Who’s Who: Maritime Movements for May/June 2024

WORK BOAT WORLD:

Former US Secretary of Navy Richard Spencer will take over from John Rothwell as Chairman of the Board of Austal following the latter's retirement. Spencer will also join the board of Austal USA, providing important linkages between the two boards.

Spencer served five years with the US Marine Corps as a Naval Aviator. After leaving the defence force, he worked at several investment banks including Goldman Sachs, Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette, and Bear Stearns.

He also served on the Pentagon Defense Business Board advisory panel and the Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel. He was appointed and confirmed as Secretary of Navy from August 2017 through to November 2019. He will take over the role of Chairman of Austal effective July 1, 2024.

==========

Louisiana-based marine transportation specialist Southern Devall has designated Andrey Verloka to the position of Director of Cargo Stewardship and Fleet Allocation. His duties will entail ensuring the company's cargo operations will fulfill customer requirements while minimising risks to cargo and equipment.

Verloka has over 20 years' experience in the oil and chemical industry, including work as a licenced master mariner on chemical tankers. His prior work experience included captain, chief officer, and Port Operations Manager with Stolt Tankers.

Verloka earned a Master's in Navigation on Sea Routes from Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping. He also holds a US Coast Guard Master Mariner Unlimited licence and a USCG Master of self-propelled vessels of unlimited tonnage upon oceans licence.

==========

The Bristol Harbor Group (BHGI) has welcomed Brandon Foy as a naval architect to its naval architecture and marine engineering firm. Foy holds a Master’s degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the US Coast Guard Academy. He is also a registered Professional Engineer in the District of Columbia.

Before joining BHGI, Foy was an officer in the United States Coast Guard and served aboard coast guard cutters Hamilton and Resolute. After attending graduate school at the University of Michigan, he was assigned to Coast Guard Headquarters as a staff engineer at the Marine Safety Center and the Office of Standards Evaluation and Development.

Following his service in the coast guard, Foy became a naval architect in Washington, DC, where he provided engineering support to the United States Coast Guard Ship Design Team. Specifically, he supported the Polar Security Cutter, the Offshore Patrol Cutter, the Waterways Commerce Cutter, and others.

DSC Dredge has promoted Waldon Meyers to the position of General Manager. Meyers has been with the company since 2004 following eight years working in the oil field industry.

His career at DSC included positions such as helper, 1st Class Welder in Structural and Pipe, 1st Class Fitter in Structural and Pipe, Millwright, Blasting, Painting, Operating Cranes, Heavy Equipment, Fitter and Welder Foreman, and Director of Production. His General Manager role includes oversight of all activity at DSC's manufacturing facilities in Poplarville, Mississippi.

==========

Blake Young has been appointed by US boatbuilder Fluid Watercraft as its new Government Sales Manager for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Young has over a decade of experience in law enforcement including work as a maritime patrol officer.

==========

Katy Taylor will become Chief Executive Officer of UK ferry operator Wightlink effective August 19, 2024. This follows Keith Greenfield’s retirement from the Isle of Wight ferry company after nine years at the helm.

Taylor joins from Southern Water, where she has been Chief Customer Officer since 2021. Previously, she was Chief Customer and Strategy Officer at international bus and train operator the Go-Ahead Group, which includes Isle of Wight bus company Southern Vectis.

==========

Fuel supply systems company Auramarine has designated Tuomas Häkkinen as its newest Director Business Line Projects. Häkkinen holds a master’s degree in Naval Architecture and Maritime Engineering from Aalto University.

In his new role, Häkkinen will be responsible for overseeing all sales in the projects business line, developing and implementing sales strategies, and strengthening relationships with key customers in the marine sector. He will also play a critical role in identifying new market opportunities and driving the company’s expansion into new business areas.

==========

CIMAC, a global non-profit association promoting the development of ship propulsion, welcomes Charlotte Røjgaard of Bureau Veritas as a new Board member. She will act as Vice President Working Groups.

Røjgaard is the Global Marine Fuels Director at Bureau Veritas. She holds a Master of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark and an executive MBA in Shipping and Logistics from Copenhagen Business School. She has already been an active member in CIMAC Working Groups for most of her career.

==========

Austal USA has designated Mark Santamaria as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Santamaria brings three decades of experience in financial expertise and executive leadership to the Austal USA leadership team.

Santamaria has served as CFO for several major defence contractors throughout his lengthy career. Before coming to Austal USA, he was CFO and a board member for Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions where he served in a number of roles. Santamaria also had a 24-year career with Lockheed Martin Corporation culminating with a position of Divisional CFO.

Santamaria holds a BS in Business Management from Towson University in Maryland. He also completed the financial management program through the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

==========

Engineering company the Bowman Consulting Group has appointed Vijay Agrawal to the post of Executive Vice President, Ports and Harbor. He has nearly 25 years of experience in the ports industry, including cargo handling, cruise terminals, naval facilities, and container terminals.

Agrawal is tasked with expanding the company’s relationships with port and harbour owners, maritime authorities, and shipping line operators. With a background in port planning and engineering, he has extensive experience in program and project management, operations planning, and construction management.

