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John A Witte News

23 Jun 2014

Interview: John Witte - VP, International Salvage Union

John Witte

Working full-time with Donjon Marine Co., Inc. since 1982, John A. Witte, Jr. is currently Executive Vice President. He oversees the day-to-day operations of Donjon’s Marine Salvage, Demolition, Marine Transportation, Diving, Heavy Lift and Shipbuilding Operations. Witte is also responsible for Donjon’s Regulatory Compliance Program for all marine related activities and has served as Salvage Master on numerous Donjon Salvage projects since 1982. A past President of the American Salvage Association (ASA), Witte today serves as Vice President of the International Salvage Union (ISU).

25 Oct 2013

Multraship’s Muller Appointed President of ISU

Leendert Muller

Leendert Muller, managing director of leading towage and salvage specialist Multraship, has been appointed the new president of the International Salvage Union (ISU). The appointment was confirmed at the annual general meeting of the ISU in Hong Kong on October 24, 2013. Muller, who has been a member of the ISU Executive Committee since 2008, and vice-president since 2011, succeeds Andreas Tsavliris, who will continue as a member of the ISU Executive Committee.  John A Witte Jr., of Donjon Marine Co Inc., was confirmed as vice president of the ISU. multraship.com

09 Jan 2012

Donjon Salvages Sunken Barge

Donjon’s Chesapeake 1,000 heavy lift crane works to salvage a sunken barge under the Newport Pell Bridge in Newport, Rhode Island last November.

Donjon salvags sunken barge under Newport Pell Bridge. Donjon Marine, Co., Inc., a provider of multi-faceted marine services including marine salvage, heavy lift, dredging and related emergency response services, was contracted in early November 2011 to raise a 300-ton barge used as a platform for painting supplies and disposal equipment that sank in 100 feet of water after a violent Nor’Easter storm near Newport Pell Bridge in Newport, Rhode Island. The barge also contained oil in three tanks with a reported 2,400 gallons of fuel at the time of the sinking. Working closely with the U.S.

09 Nov 2011

Hankins Joins Donjon as VP

Donjon Marine said that Paul Hankins, formerly President of Donjon-SMIT, LLC, has joined Donjon as Vice President of Operations-Salvage & Engineering Division. Hankins’ primary duties will involve Donjon’s U.S. Navy Salvage Services Contract, as well as its U.S. Coast Guard Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA). “Donjon is pleased to welcome Paul to the Donjon team and we look forward to his expertise and management experience to help bolster our marine salvage activities,” said John A. Witte, Jr., Executive Vice President, Donjon Marine Co., Inc. A native of Washington, DC, Mr.

03 Nov 2011

Raymond Lord Named President of Donjon-Smit

Raymond Lord, President, Donjon-SMIT, LLC

Raymond Lord has been named President of Donjon-SMIT, LLC, effective November 8.        A native of Houston, Texas, Mr. Lord has more than 30 years of experience within the marine salvage industry, most recently serving as Vice President and Operations Manager for SMIT Americas in Houston. “We are very happy to welcome Raymond Lord to Donjon-SMIT,” said John A. Witte, Jr., Director, Donjon-SMIT.  “We look forward to a long and productive future with him at the helm,” Douglas Martin, Director, Donjon-SMIT, added.

30 Aug 2011

Donjon Marine Refloats Sunken Barge 2001 on Kill Van Kull

In early August, the fully loaded hopper barge 2001 sank in approximately 25 feet of water while transiting the Kill Van Kull, a waterway that connects Newark Bay to New York Harbor. The barge was loaded with approximately 1,500 tons of shredded steel, as reported by owners. Donjon removed the cargo, rigged the barge for lift, and later refloated it and returned it to its owners. The barge had a light ship displacement of more than 500 tons. ”Whether close to home, like this job near Newark Bay…

26 Aug 2011

Donjon Marine Salvages, Redelivers Royal Miss Belmar

On July 25th, Donjon Marine Co., Inc. was awarded a contract to salvage and return to owners the 100-foot passenger ferry Royal Miss Belmar, which grounded on approach to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, on July 4th. Donjon mobilized its 400-ton capacity derrick barge Columbia, NY to the site with its 3000-HP tug Mary Alice to lift the vessel from its grounded position. The recovered vessel was then loaded onto the deck of the Columbia, NY, lashed for seaworthiness, and successfully delivered to Savannah, Georgia, where the vessel was trans-loaded to a local shipyard facility for repair.

01 Jul 2011

Donjon Marine Recovers Robert R. Woodington Dredge

Photo courtesy Donjon Marine Co.

On May 20, 2011, Donjon Marine Co., Inc. contracted with the owners of the 42-ft cutter head suction dredge Robert R. Woodington to recover the cutterhead/ladder which was buried to a depth of 100 feet as a result of an underwater cave-in that occurred while recovering sand from an in-land sand pit. The cutterhead/ladder was covered by more than 70 feet of sand and clay mix. Donjon’s work plan was to mobilize a sectional barge equipped with a crane capable of handling a four cubic yard digging bucket, a 10-person salvage team including five salvage divers, and air-lift and jetting equipment.

09 Jun 2011

DonJon Marine Completes Atlantic Traveler Salvage

On May 11, the 70-ft fishing boat Atlantic Traveler sank after hitting the South Jetty of Manasquan Inlet off Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey. Three crewmen onboard were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. The vessel sank outside the south Jetty in an Ocean Environment in an upside down position. After more than three weeks of inclement weather, Donjon  Marine was able to mobilize its 400-ton capacity Derrick barge Columbia, NY  from its home base in Port Newark, New Jersey to perform the wreck removal  of the vessel.

