Robert G. Allan presented with CMC Legacy Award

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(VICTORIA, British Columbia) — Robert G. (Rob) Allan was presented with the CMC Legacy Award at the 23rd BC Tugboat Conference held in Victoria earlier this month. The award is presented every two years by the Council of Marine Carriers (CMC) committee to a recipient who has made a significant, positive and lasting contribution to the B.C. marine towing industry.

The council was formed in 1975 when the British Columbia Towboat Owners’ Association (BCTOA) and the Towboat Industrial Relations Association (TIRA) joined as a nonprofit organization to ensure that the industry’s technical and labor interests were protected and advanced.

Rob Allan joined Robert Allan Ltd. in 1973, following the family tradition. The company was started by his grandfather (Robert Allan) in 1929 and strengthened by his father, the late Robert F. (Bob) Allan throughout the 1950s and ‘60s. In 1981, Rob succeeded his father as president, leading the company into a new generation of computer-based design technology. The expanding firm created a wide range of distinctive designs including ship assist and escort tugs, icebreakers, government service vessels, and high-speed craft.

With significant growth since the mid 1990s the firm has established itself as an international force in commercial work boat design and the recognized world leader in high-performance tugboat designs. A staff of highly qualified professional engineers, naval architects, marine engineers, technologists and designers handle a wide variety of projects for an international clientele. Currently a vessel is built to a Robert Allan Ltd. design somewhere in the world almost every week.

In 2008, Rob transferred ownership of this distinguished firm to a team of the senior employees, and since then the ownership has expanded to include 25 employee shareholders. Although Rob Allan formally announced his retirement from full-time duty with the company in the summer of 2017, he continues to serve on the board of directors and as part of the SAGE mentoring team at Robert Allan Ltd. One may also find him at the occasional technical conference as an “ambassador at large.”

By Professional Mariner Staff