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Resolve Marine’s leadership tandem of Joe Farrell and Captain Farhat Imam, COO is as much a study of contrast as it is similarity. The quick-thinking, quick- talking Farrell is equally adept — some- times in the same paragraph — at discussing the historical evolution of emergency response around the world as he is about sharing his personal views on faith, family and the environment. Capt. Imam, an India national with a long ca- reer in command of tanker fleets offers an encyclopedic knowledge of shipping industry trends. Together, however, they share a laser-focus on developing and growing the business of Ft. Lauderdale- based Resolve Marine Group in terms of capability and locale. Make no mistake, the heart and soul of Resolve lies in emergency response: sal- vage, firefighting and lightering. But since Farrell founded the company in 1980 and Capt. Imam joined as COO in 2005, Resolve Marine continues to evolve as a diverse company with strong growth in training and education initia- tives, marine special projects and envi- ronmental stewardship. Expansion “Slow and steady” is the mantra of Capt. Imam, using these words as an in- delible basis when explaining Resolve expansion, geographically or by capabil- ity. Geographically, Resolve has spread wide and far from its base, with opera- tions in Fort Lauderdale, London, Mo- bile/Theodore, New Orleans and Singapore, and plans to expand in China and India. This year alone, Resolve’s teams responded to vessel casualties in Iraq, in the Arctic waters of Canada’s Northwest Passage, in Singapore, Hawaii, Jamaica, and in New York, Texas and the Gulf of Mexico — for jobs rang- ing from shipboard fires, groundings and strandings to vessel collisions and oil spills. In the past three years, Resolve estimates that it has responded to 85% of the most significant vessel casualties in U.S. waters. “These (India and China) are big countries with a lot of potential business and room to grow,” said Capt. Imam. Specifically Re- solve is eyeing the ever-in- creasing amounts of marine traffic, as well as the high volume of port and infrastructure projects. “But I believe in small steps, and being very con- scious of the value of the expertise we bring to the country and the invest- ments we make. The plan is slow and steady progress” in these regions. Joe Farrell concurs: “We, historically, roll ourselves out at a comfortable pace. When we have the right people in place, we move.” “We have historically fo- cused on the U.S. before we went worldwide,” Farrell said. “We are comfortable in our own skin in Amer- ica, but 95% of our operators are foreign. So we have expanded globally, to give our clients, worldwide, the capability to call on us, to call one number, and to enjoy the same response and service no matter where they are.” In terms of capability, Resolve is mak- ing a significant investment in training and education. The com- pany has a long history in providing hands-on firefighting training on- site in Ft. Lauderdale for its own employees and the local cruise industry. The firefighting training portion of the Resolve program holds special meaning for Farrell, as he views it as not only a static training and edu- cation location, but a real contribution to the health and well being of the people put in de- manding situations. The DNV-approved training facility is physically lo- cated within the confines of the Port of Ft. Laud- erdale, and is a popular educational stop for the local cruise industry, the port as well as Resolve’s own employees. In addi- tion, the company sends out ‘strike teams’ to work onboard new cruise ships to train crews globally. Since its inception, the school has trained more than 17,000 mariners. Currently in the works: Resolve is fi- nalizing negotiations on a new headquar- ters in Ft. Lauderdale, an HQ that will not only house its staff but also be home to a pair of simulators, one from Sperry and another from Atlas, that are specifically geared towards the cruise shipping in- dustry. Unique to these bridge simulators will be the incorporation of a command and control simulator to train its own sal- vage and response teams on handling sit- uations when accidents occur. Kongsberg is currently working with Resolve to de- velop this unique capability. While investment in facilities and equipment is essential, Capt. Imam stressed that investment in people is equally critical to the company’s near and long-term success. OPA-90 The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 – OPA- 90 – has had far reaching impacts on the marine operations and the way in which petroleum products move to and fro glob- ally. Interestingly, it was just a couple of years ago that the final rules for the Sal- vage & Marine Firefighting regulations emerged, set to enter force in February 2011. . In 2008, the U.S. Coast Guard published new OPA-90 Salvage and Ma- rine Firefighting regulations, in the form of 15 selection criteria industry should examine when choosing the contracted provider of salvage and firefighting re- sources. The USCG OPA-90 regulations finalized requirements for salvage and marine fighting response (SMFF) put February 22, 2011 as the deadline for all tanker Vessel Response Plans to include a SMFF section with a named and con- tracted primary responder. Earlier this autumn Resolve Marine made waves re- garding its policy of not charging its 60 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News WORKBOAT ANNUALFEATURE Resolve Marine Steady Ahead Around the World Firefighting training session onboard the Grey Manatee shipboard fire simulator at Resolve’s Port Everglades facility. Captain Farhat Imam Joe Farrell Anyone who knows Joe Farrell knows he is passionate about the business he founded and has tended for the past 30 years. Today Resolve Marine, one of the country’s lead- ing marine salvage companies, stands as a testament to Farrell’s reasoned slow and steady approach: a company which is first and foremost dedicated to emergency response, but expanded – both by market sector and geographically – to foster its success for many years to come. — By Greg Trauthwein, editor
