APP welcomes Nautical Consulting International Ltd.

March 17, 2020 — The Association of Pacific Ports is pleased to welcome Nautical Consulting International Ltd. (NCI) as its newest Associate Member. Seeing opportunities to provide solutions across a broad spectrum of maritime industry requirements, Captain Brian Tuomi founded NCI in 2006 following a notable career within various marine sectors.

Captain Tuomi began his career in a four-year apprenticeship program with the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), afterwards following a path through navigation officer levels to the position of ship master. He commanded large buoy tender vessels for more than 10 years before moving to a shore position where he became the Superintendent of Waterways Management for the Pacific Region. In this role, his responsibilities included aids to navigation, marine channels, navigation protection and marine environmental assessments, and legal issues regarding waterways.

After leaving the CCG, Captain Tuomi started a company that provided training and testing for the newly established Canadian Pleasure Craft Operator Licence. The company issued some 70,000 licences before Captain Tuomi was called to work for the Canadian International Development Agency on the development of inland waterways in Vietnam. This three-year project was followed by work on a $25-million upgrade of marine facilities in Papua New Guinea for the Asian Development Bank, another three-year project that finished on budget and on time. Captain Tuomi then took on an assignment for two years in Singapore as the Regional Managing Director for the largest aids-to-navigation company in the world.

After starting Nautical Consulting International, Captain Tuomi began to focus more on ports and coastal waterways with a navigation assessment of the Solomon Islands; development of navigation on the Mekong River; a review and recommendations for upgrades of the waterways and ports of the Kingdom of Tonga; and development of port operational manuals in Malaysia. Further work in Malaysia resulted in the assembly ad delivery of a new International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) approved Vessel Traffic Management training course. NCI was called to Saudi Arabia to develop port facilities for a large university oceanographic center on the Red Sea coast.

Port Experience was not only in Oceania but also in West Africa with an assessment and upgrade of infrastructure recommendations for the major port of Pointe Noire in the Republic of Congo. This was connected to development of navigation systems for 2500 km of the Congo River. Following certification from the International Maritime Organization and IALA, NCI was qualified to conduct navigation safety assessments to their standard under systems called IWRAP and PAWSA. NCI carried out a study on behalf of the Port of Nanaimo and worked with a Malaysian Company on tanker transit safety assessments.

Most recent assignments were for the World Bank in developing navigation on the Ayerwaddy River in Myanmar and NCI is presently engaged in development of responses by ports to International Maritime Organization audits. These may be where maritime authorities and ports have failed to pass muster on individual IMO conventions such as MARPOL (pollution response), SOLAS (aids to navigation) and other international regulations. NCI has a number of associates with in-depth experience in areas such as marine contingency response, port regulatory issues (ISPS/PSC). NCI operates in English and French.

What Nautical Consulting International can do for you…

VTS Coastal and River – planning, installation, training (IALA standard).
IALA-certified Marine Risk Assessment (IWRAP and PAWSA).
Ship greenhouse gas emission calculations.
Harbor Operations Manuals for terminals, ports and anchorages.
Internationally recognized marine aids-to-navigation experts.
Post IMO audit assessment and recommendations.
Port State Control and ISPS – set up and training (IMO standard).
Aids-to-navigation needs assessment, planning, equipment, installation and training.
Hydrographic surveys and marine charts (IHO) standard.
Standard mooring buoys for small craft.
Marine safety – policy, regulations, staff and inspector training.
Search and Rescue – assessment, planning, equipment, training.
Channel design – for major shipping and river (Canadian Coast Guard model).
Hazardous materials – standards and training.
Small craft – standards, safety, training.
Floating docks and hydro lifts for small craft.
Certified Translation French/English,
Maritime Expert witness – accident analysis, court testimony.