Engineering & Environmental Research

DF Dickins Associates, LLC

Qualifications

Experience Profile

David Dickins in the Norwegian Barents Sea,
April 2009.

Since 1974, he has played a key role in seven large-scale experimental oil spills in ice and cold water off the Canadian Arctic and East Coasts. Continuing with this experience, Dickins is currently serving as the project manager for remote sensing as part of the SINTEF Arctic Oil Spill Contingency joint industry study involving a series of offshore spills in broken ice in 2008 and 2009.

Over the past ten years, projects have focused on evaluations of sea ice conditions affecting all aspects of oil and gas exporation and development, including transportation systems and terminals oil spill research, and on Arctic oil spill research.  Recent project examples include: developing the technical program and co-chairing an international conference on oil and ice in Anchorage; mapping historical sea ice overflood boundaries along the Alaskan North Coast; field-testing ground penetrating radar systems to detect oil under ice in experimental spills on Svalbard; reviewing oil spill response methods for future Arctic exploration areas; assessing the impact of global warming on oil industry strategic planning; evaluating the feasibility of using hovercraft to patrol the Northwest Passage; and advising several oil majors on future development scenarios tied to upcoming lease sales in the Alaskan OCS region. 

Ongoing programs involve managing international teams of specialist consultants in disciplines such as: Geodatabase development and GIS mapping; geophysics and radar applications; coastal geomorphology; Arctic climate change; permafrost studies; and air cushion vehicle design.  Over the past 10 years, Dickins’ projects have involved many significant offshore oil and gas developments around the world, including:  Sakhalin I and II;  Kashagan (Caspian Sea); Northstar and Alpine (Alaska); and the BTC Pipeline from Azerbaijan to Turkey.   

Education	B.A.Sc. Mechanical Engineering University of British Columbia, Vancouver, 1971
Specialized Courses	Communications Strategy Course, St. John's, 1998 Environmental Hearings Course, Calgary, 1990
Professional Affiliations & Boards	Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (APEG) American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Employment	2009 - current DF Dickins Associates, LLC, California 1998 - 2008 DF Dickins Associates Ltd., California 1980 - 1998 DF Dickins Associates Ltd., British Columbia 1978 - 1980 DF Dickins Engineering, Yellowknife, N.W.T. 1974 - 1978 Vice-President of Operations. Norcor Engineering and Research Ltd., Yellowknife, N.W.T. 1971 - 1974 Research Scientist. Department of the Environment, Ottawa, Ontario.