Chief Commercial Officer News

Marine towage provider Svitzer Europe announced it has appointed Sara Gerdner Kalle as its new Chief Commercial Officer, effective April 1, 2024. With a background spanning nearly 25 years in the logistics and supply chain industry, Gerdner Kalle will lead the Commercial function for Svitzer Europe, focusing on nurturing long-term stakeholder relationships, spearheading commercial development, and driving growth initiatives. The company said she will be pivotal in harnessing Svitzer’s commitment to digitalization to help the business and its customers to move forwards to deliver safe…

Somerset, N.J. based Mack Boring & Parts Co. has promoted Christopher Ponnwitz to the role of Chief Commercial Officer of Mack Sustainable Energy, a new division for the company.“I am very happy to announce that Chris has moved into this new role, where he will be leading our efforts to further expand and grow the electric marine market, particularly with the ePropulsion product line,” said Patrick McGovern, President and CEO of Mack Boring. “Chris has been an exemplary leader for our company, and he’s a fast learner who has been working relentlessly to promote electric propulsion.

Marine towage provider Svitzer Australia announced it has appointed Veronica Jensen as its new chief commercial officer (CCO) for the Australia/PNG region.Jensen started in the role in March and is based out of Svitzer Australia’s Sydney head office. She brings commercial leadership experience across a range of industry sectors including industrial consumables, engineering solutions, the pharmaceutical industry and in shipping with more than 11 years’ previous experience with Maersk.Svitzer Australia managing director Videlina Georgieva said…

Jeffrey G. Sipes has been named chief executive officer at engineering and construction firm S&B, parent company to naval architecture and marine engineering firm TAI Engineers.“S&B has a remarkable record of growth and success over the past sixty years, and we look forward to decades of further success. The markets we serve are changing, creating new opportunities for growth. Jeff is the leader who can successfully guide the company to capitalize on these opportunities. He brings extensive experience and a deep understanding of both S&B’s markets and the company’s distinctive capabilities…

Inspection intervals for liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier membrane tanks could be safely extended thanks to monitoring technology and predictive maintenance, according to a study led by GTT Group, Lloyd’s Register and Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited.The International Gas Carriers (IGC) Code and IACS UR Z16 rules require LNG carrier cargo tanks to be inspected internally every five years. This joint study explored whether this interval could be extended…

SEAFAR, a Belgian technology and service provider for remote-controlled inland waterway shipping operations, has set up the first Remote Operations Center in Germany; a project completed in conjunction with HGK Shipping and Reederei Deymann.The Remote Operations Center, opened on February 28, 2024, enables captains to navigate vessels on inland waterways from dry land, a development seen as central to stemming problems from the shortage of specialist workers. The partners are working with the public authorities to use the permits…

A new container shipping line has been launched in Saudi Arabia.The newly formed company, Folk Maritime, will provide feeder vessel and short-sea shipping services in the Middle East and the surrounding region.The Riyadh-headquartered company is led by CEO Poul Hestbaek, who previously served as CEO of Maersk's Hamburg Sud.Other executives include chief commercial officer Saleem Kadernani, chief financial officer Khalid Fawzi and chief human resources officer Abdulrahman Alshangiti.

Alternative fuels, green steel and renewable energy are fundamental to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction during the life cycle of a vessel, an industry-first cradle-to-grave study on a newbuild LNG carrier has revealed.Carried out by Lloyd’s Register, Knutsen, HD Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE), and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), the analysis has highlighted the environmental output at each stage of a vessel’s life.Namely, the six-month study, which began in June 2023…

Port agency and marine services company Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) announced the appointment of Svend Stenberg Mølholt as Chief Commercial Officer, effective January 9, 2024.Svend has been in the shipping industry for 20 years, most recently serving as the Group COO in Monjasa Holding, a global fuel and shipping company. While serving as the Group COO, Svend also held the position of Chairman of the Board at RelateIT, one of Denmark’s largest NAV/Business Central partners.

HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) has announced Alex Delamere-White’s official appointment as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), following six months as acting interim CCO.Based out of the new HX HQ in London, Delamere-White will bring the global functions under one leadership model to further fuel HX’s long-term growth plans, including newly evolved roles for Nathaniel Sherborne and Jim Sayer. Sayer is appointed to SVP Global Marketing bringing together the global marketing functions under his leadership.

Oslo-headquartered dry bulk shipping company Golden Ocean Group announced its board has appointed Lars-Christian Svensen as CEO, effective January 1, 2024.Svensen had been serving as interim CEO following the resignation of the company's previous CEO, Ulrik Andersen, in June 2023.Svensen joined Golden Ocean as chief commercial officer in December 2020 and was previously senior vice president in Norway and president of U.S. trading activities in Seattle for Western Bulk. Before that, he was a downstream analyst for Petredec and a tanker broker for Cmarine Services PTE Ltd. in Singapore.

