LOC is pleased to announce the acquisition of SCUA Middle East Consultancy with effect from 1 April 2013. SCUA Middle East will become part of LOC Middle East, which will continue to respond to all types of marine insurance claims, casualty, loss prevention, engineering and energy issues in the increasingly complex shipping, oil and gas markets.

This acquisition combines LOC Middle East and SCUA Middle East to form a team of nearly 30 staff, including marine engineers, master mariners, naval architects and civil/structural engineers with wide-ranging skills and knowledge

Managed by Pat Cannie, SCUA Middle East has grown to be one of the most respected consultancies in marine engineering & insurance claims across the region. Pat stated, “I’m delighted that my team and I are joining LOC. I’m certain that the extra resources in the enlarged Dubai office will enable us to continue serving existing and future clients to the same high standards as before.”

Paul Miles, LOC Middle East’s Managing Director, sees this as a very attractive acquisition: “This additional expertise complements LOC Middle East’s current profile, contributes to our strategic growth plans, and improves the service lines we provide, benefitting our client base tremendously.”

LOC have opened two new offices to strengthen our services in the North Sea region. Complementing our existing LOC hubs in London, Aberdeen and Stavanger, the new offices are located in Newcastle, UK and Leeuwarden, Netherlands.

Peter Holloway, LOC’s regional director for Europe and Africa, explains why Newcastle and Leeuwarden were selected, “Newcastle is a thriving maritime hub boasting significant P&I, legal and other facilities. Leeuwarden also has a rich maritime heritage and is ideally located for access to the major European North Sea hub ports as well as eastward to the ports in the Baltic.”

Heading up the Newcastle office is Malcolm Jowsey, a highly experienced marine engineer and Newcastle local. He said: “We have a multi-disciplined team here in Newcastle which will continue to grow alongside the requirements of our customers. I am looking forward to cementing our relationship with the local marine community and delivering the services that will allow their businesses to flourish.”

Former master mariner and consultant, Captain Ane Heidema is leading the Dutch office bringing with him a wealth of oil major experience as well as local and regional knowledge.

“From our new base in Leeuwarden we are well positioned to service installations and customers in the North Sea, German Bight and the Baltic. This is our first office in northern Europe and I fully expect to see others established in the near future”

For more details about the offices please visit our offices page

LOC Singapore has entered one team into the 2013 Sailor’s Society Asian Challenge. This year the challenge will be to climb to the summit of Mount Kinabalu, located on the North Eastern part of Borneo, Malaysia. (4,095m above sea level) Mount Kinabalu is the tallest mountain in South East Asia and ranked on place 20 in the list of the world’s highest mountains.

Rutger Bierman, captain of LOC Singapore said, “Together with Olof Koning and Peter Ryan, our goal is to climb to the summit, return safely and raise £8,000 for the Sailors Society”.

The Sailors’ Society is an international charity that provides a personal lifeline for seafarers all over the world, providing welfare and support for merchant seafarers and their families, around the world. Their Port Chaplains visit thousands of ships every year, directly addressing the needs of seafarers, irrespective of a person’s belief or nationality.

If you wish to support LOC Singapore please donate here:

 http://www.justgiving.com/loc-singapore-2013

LOC Singapore is looking to sponsor two Singaporeans (one with a physical disability or sensory impairment and one able bodied), male or female between the ages of 16 – 18, who will be assigned to ‘buddy’ each other and together they will discover how to sail a square-rigged tall ship.

The adventure of a lifetime is the opportunity to join the Jubilee Sailing Trust’s tall ship STS Lord Nelson, as full working crew members, on a six-day local voyage commencing on the 28 May 2013 and returning to Singapore on 3 June.

The international legal practice Norton Rose is working in partnership with UK charity the Jubilee Sailing Trust to sponsor the tall ship Lord Nelson which has embarked on a 23-month round the world voyage, the Norton Rose Sail the World Challenge, crewed of able bodied and disabled sailors to promote equality and inclusion in every port of call. This is the first time a voyage of this kind has taken place and it will mark Lord Nelson’s inaugural visit to Singapore between 22 May and 10 June 2013.

We hope this will prove to be a life changing opportunity for the two lucky applicants. Please contact Nick White or email saillordnelson@loc-group.com for more details on how to apply.

Continuing our strategy of sustainable growth, we are delighted to announce the opening of a new office in Vietnam. Located in the port of Vung Tau, this new addition to our global network will begin operating in May under the leadership of Kenny Ong. The office will provide oil majors, contractors, underwriters, and other insurers with specialist consultancy services for planning, design and execution of complex, high-value marine and energy operations.

