About
Dear Friends
Welcome to my blog.
I wish to create a dialogue and debate in the shipping industry worldwide to stimulate support for my quality objectives.
These are to build support for action to create safer ships, cleaner seas and greater protection for the environment. The achievement of these goals is vital during the current recession, to prevent slippage in quality due to financial pressures.
I will be blogging entirely as an independent person, expressing my own views and not those of International Registries, Inc (IRI) of which I am a Managing Partner, nor those of the Marshall Islands ship registry which it administers. They also are not the views of the North American Marine Environment Protection Association [NAMEPA], of which I am Chairman.
In addition to shipowners, the important participants in this process include regulators, the IMO, the EU, ship managers, charterers, underwriters, bankers, private equity interests, port states, coastal states, flag states, class, IACS, RO’s, and last but not least the seafarers themselves, the vital human element and the crews aboard the ships.
This site will aim to stimulate maximum participation within the industry and all interested parties, with lots of “buzz” and “twitter”. This site will be updated frequently, possibly several times a day.
I will employ the blog to augment my frequent speaking engagements at conferences and on discussion panels using the authority gained from over 30 years experience in the industry.
To help achieve my aims and to assist me as Editor-In-Chief of the blog, I have assembled an all-star team of columnists:
My colleagues, who will assist and support me in furnishing content, are known to you:
DR.HANS PAYER
Hans is a naval architect and renowned expert in ship design, construction, technology and safety at sea. He is a former Member of Germanischer Lloyd’s Executive Board and Chief Executive Officer of GL Maritime Services, where he played a leading role in generating policies to improve ship safety globally. He also strongly supported international efforts to improve attitudes to quality, particularly in respect of the frequent serious accidents prevalent at the time among older bulkers and tankers. Hans is a past Chairman of IACS, and is still a consultant to that organisation. He has written, presented and published more then 100 papers in the field of ship structures, hydrodynamics and vibration, as well as on ship safety, the human factor, accident investigations, and security. He strongly supported international efforts to improve attitudes to quality, particularly in respect of the frequent serious accidents prevalent at that time among older bulkers and tankers.
MICHAEL GREY
Michael chairs countless conferences and panels, and is a consultant to many organisations and individuals in shipping in the UK and overseas. His knowledge of the industry and those who work in it is truly awe-inspiring. He has been Editor of Lloyd’s List, and still writes for it. He was Editor of Fairplay Shipping Weekly, and Technical Editor of Shipbuilding and Shipping Record. He is the author of many maritime books, and also broadcasts on shipping matters. He is a fellow of the Nautical Institute. A former mariner, he is the holder of a British Master Mariner’s Certificate. Michael has a particular interest and expertise in human element issues, marine safety and ship operational matters, and in current concerns on the adequacy of manning on inmany hard-worked ships.
NEVILLE SMITH
Neville has been reporting on the international maritime industry since 1993. Formerly Deputy Editor of Lloyds List, he has worked on a number of leading shipping titles, including Lloyds Shipping Economist, and International Bulk Journal, covering physical and paper freight markets, information technology, the bunker industry, ship finance, environment issues, and piracy. He is now a freelance writer and editorial consultant, speaking at and chairing conferences and contributing to a range of shipping publications.
Happy reading and I look forward to the open dialogue and thought-provoking discussion this site will generate.
Cordially yours
Clay Maitland
P.S. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter or Linked In.