Texas A&M to Reduce Tuition For Merchant Mariner License Students
Texas A&M University at Galveston said it will reduce fees for current and future out-of-state students seeking a merchant mariner license from the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, in an effort that aims to help the maritime industry fill worsening labor gaps.Texas A&M Maritime Academy students earn their U.S. Coast Guard license while completing one of several license-option four-year bachelor’s degree programs at Texas A&M at Galveston.Effective September 1, under a new three-tiered fee structure approved by the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents…
Port of Galveston to Co-pilot Shore Power Project
Galveston Wharves has been awarded a $1 million grant for a shore-power pilot project in partnership with Texas A&M University at Galveston to reduce emissions from cargo shipping operations.Funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the pilot project will include establishing an onshore electricity microgrid to provide a clean portable power source to a docked ship as an alternative to using the ship’s diesel-fueled auxiliary engines.The project study team will evaluate the microgrid’s feasibility…
John McDonald Named ABS President
ABS Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Christopher J. Wiernicki, and the Board of Directors have announced that John McDonald was elected President of ABS at its Board meeting on July 18. McDonald, who has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the company since July 2021, will take on the title of President and remain the Chief Operating Officer of the company.“John McDonald has seized the opportunity to demonstrate his leadership skills since becoming…
The U.S. Navy Needs More Ships, Encourages Industry to "Pick up the Pace"
The demand for warships is strong, and the Navy continues to receive support from the Congress to build more ships. The Navy is working to achieve a fleet of about 355 ships, plus a fleet of about 150 unmanned vesselsBut to achieve something close to that goal requires more than demand, and even more than money. For one thing, it requires an industrial base that can build, repair and sustain that fleet.While Navy leadership acknowledges the challenges of a stressed supply chain…
Steel Cut for Fourth National Security Multi-Mission Vessel
Philly Shipyard held a steel cutting ceremony for the fourth in a series of new training ships it is building for the United States' state maritime academies.Scheduled for delivery to the Texas A&M Maritime Academy in Galveston, Texas in 2025, the new National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) is being built under a program for the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD), which owns and operates training ships for the nation's state maritime academiesMARAD's NSMV program is designed to provide a purpose-built…
Lobsters Versus Right Whales
Lobsters versus right whales: The latest chapter in a long quest to make fishing more sustainableMaine lobster fishermen received a Christmas gift from Congress at the end of 2022: A six-year delay on new federal regulations designed to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.The rules would have required lobstermen to create new seasonal nonfishing zones and further reduce their use of vertical ropes to retrieve lobster traps from the seafloor. Entanglement…
Hentschel Joins The Shearer Group, Inc.
The Shearer Group, Inc. (TSGI) announced a new addition to its naval architecture, marine engineering & marine surveying firm. Ryan Hentschel has joined TSGI as a naval architect.Hentschel holds a Naval Engineers degree and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His studies focused on naval construction and marine engineering with an emphasis in naval ship design, systems engineering, and DoD acquisition. He is also a certified Engineer-In-Training in the state of Texas.Prior to TSGI…
Callan Marine Promotes Two VPs
Texas-based dredging and marine construction company Callan Marine announced the promotions of Chris Dearing to Vice President of Engineering and Production and Oliver Jones to Vice President.Dearing brings extensive experience in the development and management of production and field engineering programs at some of the leading dredging companies in the nation. He will continue to lead the development and training of Callan’s engineering personnel assigned to field-based and office-based roles.
ABS Hires Hernandez to Head its Offshore Division
Classification society ABS announced it has appointed veteran offshore industry leader Miguel Hernandez to head its offshore division. The former MODEC general manager of sales and marketing is now ABS Senior Vice President of Offshore Business Development, leading global offshore including the FPSO, FPU and floating offshore wind sectors.“As the world’s leading offshore class, we are always looking to innovate and develop our services for clients. This is why we have appointed Miguel…
AET Awards Maritime Scholarships
Tanker shipping company AET said it has awarded 10 scholarships in partnership with the Texas A&M Foundation at the Texas A&M University Galveston Campus.The university is home to the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, one of seven maritime academies in the United States, offering a specialized maritime training and education program.The scholarship initiative supports undergraduate students majoring in Maritime Transportation for their bachelor’s degree program, aspiring to become deck officers."By awarding scholarships…
Texas A&M Partners with Great Lakes to Open Dredging Lab
The United States' largest dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced it has signed an agreement with the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University to provide funding and technical support for what will become the Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Laboratory of Dredging and Coastal Studies.Lasse Petterson from Great Lakes commented, “Our company has had a long and robust relationship with Texas A&M that has included research, participation in dredging short courses, and advocacy for the ocean and coastal engineering profession.
Two Texas A&M Students Earn Crowley Scholarships
Crowley Maritime Corp. has awarded Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships to Mavry Sepulvado and Andrew Hubert of the Texas A&M University Maritime Academy. The recipients earned the scholarships based on their academic performance, cadet shipping experience and interest in pursuing a career at sea.Sepulvado, a senior from New Caney, Texas, is pursuing a degree in marine transportation. He is a first-generation college student and serves as treasurer for the Triathlon Club. Sepulvado served his sea term aboard the Crowley-managed tanker Golden State.
