Cornell University News

Crowley has named offshore wind veteran Christy Guthman as vice president of business development for its Wind Services business as the company grows in the clean, sustainable energy sector.Guthman most recently served as executive general manager of sales and commercial operations for GE Offshore Wind. During her tenure there, she built the company’s North American sales, marketing and supply chain strategy. Guthman also worked as General Electric’s senior sales director for the western U.S.

Marine salvage, rescue, emergency response and specialized services company Resolve Marine announced that Deputy CEO Joseph Farrell, III has been appointed Chief Operating Officer. In the combined role he oversees all operations and administration including emergency response, projects, Alaska, shared resources, HSEQ, strategy and M&A, finance, government relations, human resources, marketing, and alternative investments.Farrell, III, was appointed Deputy CEO in April 2022 and brings 17 years of field operations and business experience at Resolve Marine…

HII announced on Wednesday that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division promoted Kimberly Nastasi to vice president of the newly formed integrated communications and stakeholder engagement department. This new department will enhance communication and engagement with key stakeholders inside and outside of the shipbuilding community.As vice president of integrated communications and stakeholder engagement, Nastasi will report to Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson and will be responsible for leading internal and external efforts in marketing and communications…

U.S. federal Maritime Commission Chairman Daniel B. Maffei announced Phillip C. “Chris” Hughey has been hired as the General Counsel of the Federal Maritime Commission and appointed to be a member of the Senior Executive Service.In his capacity as General Counsel to the Commission, Hughey will provide legal advice and recommendations to the Chairman and Commissioners on regulatory and policy matters. He will serve as a member of the agency’s senior management team and will also…

Chairman Daniel B. Maffei announced today the hiring of Linda S. Harris Crovella to serve as an Administrative Law Judge of the Federal Maritime Commission.Judge Crovella joins the Commission after serving as an Administrative Law Judge with the Social Security Administration in Richmond, Va. and Buffalo, N.Y. for the past six years. Prior to joining the Social Security Administration, she worked at the National Labor Relations Board as a Field Attorney, investigating and litigating unfair labor practice charges…

Marine salvage and emergency response company Resolve Marine announced on Friday that it has appointed Joseph Farrell, III as deputy CEO, a transition role to CEO.Farrell has more than two decades of field operations and business experience at Resolve Marine. After serving as a naval architect and project manager where he worked on and led high-profile salvage projects around the world, he was appointed director, business development with oversight of the company’s Alaska and compliance divisions…

Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics, a developer of autonomous command and control systems for commercial vessels, announced Monday that it has hired Trevor Vieweg as chief technology officer (CTO), reporting to the company’s CEO Michael G. Johnson. Effective earlier this month, this new position gives Vieweg responsibility for the company’s overarching technology strategy, as well as continuing to develop a high-performing team focused on the development of advanced marine technology.

Crowley Maritime Corporation said senior executive Dan Warner has been promoted to chief financial officer, consolidating company’s enterprise-level financial strategy, resources and services under his leadership. Warner has served as senior vice president and treasurer and member of the company’s senior leadership team since 2005. He began his career with Crowley in 2001 as a senior analyst for the corporate planning group, and later served as finance director for both the company’s…

Greensea recently added key personnel to its engineering team in its Plymouth, Mass., office to support their hull robotics program. James Truman, Senior Robotics Engineer, is leading the development of Greensea’s latest technology, a hull crawling robot with precise hull-relative navigation and autonomy capabilities. Assisting James on the hull robotics program is Sam Fladung, Robotics Engineer.“James is one of the best engineers I know. I first met him at graduate school and then worked with him at Phoenix International,” said Greensea CEO, Ben Kinnaman.

There was important cruise news in January: Viking – a premier European ocean and river cruise company - will offer two new “destination-focused travel experiences,” starting in 2022. One set of cruises becomes Viking’s first foray in the inland North American market, in this case the Great Lakes. Another set of cruises will head to the Arctic and Antarctica. Viking is building two new vessels: the Viking Octantis and the Viking Polaris, under construction now in Norway, by Fincantieri’s VARD.In a press release Viking writes that it has created “the thinking person’s expedition.”  Indeed…

Another year; another major fleet takeover by Kirby Corporation. But the leader of the inland tank-barge sector is not growing for growth’s sake: a deeper look at the numbers shows a disciplined strategy at work.“Kirby is definitely the big gorilla in the inland barge market,” affirmed Jefferies analyst Randy Giveans. Indeed, Houston-headquartered Kirby Corp has been extremely active buying fleets over the past few years, most recently acquiring the 63 tank barges of Cenac Marine in March for $244 million.

Boys are coaxed into cleanliness at bath time playing with boats. But it was never a game for Joseph Farrell, III, instinctively realizing he was ballasting and salvaging ships, unlike the typical Mr. Bubbles kid. The scion of Resolve Marine Group may have been born to lead the global emergency response company founded by his father with a single tug 38 years ago, but he’s never taken dangerous wreck removal lightly.Before turning 15, Joey had two close calls on and around ships that guide him today, at 34.

