Top role for port boss (From Western Telegraph)

Top role for port boss

Simon Rickaby, a senior executive officer at Milford Haven Port Authority, and managing director of D. V. Howells Ltd, is to become president of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, previously known as the Institute of Marine Engineers.

The first president from Wales, he takes over from Professor Tom Ruxton. D. V. Howells Ltd, a subsidiary of Milford Haven Port Authority, acts as the commercial and development arm of the authority with a head office at the Marine Pollution Salvage Centre in Milford Haven, and offices and response bases throughout the UK and overseas.

The company provides national and international oil and chemical spill response services, accredited training and environmental consultancy. Simon Rickaby joined the port authority in 1987 as director and general manager of Marine and Port Services Ltd.

He managed its ship repair yard, marine contracting and engineering services. He first developed his expertise in pollution prevention and response in 1978 in West Africa, and later in the Iran-Iraq war.

He has led missions overseas to Nigeria and Kenya dealing with their national contingency planning, assisted in the rewrite of the UK National Contingency Plan and written various port OPRC plans.

He was extensively involved in the 1996 Sea Empress oil spill and various other marine incidents around the UK coast as an on-scene commander or technical advisor.

Under his direction, D. V. Howells has increased in depth and versatility, becoming the first pollution response, training and consultancy company worldwide to attain ISO 9001 together with a number of safety awards.

One of Mr Rickabys most recent assignments was to attend the petroleum tanker MT Willy, on January 2nd, after it had been blown ashore and grounded on rocks off the west coast.

Working alongside MCA and Devonport Naval base staff, he undertook a survey of the vessel to ascertain the risk of explosion to the local inhabitants who had been evacuated from their homes close by and health and safety risk assessments for MCA personnel working on board.

Mr Rickaby said: It is a tremendous honour to be president of a traditional, yet expanding and forward thinking, international institute, especially at a time when the institute has undergone a significant change to accommodate those scientists and technologists working alongside marine engineers in the shipping, offshore, sub-sea and research industries.