Trauthwein, Greg
Editor-
23 Jan 2013
TOTE Goes Gas
Last month U.S. ship owner Tote Inc. shocked the maritime community in ordering the world’s first LNG-powered containerships; in one fell swoop energizing the U.S. shipbuilding sector. On the occasion of this historic contract, top executives from TOTE, NASSCO and MAN spoke to Maritime Reporter & Engineering News to weigh in on the deal’s significance. In recent decades, particularly in the large commercial ship niche, it is fair to say that the U.S. has not been a world force.
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22 Jan 2013
Oil & Water do Mix
Matters of fuel use, economy and emissions are “A-List” items on any vessel owner’s agenda, as skyrocketing prices for diesel and a spiraling maze of regulation regarding fuel content and emissions are pressing owners to adopt technical solutions. Maritime Reporter & Engineeing News recently spent some time with Dr. Jerry Ng Kok Loon, the founder and CEO of Blue Ocean Solutions, and one of the industry’s leading experts within emulsified fuel technology.
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18 Jan 2013
Richard Bludworth Bludworth Marine LLC
Running a ship repair business in the U.S. is anything but simple, with the unexpected being the norm and a cavalcade of new regulations. But Richard Bludworth has a penchant for turning the difficult simple. A staple in the Gulf of Mexico, Bludworth Marine LLC was founded by Richard Bludworth in 1998, strictly as a topside repair facility. Today the Bludworth Marine reach stretches to four waterfront facilities on the 103 mile run between Orange to Galveston, TX, with its HQ in Houston.
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17 Jan 2013
TOTE ‘Walks the Walk’
Having sat in this chair for more than two decades, I must admit that I have become somewhat jaded in the sense that there are few developments which actually give me cause to pause. Of course there are the spectacular casualties that will never cease to amaze, but on the business side there are very few real showstoppers. Then there was last month. Just as I was literally packing up to head down to New Orleans for the International Workboat Show, news broke that U.S. ship owner TOTE Inc.
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20 Dec 2012
Five Minutes with Kevin Lord, Chet Morrison Contractors
In conjunction with the Underwater Intervention exhibition MTR set forth to find an excellent source to speak in the first person on the diving industry, and more specifically the balance today between deploying man and machine. Kevin Lord is the Subsea Operations Manager within the Marine Construction Division of Chet Morrison Contractors. He began his commercial diving career in the Gulf of Mexico after serving four years in the United States Navy.
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11 Dec 2012
Engineering a New Path
WR Systems, long renowned for its prowess in delivering innovative engineered solutions to the U.S. Navy, is making waves in commercial maritime circles. WR Systems is a rare bird by many accounts. While the Norfolk, VA-based engineering firm earns the lion’s share of its business from the U.S. Navy, it was never fashioned specifically as a “defense contractor.” While it houses an enviable stable of technical talent…
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11 Dec 2012
Lube Oil: Less Can be More
Ever tightening environmental regulation in the maritime sector means that effective fuel and lube management onboard ships will become a defining issue for vessel owners; a bigger factor in profit versus loss. With new international and regional regulations come new technologies, and when a company the size of ExxonMobil talks, people tend to listen. We sat with Iain White, field marketing manager…
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05 Dec 2012
MetalCraft Marine
On the occasion of Metal Craft Marine’s 25th anniversary, Maritime Reporter & Engineering News ventured north, to the boat builder’s Kingston, Ontario headquarters, to discover the secret to its success. Metal Craft Marine is well regarded in maritime circles for designing and building high performance craft outfitted for the most demanding work conditions. While the company is diverse in its work scope and capability…
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30 Nov 2012
Sneed Shipbuilding: An (Extended) Family Affair
When Martin M. Sneed embarked in the business of building for the demanding workboat market in the mid-60s, he likely did not imagine that four decades later, his son Clyde (pictured) and business partner and co-owner Mitch Jones would be at the helm of a highly successful boat building company, crafting finely appointed custom boats for some of the industry’s most discriminating owners. Sneed Shipbuilding was founded by Martin M.
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26 Nov 2012
From 85 hp to Infinity
Talk to Joe Bekker for five minutes and you know he’s living the “American Dream.” Bekker, the founder, owner and president of Thrustmaster of Texas, came to Houston from The Netherlands in 1979 and has never looked back. An innovator and entrepreneur, Bekker has helped Thrustmaster of Texas evolve from its initial contract – a single 85 hp outboard propulsion unit for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the early 1980s – to a $150 million company today: here’s how.
