(WHISTLER, British Columbia) — Engineers & Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC) presented Robert Allan with the Meritorious Achievement Award at the association's Annual Award Gala on Friday. This award is given annually to a member of the association who has achieved distinction and outstanding goals associated with his or her profession.
Allan has over 45 years of experience in the design of commercial workboats of all types, but especially high-performance tugboats for tanker escort and offshore terminal operations. From 1981 until 2008 when company ownership was transferred to a cadre of senior employees, he led Robert Allan Ltd. to a position of international prominence in this field. Notable achievements under his leadership include major icebreaking vessels for the Beaufort Sea and more recently the Caspian Sea and offshore Sakhalin; the Red Dot Award-winning Z-Tech ship-handling tug concept; and the development of the RAstar concept of escort tug which has revolutionized the conduct of tanker escort operations.
In the course of his career, Allan has authored many dozens of papers for international industry technical conferences, and contributed chapters on tug and workboat design to the major textbooks of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME). He is the recipient of the Small Craft Group Medal from the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (United Kingdom) for significant lifetime achievements in naval architecture; the Beaver Medal for significant contributions to the maritime industry of British Columbia; and he is the only Canadian to have been awarded the David W. Taylor Medal from SNAME for notable achievement in naval architecture.
In accepting this award, Allan paid tribute to the many talented employees of Robert Allan Ltd., past and present, whose hard work and commitment have enabled the company’s success. In particular, he acknowledged the significant contributions to the company of longtime colleagues Hans Muhlert and Ken Harford.
The receipt of this award from EGBC caps a significant and fulfilling career, as Allan announced his retirement from full employment in June. He remains as executive chairman of the board and "ambassador at large” for Robert Allan Ltd., the company founded by his grandfather in 1930.