways? The tragedy itself correctly illustrated the readiness, dedication and perseverance of the rescue responders in a poten- tially very dangerous circumstance. We hold the deepest respect for those dedicated to saving the lives of so many people that night. The salvage operation itself is in its very earliest stages but we remain conÞ dent that the salvors will do their best to protect the environment in all ways possible and to remedy this difÞ cult operation in the swiftest and most professional manner. Your Þ rm?s Compliance Decision Tool claims to ?place emergency resources at your Þ nger- tips.? How so? Developed over the course of three years, the Compli- ance Decision Tool (CDT) serves several key functions within our organization. It allows Donjon-SMIT to graphically dem- onstrate our ability to meet SMFF regulatory planning stan- dards. During an actual response, we can visually illustrate where our personnel, equipment and support craft are located in real time with easily calculable arrival times to any port in the country. As it is the vessel owner/operatorÕs obligation to ensure that their chosen SMFF provider is capable of fulÞ lling all regulatory requirements, this tool gives that owner the con- Þ dence that Donjon-SMIT was their proper choice. Tell us a little about your journey ? marine sal- vage and business experience ? that culminated in your current post as President of DonJon-SMIT. After 10 years as a commercial diver in the US Gulf of Mexico, I worked on my Þ rst Smit Salvage project in 1984 rais- ing a sunken car ferry in Mazatlan, Mexico. At that moment, I left the oil Þ eld of Louisiana for the international world of salvage diving. Working through the ranks within SMIT gave me the opportunity to apply my extensive Þ eld experience to the many other business functions within the organization. From Safety, Quality, OPA 90, Commercial, and Þ nally Operations Manage- ment I approached each step as an opportunity and a privilege afforded to very few people, for which I remain grateful. The preceding was excerpted from an interview originally published in the November 2012 edition of MarineNews, sister-publication to Marine Technology Reporter. www.seadiscovery.com Marine Technology Reporter 21MTR #9 (18-33).indd 21MTR #9 (18-33).indd 2111/29/2012 10:59:26 AM11/29/2012 10:59:26 AM