Overseeing the new office is Asia regional director Jon Walker, who said, “We have witnessed the astonishing growth of the oil and gas industry in Vietnam over recent years. We believe this will continue and we look upon Vietnam as a crucial part of LOC’s expansion in Asia to complement our existing operations in the region”

LOC Vietnam can be found at Suite No.489, Petro Vietnam Towers, 8 Hoang Dieu Street, Ward 1, Vung Tau City.

As a member and supporter of the UK Chamber of Shipping, we were delighted to attend its annual celebratory dinner earlier this month. We were among 600 guests who heard UK Shipping Minister, Stephen Hammond, endorse the Chamber’s long-running campaign to develop a cross-departmental maritime strategy for Britain.

Helen Deeble, the Chamber’s first female president, hosted the event and took the opportunity to express a number of concerns relating to Britain’s membership of the EU. Top of her list was its tendency to over regulate without delivering any tangible benefit. She warned that uncertainty over whether Britain would retain its membership after the promised referendum in 2017 was “the enemy of business”.

The UK Chamber of Shipping is a powerful lobbying body for British shipping interests and our involvement allows us to contribute to the debate. The dinner was a great opportunity to network with like-minded people and to celebrate British shipping.

 Former master mariner and LOC consultant, Chris Mallett has become the first recipient of the inaugural Mark Sankey Award. Presented by the International Jack-up Barge Owners Association (IJUBOA) on 6 February, the Award was given to recognise an outstanding contribution to the safety and prosperity of the jack-up industry.

Making the award, John Howard, chair of the association said:

 “Chris has been a true friend of the association and the contribution he has made has been incalculable. Whether it be in helping write our occupational standards, or simultaneously educating and entertaining a room full of people about punch through, or just contributing his wise advice to meetings and individuals, Chris has been there to give his support. It’s a real pleasure to give this award to him.”

Congratulations to Chris for this much deserved honour.

LOC’s annual seminar took place on the 24^th of October at Trinity House, London. The seminar titled; “Oil and Gas: Managing the Future” focused on how the key stakeholders will be affected as the industry continues to grow and evolve.

The seminar included speakers from our Dubai, Singapore and Houston offices.

LOC are attending the 2012 IMCA annual seminar on 28-29 November at the Okura Hotel, Amsterdam. LOC will be well represented by consultants from Aberdeen, Houston, Norway and Dubai.

LOC Singapore attended the Sailor Society’s “Challenges of a Lifetime” charity dinner hosted by His Excellency Antony Phillipson, the British High Commissioner at his residence in Eden Hall, Singapore.  The guest of honour for the evening was Mr S R Nathan President of the Republic of Singapore.

LOC kindly sponsored the speaker for the evening, Mr David Lim.  Captain Nick Haslam, MD of LOC Singapore said “It was a real honour to be presented to Mr Nathan on the evening. Mr Lim was also an exceptional and very entertaining speaker; he had the whole assembly of guests captivated, it was a wonderful evening and many thanks to the Sailors Society”.

LOC’s annual afternoon seminar is taking place at Trinity House, London on the 24^th of October. The seminar will focus on the current risk and claims that are affecting the offshore oil and gas industry.

To apply, please email rsvp@loc-group.com with your name and contact details.

Parliamentarians and over 100 subsea professionals from across the UK, including LOC London’s Brian Jones and Howard Longley, attended the Subsea UK Parliamentary reception at the Houses of Parliament at the end of June.

Subsea UK, the promotional body for the UK’s £6bn subsea sector, holds the reception annually to raise awareness of this thriving industry with government ministers and the numerous employment opportunities it brings. The high profile event was attended by senior politicians including Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Vince Cable and Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Davey.

Commenting on the event LOC Associate Director Brian Jones said: “I was really encouraged to see such a high level of interest shown by politicians in further developing the UK’s subsea sector. The UK has a huge level of expertise in so many aspects of offshore oil and gas energy projects and it’s important that we get this message across to parliamentarians from across the political spectrum.”

LOC provides a range of warranty survey services and consultancy to the sector including installations, pipelines, manifolds, wellheads, flowlines, umbilicals, jumpers and flying leads as well as associated subsea equipment modules from shallow to very deep waters.

LOC were winners of the IHS Fairplay Cup 2012 last week. The sailing took place in Port Solent with twenty-one maritime organisations entering. This is the third time LOC have brought the cup home. It was a great day of sailing with strong tides and unpredictable wind shifts but in the end LOC crossed the finish line first.

LOC hosted a champagne reception last night to thank clients and staff for their continued support over the years at the Lloyd’s Building, London.

LOC Singapore celebrates its 25^th anniversary this year. LOC Group Chief Executive Andrew Squire said at the celebration “Our Singapore office is now equal to our London headquarters in terms of activities and the business it produces for the group. Singapore is a good place to do business and it will remain our Asia hub as we expand our footprint into other major maritime and offshore oil and gas centres in the region.”