==========

Ferry operator Scandlines has confirmed that Eric Gregoire and Mikael Koch Jensen will join the company as CEO and CFO, respectively. Michael Guldmann Petersen will continue as COO, and together the three will make up Scandlines’ Executive Management Team.

Gregoire will start in July 2024 and comes from a position as CEO of Goodpack in Singapore. He is an experienced business leader with a solid track record in business process improvements from several international companies such as General Electric and DuPont.

Koch Jensen has more than 25 years of experience in financial management and comes with broad knowledge from a number of Danish and international retail companies. At Scandlines, he will take over responsibility for the group's overall functions within finance, treasury, IT, and procurement.

==========

SHIP WORLD:

Western Bulk Chartering recently confirmed the appointment of Torbjørn Gjervik as Chief Executive Officer. He will take over his new role on September 1, 2024.

Gjervik joined Western Bulk Chartering in 2011 and served in a range of positions since then. He comes from the position of Head of North Atlantic and has served in several management positions across the Western Bulk global network and offices, including a seven-year span in Singapore where he also served as Managing Director.

==========

Marine consultancy Solis Marine has confirmed a series of appointments across its UK- and Singapore-based businesses as the companies scale their operations to meet global demand for technical and engineering support in the shipping and marine energy sectors. In the UK, Richard Pemberton is appointed Principal Naval Architect working with Solis Marine Engineering (SME) in the company’s Falmouth headquarters where he will head up clean shipping operations. He joins SME from the University of Plymouth where he was a lecturer in marine design, bringing with him a background in the decarbonisation of the shipping and offshore industries.

In Solis Marine’s London office, Alvin Forster has been appointed Head of Marine Engineering Services. His role involves detailed hull and machinery damage surveys and investigations, preparing expert reports for arbitration and court proceedings, investigating fuel quality issues, and offering comprehensive loss prevention support to marine insurers, shipowners, managers and operators.

Master mariner Captain Jamie Simpson has joined directly from sea, bringing with him more than 10 years’ command experience on passenger/cargo liners trading worldwide and Ro-Pax ferries operating in the Dover Straits and the Irish Sea. He has extensive experience of ship handling, including having held various pilotage exemptions, passage planning, and navigating with ECDIS (various manufacturers) and integrated bridge systems.

In Singapore, master mariner Steve Thomason has joined Solis Marine with a focus on marine incident investigations, encompassing a wide range of scenarios including shipboard fires, collisions, groundings, salvage operations, expert witness testimony, offshore and towage operations and comprehensive casualty management.

Finally, Angitt Prakosa joins as a surveyor based out of Jakarta. He will support Solis Marine's casualty work in Southeast Asia.

==========

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) has named Amanda Coates as its Chief Commercial Officer. In this role, she will lead the port’s business development strategies and real estate operations.

Coates will be responsible for driving Port NOLA’s growth initiatives, forging, and cultivating strategic partnerships, as well as identifying new avenues for revenue generation. Additionally, she will oversee the management of Port NOLA’s real estate portfolio, ensuring optimal utilisation of assets.

Coates began her tenure with Port NOLA in 2018 as Commercial Manager and was named Head of Business Development in 2023. Under her leadership, the port has marked record growth in container volumes, driven new trade opportunities, and provided innovative supply chain solutions to support import, export, and breakbulk cargo operations. Prior to joining Port NOLA in 2018, she worked for more than 15 years in various operational and commercial roles for container carrier MSC.

==========

The London P&I Club has confirmed that James Bean from NorthStandard P&I Club will take over the role of Chief Executive Officer. Ian Gooch, former CEO, will be stepping down after 15 years but will continue to provide support to his successor and the senior management team.

Bean has worked within the marine insurance industry since 2005 and was appointed to the NorthStandard’s senior leadership team in February 2023. Prior to that, he was the Group Managing Director at the Standard Club.

==========

FISHING BOAT WORLD:

Grieg Seafood has appointed Elizabeth Barlow as the new Regional Director of its Newfoundland operations. Barlow brings nearly thirty years of operational and management experience from the aquaculture industry and government to Grieg Seafood Newfoundland.

Barlow has extensive operational and management experience spanning from biology and salmon farming to governmental roles in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. She has previously held senior management positions in Mowi Canada East and the Department of Fisheries and Land Resources in the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

She has also worked with the Miawpukek First Nation on marine and aquatic projects. She has a Graduate Diploma in aquaculture from the Marine Institute of Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador and a Bachelor of Science from Acadia University.

==========

Cermaq Chile Managing Director Pedro Courard will step down from his role. His successor will be Joachim Wessel, effective from June 1, 2024.

Wessel was previously Cermaq Chile's Commercial and Supply Chain Director. He joined Cermaq at the start of 2020 and has a long and successful career in the salmon industry. He has worked for companies such as Mowi and AquaChile and previously was a CEO salmon company Friosur.

==========

The Northern Territory Seafood Council (NTSC) recently welcomed Daniel Capps to the role of Chief Executive Officer. He comes from the agriculture sector with a legal and financial background. Capps assumes the CEO role following the departure of Katherine Winchester, who had served with NTSC for 20 years.

==========