15 Nov 2010

Yearbook 2010: Tug, Tow & Barge

Mobro Marine’s tugs, the American and the El Puma Grande prepare to tow a shadow boat for its trip to the Miami Boat Show (a shadow boat shadows the main yacht). (Photo courtesy Mobro Marine)

In the MarineNews Yearbook edition we looked at how the past year has treated the tug, tow and barge, the offshore and the passenger vessel markets, and we ask industry experts about the outlook for 2011. While tragedy struck the offshore markets and the recession continues to impact many companies, business leaders also have good news to share. In the tug, tow and barge market, both Donjon Marine Co. and Mobro Marine seemed to agree that diversification is a powerful asset when dealing with turbulent economic times.

09 Oct 2009

ASA Presents Award to Cummings

ASA President John A. Witte, Jr. (left) presents the American Salvage Association’s Rapid Response Award to Rep. Elijah Cummings, Chairman of the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, on October 6, 2009. (Photo courtesy the American Salvage Association)

The American Salvage Association (ASA) awarded its Rapid Response Award on October 6, 2009 to Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, Chairman of the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee. The award was presented to Congressman Cummings in Arlington, Virginia, during the ASA co-sponsored National Maritime Salvage Conference, and was given for his leadership of the Subcommittee, his bold initiative and unwavering commitment to the publication of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Salvage and Marine Fire-fighting Regulations last December…

24 Aug 2009

Work on M/V Fedra Moves Forward

Donjon Marine, Co., Inc. continues work on a contract awarded on March 24, 2009 for the wreck removal and disposal of the remnants of the M/V Fedra which, in October 2008, grounded and sank during a severe storm. Since commencing site operations in late May of this year, Donjon has made steady and significant progress toward completion of the project. To date, Donjon has removed all of the remaining superstructure, main deck forward of the engine room and all subsurface bottom and side shell forward of the engine room bulkhead forward and most of the machinery in the engine room.

30 Jun 2009

Donjon Work on M/V Fedra Continues

Donjon Marine, Co., Inc., a provider marine services including marine salvage, heavy lift, dredging and related emergency response services, continues work on a contract awarded on March 24, 2009 for the wreck removal and disposal of the remnants of the M/V Fedra which, in October 2008, grounded and partially sank during a storm. On May 25, 2009, Donjon commenced site operations and with support from local subcontractors, performed vessel remediation as well as pre-cutting portions of the remaining deck house…

07 Jan 2009

ASA Praises Salvage & Firefighting Reg

The American Salvage Association (ASA) is pleased with the announcement on December 30 that the United States Coast Guard's Marine Salvage and Firefighting Regulations have been posted for public inspection and were published on December 31st in the Federal Register. The long-awaited marine salvage and firefighting regulations are expected to go into effect within 30 days of their publication and will provide for the customary 18-month period for compliance. The regulations, called for in the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 after the Exxon Valdez casualty, are more important now than ever before as the nation faces the threat of terrorist incidents in the marine transport sector…

11 Sep 2008

Insights: John Witte Jr., American Salvage Association

What are your thoughts on the recent collision that occurred on the that resulted in hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel oil to spill and the requisite closure? JW:      The is a very busy waterway. While the US Coast Guard and local authorities make every effort to manage the waterway in a safe and efficient manner, there are times that accidents do in fact occur. The inland towing industry has one of the very best safety and environmental records, so this was one of these situations.

17 Apr 2008

Grounded Barge gets a Lift

A member of the American Salvage Association (ASA) recently responded to the grounding of the Thor III, a 250’ x 72’ x 16.5’ deck barge carrying 4,000 tons of gravel and sand in a national sanctuary in the Turks and Caicos Island, BWI.  The ASA member lightered approximately 3,500 tons of cargo and then proceeded to patch, pump, and blow down the necessary compartments to float the barge from its grounded position, avoiding substantial damage to the sanctuary using the 2,000 HP tug El Morro.   “Professional salvors are available to respond to a variety of events and to help protect sensitive marine environments such as was done in this incident,” said ASA President John A. Witte, Jr.   “We are proud of this ASA member to be there with the right approach when called upon,” he continued.

15 Oct 2007

ASA Announces New Leaders for ‘08

John A. Witte, Jr., Executive Vice President of Donjon Marine Co., Inc. (Hillside, NJ) has been elected President of the American Salvage Association (ASA). Mauricio Garrido, Managing Director of Salvage for the Americas for Titan, a Crowley Company, (Fort Lauderdale, FL) has been elected ASA’s Vice President, and Tim Beaver, President of Global Diving & Salvage, Inc. (Seattle, WA) has been elected Secretary/Treasurer. In addition, James Calhoun, Senior Vice President, Bisso Marine Co., Inc. (Houston, TX); Paul Hankins, Vice President for Operations, Donjon-SMIT, LLC (Alexandria, VA); Charles Usher, President, Marine Pollution Control (Detroit, MI); and Ken Edgar, Marine Response Consultant (Houston, TX) were elected to ASA’s Executive Committee.

22 Oct 2007

Titan Salvage's Garrido Elected VP of American Salvage Association

Mauricio Garrido, Titan Salvage's director of business development, was recently elected vice president of The American Salvage Association (ASA). He joins John A. Witte, Jr., executive vice president of Donjon Marine Co., Inc. (Hillside, NJ) who was elected president, and Tim Beaver, president of Global Diving & Salvage, Inc. (Seattle, Wash.) who was elected secretary/treasurer. Garrido will continue to help the ASA meet its objectives which include bringing closure to pending U.S. maritime salvage regulations, facilitating the quality partnership agreement between ASA and the U.S. Coast Guard, and addressing responder immunity as well as the salvor's role in environmental protection and maritime security.