Malta has built up on being Europe’s largest flag register and is making way as a top location for the yacht and superyacht industry.
One of the prime instigators for this success is the availability of quality professionals in all spheres pertaining to maritime. Naval architecture has not fallen short.
Malta Maritime Directory discussed with Ing. Kurt Gutteridge, Director at Naval Architectural Services, how the company became the market leaderthat it is in specialist marine design.
NAS is a specialist marine technical service provider operating in three distinct areas: marine design, survey and consultancy. Ing.. Kurt Gutteridge was born in 1980 and graduated with first class honours in Naval Architecture from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, in 2003. He furthered his expertise with a Master of Science degree in Marine Transport Management from the same University. His first professional experience was gained within the technical department of the Malta Maritime Authority (now Transport Malta) where he carried out duties as a Flag and Port State Control Inspector dealing with Statutory matters on Malta flagged ships and yachts.
His responsibilities included the verification of correct implementation of IMO Codes and Regulations on board Malta flagged vessels particularly the SOLAS and MARPOL Conventions. In 2006, he was asked to co-ordinate the implementation of the first Malta Commercial Yacht Code – an area which the Malta flag had not been geared for until that stage.
The subsequent years saw a considerable growth in the registered tonnage, steadily prompting Malta to the prominent regulatory role it holds today. He was also responsible for leading the first revision process of the same Code, a process which brought together various stakeholders in the super yacht industry.
In 2010 Kurt joined the private industry as a Naval Architect and Marine Engineer on various projects including super yacht conversions, yacht and ship certification surveying, and consultancy. His extensive naval academic background has thus been coupled with a thorough indoctrination of the maritime world through his interventions and experiences at Transport Malta, and the private sector alike. Subsequently, Ing. Gutteridge setup Naval Architectural Services Limited (NAS); moving from strength to strength on the levels and complexities of the jobs entrusted to them. NAS is particularly active in the superyacht sector. “We are proud to be associated with some of the most prominent yachts at sea, and which are being built today. We have reached this position of being a top tier quality service provider to the marine industry by delivering a diverse range of services efficiently and sustainably and by re-investing back into the company towards continuous personal development, improvement and innovation,” Kurt explained. Sustainability is a key aspect of this vision. “We have proudly completed the design of the first hybrid power passenger ferries scheduled to operate in Malta.
I consider this a precursor for more innovation and a shift from the conventional arrangements we are so used to. The fact that our designs have also caught the eye of other European operators augurs well and we are determined to continue optimising such designs to ensure our clients reap benefits when opting for our eco-friendly designs.” Asked about his favourite project at NAS, Ing.. Gutteridge recalled a conversion of a super yacht certified to charter for 12 guests to a passenger ship carrying up to 36 passengers. “We were tasked with the initial gap analysis and had to produce a detailed report listing all the actions and modifications necessary towards complying with the International regulations and with the classification obligations.
“The yacht was one of the largest on the market and the conversion gap between private yacht and passenger ship was indeed quite substantial. We had to explain to an extremely passionate and knowledgeable yacht and ship owner how we expected any certifying Authority to throw the proverbial book at us and indeed it was the case! Fire safety and stability standards in this case had to see the vessel undertake drastic upgrades. Nonetheless, with a lot of commitment, creative thinking and following a demanding refit project, the aim was achieved.”
Naval Architectural Services was tasked with completing the design of the first hybrid power passenger ferries scheduled to operate in Malta. “The vessels will operate in fully electric mode when in the vicinity of Comino, Marfa and Cirkewwa – meaning zero emissions and zero noise around the bay areas – and with reduced drag to minimise wake,” Comino Ferries Coop spokesperson Mark Bajada said.
To this effect, NAS produced detailed method statements, stability analyses and plans for approval by class and the Authorities; overseeing all modifications, documentation and implementations. “It was a challenging but rewarding process,” Ing. Gutteridge stated proudly. By its very nature, the marine industry is a global playing field, with huge competition coming from the four corners of the world. “It is through competition that we can stay on our toes, wiping out the risk of a complacent or static environment.
NAS’s prime differentiating factor is that we distinguish ourselves through research and innovation, two areas we put considerable effort into,” he offers us as one of the means by which NAS attracts and retains its customers. Speaking about the marine industry in Malta, Ing.. Kurt Gutteridge commented, “Personally I would like to see more local based competition. I truly believe that the existing local pool of professional technical service providers represents an essential link in our maritime cluster, contributing heftily to service quality and continued growth of the industry.”
