October 2, 2020 — The Association of Pacific Ports is pleased to welcome Albion Marine Solutions as its newest Associate Member. In joining the association, Sergiy Yakovenko, Director, noted that he was eager to engage with the Pacific Port community. “With project managers and engineers experienced in a diverse range of services throughout many sectors, the Albion team is at the forefront of many disciplines, including all fields of marine, offshore, and oil and gas activities,” he said, adding that membership within the APP aligns with their own efforts of expansion into new regions and new projects, including terminal infrastructure development.
Background
Albion Marine was established as a superintendency agency in 2000. And while it was formally incorporated in early 2017, Yakovenko’s reputation as a leading expert in a number of disciplines dates back much further. With over 35 years of practical ship industry experience in project management, he spent over 15 years with Teekay Shipping, seeing him in such roles as Manager, Technical Quality Assurance, Maintenance Optimization; Project Manager, Innovation, Technology and Projects; and Project Manager, New Build and Projects. He received his Master’s, Marine Engineering, from the Odessa State Marine Academy; his Master’s Degree in Patent Studies from the Odessa Patent Institute; and his Diploma in Ship Superintendency, Maritime Ship Management from Lloyd’s Maritime Academy. If that’s not enough, Yakovenko is frequently called upon by marine regulators such as Transport Canada, Environment Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard for his knowledge on upcoming legislation and technologies.
The combined experience of the Albion team is equally impressive. Project managers, supported by designers, technical and support staff, all have hands-on experience that goes beyond operations. “Generally, we’re at the junction of operations, manufacturing and legislation and we support all of that with project management,” he said. Offices and agents in India, Shanghai, New York as well as representation through joint venture agreements in places like China, Singapore, Croatia, Poland, the U.S., and Canada, make Albion a “local company with a global footprint.”
Solutions
“Our forté is as a turnkey solution provider,” said Yakovenko. “We provide an entire range of services – from business case development and feasibility studies, to engineering procurement, supervision through the implementation phase as well as after-sales services like maintenance, management and crew training. It really depends on the needs of our client but we’re able to offer the entire range of project management services.”
To give just one example, Yakovenko is considered one of the foremost authorities in the industry on ballast water management systems. “One of our projects involved the installation of BWM systems for a fleet of 23 vessels for a major shipping company. In this example, we recommended the equipment to use, carried out the engineering design and provided site supervision during the retrofit.”
In addition to project management and superintendency services, Albion is frequently contracted by ship owners to provide onboard ship inspections, investigations or damage assessment surveys; and they continue to provide on-site supervision services for new builds and dry-docking in ports around the world. “It’s not uncommon to have, for example, a client based in the U.K. call us to do an inspection in Singapore, Florida or Montreal and we’ll be able to get it done within 24 hours,” said Yakovenko.
Forward looking
“We’re at the front edge of legislative solutions that address sustainability and a desire for a clean environment,” said Yakovenko. “We’re excited to be involved in the environmental aspects of some of these projects; they’re part of a leading edge of innovation in environmental engineering.” With that comment, Yakovenko sees a number of opportunities to expand services given the team’s experience, including LNG terminal development and other potential oil and gas infrastructure projects on the West Coast. “We have experience with similar projects, including FSO conversions, in other areas of the world which could easily be applied here.”
Another service area Yakovenko and his team are looking to expand into is their 3D modelling capabilities that are included in design services. “The technology can be easily applied to industrial areas with the same principles used for the maritime, offshore and oil and gas industries.” Using 3D CAD modelling and AutoCAD software, Albion prepares concept models and detailed fabrication drawings for ship conversions and plant upgrades. They also use the technology to scan plant, machinery, electrical cabling and piping systems as well as to develop engineering design packages.
Noting that Albion provides “the entire package of project management, engineering and superintendency services,” Yakovenko is very optimistic about the future. “It’s an exciting time to be a part of the maritime industry.”
