Outstanding Accomplishment in Ocean Engineering
The 2017 Blakely Smith Medalist
John Stiff
John Stiff (now retired) is a registered professional engineer in Texas and a chartered engineer in UK. He has over 35 years of experience in consultancy to the offshore oil and gas industries.
He started work with Noble Denton, London in 1976, in a largely office based role, but after moving to Houston in 1980 his role expanded to include offshore activities as well (MODU rig moves, load outs, accident investigation, etc.). This offshore work enhanced his understanding of marine operations and gave him a clearer view of what goes right - and particularly what can go wrong - during marine operations. The next logical step in his career was the move to risk analysis where the value of this practical experience was maximized. In 1997 he transitioned from Noble Denton to ABS where the scope of risk studies in which he was involved expanded to include wider range of ship and tug operations – particularly FPSO and LNG operations.
Jack-up analysis and operations have also been an integral part of his career and he is still actively involved in the development of International Standards for jack-ups.