NAS invests a considerable amount of time in hull optimisation before completing its designs. In so doing, the hull form will produce less drag and wake formation. This translates to improved efficiency which ultimately benefits the environment and the operator.
The marine industry is a truly demanding one. Ships have no weekends; no public holiday breaks; no office hours. This undeniably has a bearing on personal life and whoever is in this position will agree that sometimes, if not always, one ends up blurring the work/home divide. The bottom line, Ing. Gutteridge explains, is “not everyone is made for it – you either love it or hate it and therefore it comes as no surprise that recruitment poses challenges.
NAS’s prime differentiating factor is that we distinguish ourselves through research and innovation, two areas we put considerable effort into
I acknowledge that the maritime sector may have lost some of its glamour and may be presently less attractive to the new generation than other up and coming sectors such as digital gaming and aviation. “Nonetheless, the maritime services sector remains a major pillar within the local economy representing significant GDP contribution, foreign income and presenting exciting opportunities for further growth. In this regard NAS is no exception and therefore attracting and retaining the right candidates is not easy even in view of the shortage in human resources.
I have been incredibly lucky in that over the years some very smart and determined individuals have shown interest in and joined NAS forming some special professional and personal bonds. Thus, the employment longevity is rather high and consequently has seen key personnel assuming an ever more important role within the company. There is no trick to it at the end, this is not an easy career and you never stop learning. It requires sacrifice, commitment and a lot of patience – anyone having these traits will be rewarded.”
The support offered by local technical service providers to the Authority is essential for the continued quality growth of the Malta flag particularly as the industry becomes more complex
The company today comprises a team of 14 Naval Architects, Marine Engineers, Surveyors and support staff. The interesting mix of young professionals eager to master the trade and older highly experienced specialists willing to share their knowledge and experience is an inherent part of what makes NAS so effective at their work. The professionals at NAS are all degree qualified with key personnel even holding Masters or PhDs from reputable European Academic institutions.
Ing.. Gutteridge’s role at NAS is two-fold. He is responsible for the overall management of the company and acts as lead surveyor on various projects. This means that he oversees the daily progress on all ongoing projects and he also deals with the implementation of the company vision.
As appointed surveyors to Transport Malta, NAS regularly deals with the Registry, Technical and Ports departments of the Authority – particularly on aspects concerning local commercial traffic and ship/ yacht certification under the Malta flag.
Ing. Gutteridge told us “I believe that the support offered by local technical service providers to the Authority is essential for the continued quality growth of the Malta flag particularly as the industry becomes more complex as technologies advance and as the political commitments become more stringent in terms of protection of life and environment at local, international and EU level. This, in my opinion, presents a significant opportunity to strengthen Malta’s position within the industry, creating further value- added jobs in the process.”
The way the technology is changingthe shipping industry is rather impressive and poses a challenge to everyone. “I personally cannot remember a period of almost four months without any travelling, just to put things into perspective. Not to mention the port closure and slowdown affecting shipyards, suppliers and the complete maritime chain due to COVID-19.” Nevertheless, NAS’s operations continued in the engineering and design fields and they rapidly adapted to new procedures such as remote survey. “The latter, I must admit, exceeded my expectations in terms of results and will invariably remain as a tool to support us in the future, particularly for survey and project follow-up.”
“ NAS’s operations continued in the engineering and design fields and they rapidly adapted to new procedures such as remote survey ”
There is no doubt that the industry will return to the positive sentiment and figures witnessed in the pre-Covid-19 era. Ing. Gutteridge believes that “the shake-up and adaptation will see us all embrace even more efficient practices and may hopefully also see the eradication of some over bureaucratic processes that still plague the sector.”
The maritime industry has been booming in recent years, but the world is constantly changing. Asked about how the industry will adapt, Ing. Gutteridge said that “the ship to shore interface will see changes in terms of interaction and processes as the scrutiny becomes more onerous and the turn-around times more demanding. This would clearly also require an overall infrastructural modernisation. We simply cannot advocate for standards to be raised without looking at improving efficiency and service standards across the board.
“I am personally very curious as to how specific areas will evolve, for instance the use of new generation fuels, the continued increase in average ship and yacht sizes, autonomous ships, and the evolving of the EU Blue Growth Strategy. I like to think that with a consolidated effort by the local marine industry and by motivating further establishment of a strong knowledge base we could really see Malta taking a leading role in implementing and driving these changes, creating added value and opportunity in so doing.”
NAS’s prime differentiating factor is that we distinguish ourselves through research and innovation, two areas we put considerable effort into
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