Incat Crowther has
appointed Ed Dudson
as Managing Director
of its UK business and
as a board member
contributing to overall
business direction.
Dudson, formerly
technical director of
BMT Nigel Gee, hasmore than 25 years of
experience in the design
and construction of high
performance vessels
including fast ferries, wind
farm vessels, ofshore
vessels and patrol boats.
Incat Crowther has
design oces in Sydney,
USA and the UK, withmorethe500vesselsof
its design in operation
globally.
“Ed’s decision to join
our firm is significant to
this goal as only the best
people working together
can serve our partners
in this way,” said Brett
Crowther, CEO of thegroup.
“I have a great deal to
contribute to this exciting
and vibrant industry, Incat
Crowther is the best in the
business. I look forward to
growing new and existing
relationships in the market
I am so passionate about,”
said Dudson.ACR Electronics and Ocean
Signal say they are working
with commercial fishermen
in New Zealand to help them
comply with new safety
regulations that require the
installation of float-free
EPIRBs (Emergency Position
Indicating Radio Beacons)
on fishing boats.
The new rule making float-
free EPIRBs compulsory
applies to fishing vessels
of between 7.5m and 24moperating outside enclosed
waters.
Currently, fishing boats
operating more than 200nm
from New Zealand’s coast
must have EPIRBs that
automatically float-free of a
sinking vessel and activate,
while fishing boats operating
within 200nm must have
either float-free or manually-
activated EPIRBs. The
recommendations to change
the regulations followedthe death of 24 people
over the last 11 years when
inshore fishing boats sank
and the crews were unable
to activate their manual
EPIRBs.
Anticipating increasing
demand for float-free EPIRBs
from when the new Maritime
Rules came into effect in
March, ACR Electronics
and Ocean Signal’s key
distributors responded by
increasing stock levels.New Zealand company
Seafort Holdings and its sole
director and shareholder,
Richard Prentice, have
been ordered to pay fines
and reparations totallingmore than NZ$93,000 after
a 60-year-old passenger
had her back broken when
the company’s high speed
passenger vessel,Mack
Attack,hit a large wave.Prentice was also the
master ofMack Attack
during the accident which
occurred near Cape Brett
in the Bay of Islands during
October 2014.In the Auckland District
Court, Judge C.J. Field
found Seafort Holdings
and Mr Prentice had not
advised the passengers of
the known, heightened risk
of back injuries, even more
so for older people, sitting
at the front of high speed
passenger vessels.
Maritime NZ Northern
Regional Manager,
Neil Rowarth, said the
convictions send an
important message to
masters and owners of
passenger vessels: “You must
take practical steps to help
keep your passengers safe”.
Mack Attack is a
catamaran that can reach
speeds in excess of 50kt.
Maritime NZ has
published safety guidelines
for commercial high speed/
thrill ride vessel experiences,
which detail operators’
obligations.Operator negligence
leads to fines
Time's ticking for Float-free EPIRB
INCAT CROWTHER BUILDS DESIGN TEAM
214 tradeaboat.com.au
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