Reforming the Coast Guard's Certificate of Compliance Program for Liquefied Gas Carriers: Promoting Efficient Implementation and Safety Effectiveness (2024)
Chapter: Appendix B: Disclosure of Unavoidable Conflict of Interest
Appendix B
Disclosure of Unavoidable Conflict of Interest
The conflict of interest policy of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi) prohibits the appointment of an individual to a committee authoring a Consensus Study Report if the individual has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the task to be performed. An exception to this prohibition is permitted if the National Academies determine that the conflict is unavoidable and the conflict is publicly disclosed. A determination of a conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual’s actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.
Richard A. Gilmore has a conflict of interest in relation to his service on the Committee on Improving the Efficiency and Effectiveness of the Coast Guard Certificate of Compliance Examination Program for Gas Carriers because he currently serves as a consultant to his former employer Maran Gas Maritime Inc., the gas shipping unit of Angelicoussis Shipping Group Limited.
The National Academies concluded that for this committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established, its membership must include at least one person who has expertise and recent experience with the technical and commercial aspects of the growing and rapidly changing liquefied gas shipping market as well as direct experience in the international liquefied gas transportation industry. As described in his biographical summary, as executive vice president and more recently as a consultant at Maran Gas Maritime Inc., Mr. Gilmore has recent experience managing all commercial aspects of the company’s liquefied natural gas business, including its fleet
expansion and implementation of the latest vessel design and propulsion technologies.
The National Academies determined that the experience and expertise of Mr. Gilmore is needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it has been established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent current experience and expertise who does not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies concluded that the conflict is unavoidable.
The National Academies believe that Mr. Gilmore can serve effectively as a member of the committee, and the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the study.
