Ronald Heffron

Ronald D. Heffron, PE, D.PE, F.ASCE
Principal U.S. Delegate to the Maritime Navigation Commission
Senior VP, Energy & Marine
COWI

 Ron Heffron is a veteran of the marine energy and electric utility sectors with over 40 years of experience in the planning, design, development and optimization of marine, energy and transportation facilities.  He has experience on marine projects involving LNG and Floating LNG terminals, liquid bulk terminals, cargo terminals, Navy waterfront facilities, offshore wind farms and coastal resiliency. 

Mr. Heffron currently serves as Senior Vice President for COWI’s Energy & Marine business, focusing on Ports & Shorelines, Offshore Wind Farms, Gas & Green Fuels Terminals, Military Waterfronts, and Inland Waterways & Water Resources.

Mr. Heffron is a global leader and innovator in the niche field of floating LNG import and export terminal marine infrastructure design. He led a team to pioneer the definition of 60+ unique configurations and 20+ alternative mooring solutions for permanently moored LNG vessels, to lower CAPEX, lower OPEX and improve berth uptime. Alternatives include enhanced conventional moorings, guide pile moorings, spread moorings, single point moorings, grounded moorings, tension pile moorings, and others. Projects have included the design of mooring systems for aggressive long period wave conditions as well as for surviving Category 4/5 cyclones and tsunamis up to 8 meters. This pioneering work has led to involvement in 60+ nearshore FLNG/FSRU terminal projects on six continents.

He has knowledge of marine terminal operations, project development, coastal processes, marine/waterfront engineering, and construction.  Project experience has focused on marine and energy infrastructure development and expansion. He has particular expertise in extending the life of existing marine structures and facilities through proactive quantitative modeling.  Projects have included jetties, quays, bulkheads, relieving platforms, breakwaters, offshore wind farms, lighthouses, bridges, dams, tunnels and outfalls.  Specific areas of competence include project management, structural analysis and design, and durability design.

He has project pursuit and execution experience in over 45 countries, including North America, Asia, Oceana, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Central America, South America and Caribbean.

Registrations, Accreditations, and Professional Activities

Licensed Professional Engineer in CA, VA, MD, TX, NC, PA, MA, WA, OR, NY, HI, Guam and CNMI

Diplomate in Port Engineering, Academy of Coastal, Ocean, Port and Navigation Engineers

Fellow, American Society of Civil Engineers

Author of over 100 technical presentations and papers presented worldwide, relating to planning, design, inspection and rehabilitation of facilities in the marine environment