The United States on Thursday said it will impose tariffs on aluminum and steel imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union, reigniting investor fears of a global trade war as Washington's allies took steps to retaliate against U.S. goods.The move, announced by U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in a telephone briefing on Thursday, ended months of uncertainty about potential tariff exemptions and suggested a hardening of the Trump administration's approach to trade negotiations.It also sent a chill through financial markets…

Gulf of Mexico vessel builders – and their customers – adapt to a lean offshore market. After oil prices plunged in late 2014 – pressured by shale output – demand for offshore vessels in the Gulf of Mexico shrank, day rates for boats fell and non-working units were idled. This year, several GoM boat builders filed for Chapter 11, or voluntary bankruptcy, while others consolidated. The most diversified companies kept their heads above water. Today, the outlook's a bit brighter. Crude oil prices hit bottom early last year. Tidewater Inc.

Maritime lawyer Dr. Frank Lawrence Wiswall Junior, former Chair of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Legal Committee and Vice President (Honoris Causa) of the Comité Maritime International (CMI), has received the International Maritime Prize for 2015 for his contribution to the work of IMO over many years. Presenting the Prize, during a ceremony at IMO Headquarters on Monday, December 5, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim highlighted Dr. Wiswall's dedication and leadership in the field of international maritime law over several decades…

Export hulls – through the FMS Program, as well as Direct Sales – are a key piece of the business model. Even as the crash in energy prices feeds the oversupply of offshore support vessels – a key staple of U.S. boatbuilding diets – and the dwindling backlogs of some so-called ‘second tier’ yards,  a number of U.S. boat builders are still seeing robust demand for security vessels. Separately, tightening federal, state, municipal and overseas budgets are being trumped by the increased need for security craft that can perform more than one function.

Vessels are stacked as Gulf oil operators retrench and day rates fall. In the Gulf of Mexico, vessels serving offshore oil-and-gas exploration and production are being stacked or idled as the rig count there declines. Oil companies are retrenching while crude prices remain weak, with smaller operators and the shallow-water sector scaling back the most. As the situation unfolds, MarineNews asked David Barousse, general manager at Fleet Operators, Inc., a marine transportation firm in Morgan City, La., for his take on today’s predicament and what the future holds.

Goltens Worldwide Management Corp. (GWMC) has announced the appointment of Roy Strand as Chief Operating Officer. Strand has previously served as the Vice President of Operations in the Americas and Europe, and will continue to serve as the Advisory Board Chairman within the Goltens Worldwide group of companies. Prior to joining Goltens, Strand held various managerial and global executive positions in the professional services field, including at KPMG Consulting, Netegrity and Computer Associates.

General Dynamics announced that Thomas W. Kirchmaier has been elected a vice president of the corporation and appointed as president of General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, reporting to David K. Heebner, executive vice president of the company's Information Systems and Technology group. Kirchmaier succeeds Lewis F. Von Thaer, who resigned in April. The appointment is effective immediately. Kirchmaier, has been the senior vice president and general manager of the Intelligence Solutions division of General Dynamics Information Technology since 2007, leading a worldwide organization with more than 4,600 professionals which provides high-technology solutions for the U.S. intelligence community, selected DoD commands and agencies, their coalition partners and NATO.

Eighteen Northrop Grumman Corporation employees received awards for their achievements at the 2013 Women of Color STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Conference in Dallas this weekend. The conference recognizes outstanding women in the STEM fields and provides opportunities for professional development, networking and recruiting. Camille D'Annunzio, manager of the Automated Sensor Exploitation Technology Center in Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector was named the Technologist of the Year. Among her many achievements, she has received a U.S.

Beth G. Neumann has joined Starboard Cruise Services as CEO and President, reporting to Starboard Chairman, Ed Brennan. Owned by renowned world leader in luxury, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Starboard is the largest and leading onboard retailer in the cruise industry. In her leadership role, Neumann will oversee Starboard’s worldwide operations, which includes 1,800 employees, working both on land and on board the ships of the company’s eight partner cruise lines. Starboard’s sister company, Onboard Media, will also report to Neumann as part of her responsibilities.

Six researchers funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) honored with Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers. “ONR has always had an excellent ability to identify and foster young talent by keeping current with the most innovative research being done in various fields,” said Dr. Michael Kassner , ONR director of research. Honorees funded by ONR include: David M. Blei, Princeton University; Alejandro L. Briseno, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Lee R.

Nearly two years ago, the Obama Administration tightened rules for removing “idle iron” – old oil platforms and pipelines – and on plugging unused wells in the Gulf of Mexico. That September 2010 move was part of a federal crackdown on deepwater oil and gas operations following the 2010 BP spill. Since then, heavy-lift companies have continued to rid the Gulf of unused structures and other firms have positioned themselves for that work. Under the 2010 rules, wells that hadn't been used for five years were to be abandoned or “zonally isolated” within three years after Oct. 15, 2010.