The Shearer Group Adds Two Naval Architects
Naval architecture, marine engineering and marine surveying firm The Shearer Group, Inc. (TSGI) announced two new additions to its team. The company has hired Colton Bonnaure and Jacob Frost as naval architects.Bonnaure graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Ocean Engineering and was the Senior Captain of the Texas A&M Human Powered Submarine Team, where he redesigned a new controls system for a one-man submarine. For his undergraduate research project, Bonnaure assisted…
McDonald Named ABS Chief Operating Officer
John McDonald will become ABS Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer as Tony Nassif has announced his plans to retire on December 31, 2021.As part of the company’s succession planning process, McDonald will assume the head operations role on July 26, 2021. Celebrating 25 years of service with ABS this year, McDonald joined ABS in 1996 as a surveyor and served in various frontline operational roles in Korea, the Northern Europe and Africa Region and the Central Region for the former Americas Division.
Texas A&M Maritime Academy's New Training Ship Named
The Texas A&M Maritime Academy said it has been notified by the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) that the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) expected to arrive on its Galveston campus in 2025 will be named the Lone Star State.The ship, which is slated to be built by Philly Shipyard, is the fourth in a new series of vessels specifically designed to support both maritime training needs and disaster response capabilities.“The Galveston…
Callan Marine Promotes Morris to Lead Brown Water Division
Galveston, Texas-based dredging contractor Callan Marine said it has promoted Micah Morris to operations manager of its brown water division.Morris most recently served as project manager on the brown water projects. He takes over leadership of Callan's brown water division from the company’s vice president of operations, Kevin Pearse, who was previously responsible for both the blue and brown water divisions. “Our portfolio of projects continues to expand,” said Maxie McGuire, president of Callan Marine.
Fairbanks Morse Names Clark COO
U.S.-based engines manufacturer Fairbanks Morse said Monday it has named Michael Clark its new chief operating officer. Clark will guide the company’s operations, engineering, supply chain and program management departments. He will also be responsible for the company’s environmental health and safety (EHS) initiatives.“Michael is a transformational leader dedicated to continuous process improvement,” said George Whittier, CEO of Fairbanks Morse, a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management.
Five New Ships Poised to Transform US Maritime Training
For professional maritime training, the 2020 holiday season was bright indeed. In a world clutching for optimism, officials from the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) made a series of announcements that will strengthen, expand and intensify America’s maritime academic programs—really the maritime industry—for at least the next decade, likely much longer. Consider this string of news:On December 15, MARAD announced cutting steel for the first new National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) at Philly Shipyard Inc.…
Whitworth Joins Gulf Copper Board
Gulf Copper and Manufacturing Corporation has appointed Jonathan Whitworth as a member to its board of directors.Whitworth, a graduate of Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG), brings his extensive working history and experience back to Texas. He holds an MBA in Finance with a focus on marine business and currently serves as vice chairman of the TAMUG Board of Visitors.“I feel very fortunate to have retired and moved back to Galveston Island, a city which has a rich maritime history and a place with great memories for both me and my wife,” said Whitworth.
Congress Funds Training Ship for Texas A&M
Congress on Monday approved $390 million to fund construction of a fourth National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV). The state-of-the-art ship will be assigned to the Texas A&M Maritime Academy at Texas A&M University at Galveston, serving as a training platform for future merchant mariners and offer a critical disaster resource in the Gulf Coast.Scheduled for delivery in 2025, the new NSMV for Texas A&M is the fourth in a series of five ships to replace the aging and outdated fleet of training vessels currently used by state maritime academies.
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Moving Its HQ to Houston
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. announced Thursday it is moving its corporate headquarters to Houston, positioning the nation’s largest dredging services provider nearer to major regional projects and opportunities. The firm will also open regional offices in Jacksonville, Fla., and Staten Island, N.Y.The move to Houston from from Oak Brook, Ill., which stems in part from changing industry dynamics, places the company closer to key regional customers and new markets, especially along the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi River…
The Shearer Group Hires Toerner
The Shearer Group, Inc. (TSGI) announced a new addition to its naval architecture, marine engineering & marine surveying firm, Daniel Toerner.A recent graduate from Texas A&M University, College Station, with a Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering, Toerner joins TSGI as a naval architect. During his time at Texas A&M, he interned at Electro-Mechanical Industries, Kiewit Offshore Services, and Clarus Subsea Integrity. He also studied during a summer abroad in Italy.Toerner was the Team Captain for Texas A&M’s Human Powered Submarine Team where he designed…
Protecting Ports from Sea Level Rise
Coastal flooding disasters have occurred periodically through history often followed by construction of flood defenses to help ensure it does not happen again. One of the most well known was the 1953 North Sea Flood in the Netherlands when a storm surge occurred on top of astronomical high tides causing thousands of deaths, property and economic damages. The Dutch and UK reacted and increased construction of sea defenses including storm surge barriers, such as the Delta Works and River Thames barriers.