The Arctic is changing. Fast. And the world is hungry for what it has to offer, from new shipping routes to oil and gas reserves and seabed mining. It is set against this background that the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) will stage the IMarEST Arctic Shipping and Offshore Technology Forum 2011, including the 1st Annual IMarEST ClassNK Lecture. The conference, in central London, will consider Arctic Shipping Technology on Wednesday 5 October; and Arctic Offshore and Energy Technology on Thursday 6 October, with the 1st Annual IMarEST ClassNK Lecture taking place on 5 October.

Professor John Carlton FREng, Professor of Marine Engineering, City University London and the 109th President of IMarEST will chair the first day of the conference when such topics as ‘Prospects for safe shipping in harsh environments’; ‘Material and construction for low temperatures’; ‘Special research into hull forms for ice breakers’; and ‘Technology and design challenges for offshore vessels’ come under the conference spotlight in the opening session.

In the first session of the afternoon attention turns to ‘Podded propulsion in ice’; with presentations programmed on ‘Results of the Joint Industry Project on the Skarven’; and ‘Preparing ships for ice navigation’. The second afternoon session looks at Operational Considerations through the eyes of speakers talking about ‘Ice navigation and voyage planning’; ‘Challenges to oil spill response in the Arctic; and the ‘Development of a mandatory IMO Polar Code – update on progress’.

“Our packed and stimulating first day of the Arctic Forum ends with the inaugural Annual IMarEST ClassNK Lecture, to be delivered by Mr Noboru Ueda, Chairman and President of ClassNK and Chairman of IACS,” explains IMarEST’s Interim Chief Executive, Fiona Morris. “The lecture, which is open to all whether or not they have been to the conference, will begin at 1900hrs with networking opportunities both before and after Mr Ueda’s address.”

Tags: IMarEST