AMERGENT TECHS’ WHIPPLE PROMOTES PORT SAFETY & SECURITY
BY STAS MARGARONIS
Frank Whipple is the principal of Amergent Techs and has years of commercial experience in marine safety and port security including 28-years of experience with the U.S. Coast Guard.
Amergent Techs, LLC, is a leading provider of regulatory services in health, safety, security, and environmental services. Amergent Techs was formed in 2005 to provide maritime safety and security services, as well as business continuity specialists to the transportation industry.
Whipple was formerly head of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Pacific Region headquarters Marine Safety, Security and Environmental Response Division and had extensive experience in maritime safety, security, marine incidents and emergency response.
He says:
“My Coast Guard career prepared me to work at Amergent Techs in that working with people, committees, and teams was always present. In the Coast Guard, we were required to work with a very diverse community, with harbors and multiple users and find solutions to everyday challenges. ”
“At Amergent Techs, we are often sought to assist with special projects, working with engineering staffs, law enforcement, fire services, federal agencies in moving projects forward or assisting groups to understand the issues for proper decision making.”
One of the company’s biggest challenges was the Gulf of Mexico Deepwater oil spill:
“Amergent Techs supported a multi-level response over a period of months with highly qualified response personnel with years of prior experience. Ensuring the availability, the logistics support, and scheduling to meet the needs of the response were very time consuming. We maintained a ready reserve of approximately 20 response experts during the period.”
Whipple says one of the most significant project they have undertaken in the area is helping to design emergency and security aspects of the new crude oil terminal at the Port of Los Angeles;
“Probably the most significant project we have worked on in the port is the Pier 400 project, with Plains in the Port of Los Angeles. This is a new project which is planned to develop a new marine oil terminal. The new marine terminal will be built to new environmental standards and allow the older terminals to be replaced. The use of a single terminal will reduce the number of ships required to call at the port reducing fuel use and air pollution.”
According to the company’s website, Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. is engaged in the transportation, storage, terminalling and marketing of crude oil, refined products and liquefied petroleum gas and other natural gas related petroleum products.
The company says “As California and Alaskan crude oil production declines, the need for imported crude oil is increasing. The existing marine crude terminal infrastructure in Los Angeles is inadequate to accommodate the anticipated growth of waterborne imports; thus, the need exists for the development of a new, world class, deep water crude oil import facility at Port of Los Angeles Pier 400, Berth.”