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23 Oct 2012
A Class Act Robert D. Somerville, ABS Chairman
As Robert D. Somerville, ABS Chairman, winds down his career with the American Bureau of Shipping, he shares with Maritime Reporter more than four decades of insight and perspective on the evolution and future of class. Earlier this month you were honored by the US Coast Guard Foundation at a black tie event in NY City. You have received many honors over your career: in your mind what makes the recognition from the Coast Guard Foundation special or unique?
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19 Oct 2012
Think GLOBAL Act LOCAL
As any maritime power supplier could surely attest, resting on one’s laurels is not an option in today’s market: a generally stagnate global industrial situation, mixed with environmental regulations and fuel prices that are simultaneously spiraling higher. In tandem, vessel owners of every genre make demands that inherently at odds with one another: competitive pricing and seamless performance; reduced emission and reduced fuel consumption…
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11 Oct 2012
Wärtsilä Continues to Drive for Gas
Martime Reporter & Engineering News recently had the opportunity to sit down with Paolo Tonon, Wärtsilä’s new vice president of R&D; and Elias Boletis, Ph.D., Wärtsilä’s Director of Propulsion Programs & Technologies, for insights on key drivers in modern marine propulsion systems design and delivery. Can you provide a brief personal and professional history? Tonon I joined Wärtsilä in 1995 as a student in Italy.
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08 Oct 2012
The Middle East’s LNG FIX
While the global shipbuilding and repair market struggles in a tough economy, business is generally buoyant in the Middle East, with several new shipyards set to serve expanding offshore oil and gas transport operations. Maritime Reporter recently spent some time with Abu Bakar Bin Mohd Nor, CEO, Nakilat - Keppel Offshore and Marine Ltd., Ras Lafan, Qatar, to discuss the new shipyard’s approach to winning business in a tight environment.
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02 Oct 2012
Iridium is Flying High Again
The fight in the maritime satcom sector is somewhat analogous to the one fought by Apple and Microsoft in the early ‘80s: two tech companies, polar-opposite philosophies and a raging battle for market share. Market watchers likely have noted an increased “competitive spirit” among providers of ship-to-shore communication services. • the need to keep crew content with Email, Internet & entertainment.
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26 Sep 2012
Maitland Pinpoints Global Shipping's Woes, Solutions
Clay Maitland is a ubiquitous figure in the global shipping circuit, never shy to share his accrued maritime experience of more than 40 years, ask the tough questions or supply the blunt opinion. Set to celebrate his 70th birthday later this year but not slowing a step, Maritime Reporter & Engineering News caught up with Maitland in his Manhattan office late last month. Most anyone who has seen Clay Maitland address a crowd…
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24 Sep 2012
Insights with an Kees Pilaar MD, Blohm + Voss
It could be argued that running an efficient, safe and profitable ship repair yard is one of the most difficult of all maritime jobs. First and foremost, unpredictability – in terms of planned and actual workload, as well as the very nature of the job themselves – is a recurring theme. Maintaining experienced staff in times good and bad; keeping ahead of evolving regulations, as they pertain to the local environment and the global ship market…
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21 Sep 2012
The Corvus Power Play
Corvus Energy has quickly evolved as a leader in the marine hybrid propulsion market, developing state-of-the-art battery system solutions on some of the world’s biggest projects. And this is just the beginning. While the world “revolutionary” is too often and liberally bandied about in the description of new products, Vancouver, BC-based Corvus Energy arguably has created a revolutionary battery for the maritime market…
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24 May 2012
The Arctic: Economic Promise or Environmental Peril?
The fervor to move shipping routes and energy business north of the Arctic Circle is palpable, as countries with physical connection and even ‘non-Arctic’ states are making moves and plans to stake claims to the vast potential that lies within. While the maritime and subsea technology allowing ops in the Arctic’s harsh environs has moved forward fast, there are repeated and regular ‘warning shots across the bow’ of budding entrepreneurs large and small…
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22 May 2012
Five Minutes with Bill Clifford, President, BAE Systems Ship Repair
How did you come to your current position? Clifford I currently serve as the president of BAE Systems Ship Repair and have been in this position since 2008. In this role, I lead our six full service shipyards and our 5,000 highly skilled employees. Prior to assuming my current role, I was the vice president and general manager of BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair. Before joining BAE Systems, I spent…
