December
2006
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Eastern Canadian Section |
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December
2006
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Eastern
Canadian Section November 14, 2006 On November 14th, the Eastern Canadian Section (ECS) of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) held a meeting at the Naval Engineering Test Establishment (NETE) in Montreal. An enthusiastic crowd of sixty participants attended this Montreal marine technical community revitalization event. We were happy to welcome four visitors who joined us from as far away as the West Coast. The SNAME Chair - ECS (Quebec and Ontario) Jocelyn Turgeon commenced the event with an overview of the ECS goals and objectives for this year. The visiting SNAME Central and Gulf Region Vice President, Mr. Peter Noble then presented an overview of SNAME and the key initiatives taking place to enhance our ability to deliver the services required of a professional society in the information and knowledge management era. The Commanding Officer of NETE, Commander Joel Parent followed by the Weir Marine Engineering - General Manager, Mr. Serge Lamirande, provided an overview of the type of work conducted at this Government Owned and Contractor Operated (GOCO) Facility. The presentation was followed by a tour of the NETE facility that included a wide range of testing equipment such as diesel and gas turbine test cells, environmental chambers, pump testing facilities and the largest Medium Weight Shock Table in Canada. As the keynote speaker, Peter Noble presented “Existential Adventures in Naval Architecture”. Mr. Noble is a naval architect and offshore engineer, with expertise and experience ranging from marine and offshore industries and research and development companies, classification societies and most recently as a Project Manager with ConocoPhillips, overseeing Marine Engineering and Ship Construction for the Qatargas 3 Project. This project will involve the production and delivery of 8 million tones of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) into the United States on a yearly basis. Mr. Noble has served as an expert in marine and offshore technology on several occasions, and has published extensively on the subject. Throughout the evening, the SNAME ECS were reminded of Peter’s previous connections with all four of the Canadian Sections. Peter related the importance of naval architecture; his own experiences in the field of naval architecture, and some of the developments in LNG and arctic naval architecture. He highlighted the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead in these challenging sectors. He demonstrated that real growth is ongoing in the LNG industry, with a near constant 6.5% trend. Likewise, the arctic represents huge potential as an area of untapped hydrocarbon resources. Operating with LNG and in the arctic poses a unique set of challenges however, not least of which are LNG containment and transfer; and arctic temperatures, rough water, and darkness. An interesting discussion followed with Mr. Noble addressing questions as far ranging as designing for crew comfort, the challenges of training crews for harsh and demanding conditions, and the impact of climate change. This event’s excellent attendance, coupled with the younger demographic of many of the participants, holds promise that the SNAME ECS goal of revitalizing membership is being realized. Your next opportunity to join the Eastern Canadian Section will be on the 13th of February 2007, when the theme of the meeting is “Legal Aspects of Marine Projects”. This evening meeting will be held in Ottawa. The SNAME coordinator for this event is Glenn Walters, SNAME ECS Vice-Chair. |
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