Stephens Elected PVA President for 2020
Colleen Stephens, President of Stan Stephens Glacier & Wildlife Cruises will be President of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) for 2020, the trade association announced.Elected during the PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2020 held February 3-6, 2020 in Tampa, Fla., Stephens reaffirmed PVA's commitment to continuously improving safety in passenger vessel operations as well as the association's engagement in being good stewards of the environment. "PVA's Green WATERS program…
US Ferries Are Safer, but Regulatory Burdens Grow
In recent years, ferries have been in the spotlight, in part because of growing mass transit needs and increased road congestion, but also because of concerns about the deadly South Korean ferry sinking last April. We asked Captain Terri Bernstein, the Passenger Vessel Association’s 2014 President, about the industry’s status in the United States. Based in Alexandria, VA, the PVA has over 500 member companies. Ferries are safer, especially since 9/11, but regulatory requirements have swelled and can be onerous, Bernstein said. She’s the owner of BB Riverboats, Inc.
PVA Elects President, Officers and Board Members
During the PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2014, held January 18-21 in Houston, members of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) elected Terri Bernstein, BB Riverboats Newport, Ky., as PVA President for 2014. Dave Anderson, Fire Island Ferries, Inc., Bay Shore, N.Y. Margo Marks, Beaver Island Boat Company, Charlevoix, Mich. Captain Terri Bernstein is Vice President of Operations of BB Riverboats in Newport, Ky. This third-generation, family-owned business is the oldest riverboat company in the Greater Cincinnati Ohio Region.
PVA Elects 2013 President, Officers and Board
During the PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2013, held February 16 - 19, in Jacksonville, FL, members of the Passenger Vessel Association (PVA) elected Carolyn Horgan, Blue & Gold Fleet, San Francisco, CA, as PVA President for 2013. Carolyn Horgan is President of Blue and Gold Fleet in San Francisco, CA. Blue & Gold operates 19 vessels in ferry and excursion routes in the Bay Area. The company is also under contract to the Water Emergency Transportation Authority to operate vessels in the Alameda, Oakland, Vallejo and South San Francisco ferry services.
PVA Elects New Officers and Board
At the 2010 Passenger Vessel Association Convention at MariTrends in Tampa, Fla., the members of the PVA elected their new officers and board members. Captain Kevin Stier, River Cruises, Scales Mound, Ill. Captain Jay Spence, Massachusetts Bay Lines, Boston, Mass. Paul Belforti, Entertainment Cruises, Chicago, Ill. Captain Kevin Stier is the owner and operator of River Cruises. River Cruises offers two day overnight cruises on the Upper Mississippi River aboard the vessel Twilight. Captain Stier’s career started with him working on the Julia Belle Swain for the late Captain Dennis Trone, one of the original members of the PVA, throughout the span of his career Captain Stier has piloted the Julia Belle Swain, the Talisman and Twilight, of which he was instrumental in the construction.
PVA Elects New President, Officers,Board
PVA members, during the PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2010 in Tampa, Fla., elected Kevin Stier as President. Captain Stier is owner of River Cruises, Scales Mound, Ill.. River Cruises operates the 149 passenger Riverboat Twilight that offers two-day overnight cruises on the Upper Mississippi River. A longtime member of the PVA Regulatory Committee, Captain Stier has been a member of the PVA Board of Directors since 2003 and has served as PVA Vice-President and PVA Secretary-Treasurer. Captain Jay Spence was elected PVA Vice President. Captain Spence is General Manager of Massachusetts Bay Lines in Boston, Mass. This second-generation, family-owned business has operated since 1963 and is the oldest operating year-round commuter service in Boston.
Vessels: Tall Stacks Draws 800,000 to Queen City
Every four years the excursion vessel segment of the commercial marine industry stages one of the largest festivals in the United States, yet except for the vessels that participate in it, little is known about this event. It overshadows the Workboat Show but receives little attention in the marine press. From an attendance standpoint, if this event were the World Series of Baseball, the Workboat Show would be T-ball for five-year olds. The event is called Tall Stacks and is held on the Ohio River every four year in Cincinnati, Ohio. The 2003 event was the fifth such Tall Stacks event and was attended by over 800,000 people during a five-day period in mid-October.
