Solving complex maritime challenges

Over my career, I have been fortunate to work on major maritime projects in the UK, the Middle East, Vietnam, Türkiye and Singapore. These have included the Panama Canal locks expansion tender design, a major multi-berth development at Ruwais (Abu Dhabi) and new port infrastructure at Gemalink Cai Mep port in Vietnam.

The projects at Jurong Port in Singapore were particularly significant because they showed me how important collaboration is when addressing a complex engineering challenge. For these project sites difficult ground conditions meant that the proposed pile-installation approach presented technical and construction complexities.

By working closely with the contractor, we were able to combine our wider maritime engineering expertise with their understanding of local conditions and installation methods. This helped the team identify a practical and economical solution.

The experience reinforced my belief that technical excellence produces the best outcome when it is combined with local experience, mutual respect and a shared commitment to the project. 

For me, partnership is built on trust, mutual respect and a shared goal. This applies to relationships with clients, contractors and colleagues within our own teams.
Complex projects inevitably involve difficult questions. When the relationship is strong, those issues can be discussed openly and professionally rather than approached only from a contractual position.

I experienced this on the projects in Singapore, where the contractor’s local knowledge helped us understand the practical implications of the proposed design. Our wider technical expertise brought another perspective. Because both parties respected what the other contributed, we were able to work towards a solution that was technically sound, practical and economical. 

Good partnership does not mean avoiding difficult conversations. It means having those conversations openly, with a common goal in mind.

For me, Enhancing Society Together is a reminder that the decisions we make as engineers can have immediate and long-term consequences for communities and the environment.

It can be easy to lose sight of that wider responsibility when we are immersed in technical details or managing the daily pressures of project delivery. However, good engineering is not only about whether a design works. We must also consider what it means for the people and places affected by it.

On projects in Southeast Asia, I have experienced how difficult it can be to balance environmental and social considerations with local legislation and project requirements. These questions do not always have simple answers, so it is important to create knowledge and awareness around these issues and space for concerns to be raised and discussed.

I try to support this purpose by drawing on our collective knowledge to develop solutions that are technically sound, feasible and conscious of their wider impact.

I think clients value the technical quality, attention to detail and due diligence we bring to our work.

At a recent meeting in Perth, the senior technical and management representatives of a large international contractor specifically recognised the quality of our maritime design, drawings and other deliverables. For me, that feedback reflected an important reason why clients choose to work with us.

Our project teams can draw on specialist knowledge and experience from colleagues working on maritime projects around the world. This allows us to examine complex challenges from different perspectives while remained focused on the specific conditions and requirements of each project.

Clients need more than a technically correct design. They need confidence that risks have been considered, critical details and interfaces have been investigated, and the proposed solution will work at the project site.

Sustainability and climate change now have a greater influence on port infrastructure, planning and design. At the same time, distributed teams and remote working have changed how we collaborate. The growing role of our Global Delivery Centre in Vietnam is one example of how specialist knowledge can be brought together across locations.

Developments in artificial intelligence will create further changes in how we undertake engineering tasks, deliver projects and work together. These tools may help us improve efficiency, but technical quality, professional judgement and collaboration will remain essential.

Technology can support engineers, but we must still understand the problem, examine the risks and take responsibility for the decisions we make.