NOTE ON THE AUTHORS

John R Dudley was the principal author of this handbook. He is presently Tanker Operations Superintendent of LASMO (Nova Scotia) Ltd., of Halifax, Canada, which is involved in the first offshore petroleum production project on the East Coast of North America. Captain Dudley is an honours graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy with a BSc in Marine Transportation, and of the State University of New York with an MSc in Industrial Management. He holds a US Coast Guard Master's License (Unlimited) and served as an officer in Exxon tankers for seven years before taking command of drillships in various parts of the world. He also served as an instructor at the Maine Maritime Academy, as Marine Superintendent for Columbia University's oceanographic vessel, as Contract Administrator in the Exxon Valdez clean-up, and in various other responsible positions.

Barry J Scott was the principal technical advisor in the compilation of this handbook. At present he is the Managing Director of Vela Marine Technical Services Ltd. (MTS), of Halifax, Canada, a leading international marine surveying and consultancy firm specializing in all marine aspects of the petroleum industry. Captain Scott has been in the tanker industry all his professional life. He spent seventeen years at sea with a long established British company which operated all types of tankships in various trades, some on long-term demise charter to Shell Oil. He holds a British Master's Certificate (foreign-going) and was in command for several years. He served as Pollution Control Advisor to the Saudi Ports Authority in Jubail, and as Marine Surveyor and Manager for a Montreal-based surveying firm before founding what is now VMTS in 1986.

Edgar Gold was the coordinator of the handbook project and is responsible for a number of aspects of the final text. Dr Gold is immediate past President of the Canadian Maritime Law Association and a senior member of the Canadian admiralty bar. He is a senior partner with the law firm Huestis Holm, Halifax, Canada, as well as Adjunct Professor of Maritime Law and Professor of Resource and Environmental Studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He graduated from Dalhousie University with ba and LLB degrees, from the University of Wales with a PHD in International Maritime Law, is a Fellow of the Nautical Institute, a member of the Chartered Institute of Transport and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He was Professor of Maritime Law and Professor of Resource and Environmental Studies at Dalhousie University for twenty years until 1994. He is a Titulary Member of the Comite Maritime International and Visiting Professor and Canadian member of the Board of Governors of the World Maritime University, Malmo, Sweden. He was at sea for sixteen years, holds British and Canadian Master's Certificates (foreign-going) and was in command for several years. He has been associated with Gard since 1971 and is the author of Gard's Handbook on marine pollution as well as many other noted publications.