Australia's Global Energy Ventures (GEV) has recruited experienced executive Per Roed to drive its hydrogen shipping project.
The Sydney-listed group said the former Stolt Tankers and Avenir manager will become chief technical officer (CTO).
"Per will drive innovation, design, construction, and delivery of GEV's hydrogen shipping and port solutions, and play an important role in business case and project development activities," the company said.
Roed has more than 20 years of experience in ship design, newbuilding, and management and commercial operations of chemical tankers, standard and small-scale gas carriers.
He was global manager of newbuilding and technical at Stolt Tankers for nearly six years until being seconded to join the Stolt-Nielsen small-scale LNG carrier joint venture Avenir as CTO in December 2020.
The new recruit will be based in Rotterdam from 7 February and then transition to Norway from July 2022 when GEV opens a new European office there.
Backing from the bosses
GEV''s non-executive chairman Andrew Pickering, himself a former CEO at Avenir, said: "We are delighted to have secured someone with the calibre of Per who I have known for many years during my time at Stolt-Nielsen and as the founding CEO of Avenir LNG."
"I have seen first-hand his talent to identify innovative ways to optimise and manage newbuild design and construction, and his dedication and global network from previous roles will be invaluable to GEV at this exciting stage," he added.
GEV CEO Martin Carolan said the move is a recognition of the group's ambitious programme to deliver compressed hydrogen solutions globally with its new C-H2 ship design.
"GEV’s growth means we not only need transformational engineering leadership, but also a highly capable and respected leader who can attract and develop world-class talent to our team," he added.
Roed himself said hydrogen has the potential to be the clean energy of the future.
Tapping his network
"For this reason, I am very excited to join GEV to take the opportunity to develop and deliver innovative compressed hydrogen projects," he added.
The CTO now plans to introduce his network of industry contacts to GEV's concept.
Roed has also been a director at AP Moller-Maersk, responsible for ship design and construction.
In December, GEV said Capilano Maritime Design and Wartsila had been awarded the contract design package for the new C-H2 vessel.
The next phase of development is set to build on the successful receipt of approval in principle from class society ABS earlier this year for both a 430-tonne and 2,000-tonne carrier.
"Completion of the contract design package will allow GEV to advance discussions with shipyards for selection of the final design and construction partner," said GEV.
The vessel will be developed to dovetail with GEV's plan to export hydrogen from its 2.8 GW Tiwi Hydrogen plant in Australia.