A.P. Moller - Maersk is about to launch the first of its 18 large methanol-enabled vessels currently on order. On February 9, 2024, it will enter service on the AE7 string connecting Asia and Europe, which includes port calls in Shanghai, Tanjung Pelepas, Colombo and Hamburg, with Ningbo, China, being its first destination.The container vessel built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in South Korea has a nominal capacity of 16,000 TEU and is equipped with a dual-fuel engine enabling…

Containerships owner/operator Seaspan Corporation signaled its entry into the car carrier segment in confirming a deal to order a series of new pure car and truck carriers (PCTC) in partnership with Hyundai Glovis (Glovis).The 10,800 CEU are the largest PCTCs under development to date. They will be dual-fuel liquefied natural gas (LNG), as well as ammonia-and methanol-ready.Seaspan said it negotiated the purchase from Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, a China State Shipbuilding Corporation shipyard.

The loss of the Stellar Daisy in 2017 was a tragic reminder of the importance of wave data to ship design and operation. The vessel sank in the South Atlantic Ocean, with 22 of 24 crewmembers lost. The structural failure of the vessel was attributed to several factors including material fatigue and the forces imposed on the hull as a result of the weather conditions.Survey requirements for some vessel types have since been tightened, but even before this tragedy, work was underway to evaluate the wave data used to determine ship structural integrity requirements.

Radio Holland Group, part of the Pon Group, has appointed Sven Zaadnoordijk as its new CEO effective January 1, 2024. Sven will replace Kees-Jan Mes, who led the group through an important transformation over the last few years.Zaadnoordijk joined the group in 2012 and brings a wealth of experience in the maritime industry. Having served as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and Regional Director for both Asia and Americas, stationed in various countries like The Netherlands, Hong Kong…

The Hellenic Marine Equipment Manufacturers and Exporters organisation (HEMEXPO) has appointed a new Board of Directors following the association’s General Assembly Meeting on November 21.Konstantinos Fanouriadis, CEO of FARAD S.A., Athanasios Athanasopoulos, CEO of UTECO ABEE and Ilias Mallios, Export Manager of SeaBright S.A. were re-appointed to the board, joined by Stefanos Chartomantzidis, Chief Commercial Officer of Prisma Electronics. All four will assume the title of Vice…

Japan's NYK Line said Thursday its NYK Bulk & Project Carriers Ltd. (NBP), Oshima Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (OSHIMA), and Sumitomo Corporation (SUMITOMO) had signed a memorandum of understanding to study, design, and construct the world’s first Handymax bulk carrier (ammonia dual fuel type) dedicated to the transport of copper products, that will reduce CO2 emissions to zero.The MoU signing comes just a year after Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile (CODELCO), a Chilean state-owned company and one of the world's leading copper producers, and NYK Bulk & Project Carriers Ltd.

Danish offshore vessel owner Maersk Supply Service has selected the Fleet Data IoT platform from Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat business, to help optimize the performance of its first vessel battery installation onboard the Maersk Minder anchor handler.The solution will also allow Maersk Supply Service to evaluate how best to optimize the use of zero-emission energy storage systems across its fleet. According to Inmarsat, an end-user API gathers data from onboard equipment, automatically organizes it with time-stamps…

Wilhelmsen and Thyssenkrupp announced on September 29 their joint venture company, Pelagus 3D, marking the entry of a new player into global maritime and offshore services market."Pelagus 3D envisions to be the largest one-stop, on-demand digital manufacturing partner for the maritime and offshore industries. It uses Additive Manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing to deliver maritime spare parts more efficiently in terms of time and cost, allowing customers to ensure their vessels’ seaworthiness and keep their operations moving on schedule…

A.P. Moller-Maersk's towage arm Svitzer announced it has appointed Mattias Hellstrom as its new global chief commercial officer (CCO), effective from October 1.Hellstrom makes the move to Svitzer’s global business after three years as CCO of Svitzer Europe, and replaces outgoing Global CCO Videlina Georgieva, who was recently appointed managing director of Svitzer Australia.Prior to his role as CCO of Svitzer Europe, Hellstrom was managing director of Svitzer Scandinavia for nearly seven years. He has also held management roles at Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and A.P. Moller – Maersk.

Classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) announced it has granted approval in principle (AIP) to South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) for its new 45,000cbm liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier design, with availability to be ordered with ammonia dual-fueled propulsion. The dual fuel system equipped on HMD’s LPG carrier allows operators and owners to prioritize their environmental, societal and governance (ESG) strategies for their fleets and align with the IMO’s revised goal of net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

H2Carrier announced that Michael Kristensen has joined the company as chief commercial officer. His main focus short term will be business development and contributing to maturing H2C’s current portfolio of energy projects.Kristensen has worked for 30 years in the maritime and energy sectors in different positions and for companies such as J. Lauritzen, NYK, Alcatel Submarine Networks, Axis Offshore and Prosafe. Kristensen worked as COO in Axis offshore for five years before the company was sold by HitechVision to Prosafe in 2017.

Maersk Supply Service has announced that it will focus on scale and competitiveness in two core business areas: offshore wind and offshore support vessels.By focusing on fewer business areas and regions, the company says it will increase its presence in core markets, increase synergies in its operations and improve profitability.The offshore vessel markets continue to improve, and the energy transition continues to accelerate. Therefore, Maersk Supply Service will focus on building scale in these two business areas where the company can benefit from a young and energy efficient fleet…