John Waggoner News

SunStone Ships, Inc. sold Victory Cruise Lines to the American Queen Steamboat Company (AQSC). After rapidly expanding market share in the Great Lakes, French Canada, and St. Lawrence Seaway, Victory became the market leader in these regions. Having recently added the VICTORY II, afforded AQSC the opportunity to acquire the largest capacity in the region.AQSC will acquire the VICTORY I and VICTORY II cruise vessels, as well as some assets in connection herewith, among them being the Victory brand, all Great Lakes charters, group bookings, individual passenger reservations, and related assets.

American manufacturer of marine vessels Gulf Island Fabrication has signed a contract for the expansion and delivery of one 245-guest riverboat with American Countess.The new paddle wheeler will be built using the existing hull of the Kanesville Queen, a former gaming vessel built in 1995. Revenue backlog and man-hours associated with this project will be reported in connection with the Company’s announcement of financial results for the quarter ending September 30, 2018.“We continue to break sales records and incredible demand remains for more capacity on the river with each of our boats continuing to sail full,” shared American Queen…

HMS Global Maritime is an internationally respected, full-service marine management company, with the resources and experience to deliver tailored, cutting edge solutions, management, and support to clients of all sizes through four divisions - anywhere in the world. HMSGM was founded in 1995 in San Francisco, California as Hornblower Marine Services. In 1998, it relocated to the Louisville, Kentucky area, basing its headquarters in New Albany, Indiana, to be more centrally located and closer to the riverboat casino market, a fundamental operation service in the early stages of the company.

HMS Global Maritime welcomed Allen Naugle as the Director of Safety, Quality and Environment as of December 1, 2014. He will be headquartered in the HMS Global Maritime Corporate office in New Albany, IN. Allen brings 28 years of engineering and leadership experience to the team, including 21 years serving as a United States Air Force Officer. Prior to his position with HMS Global Maritime, Allen was Director of Operations for TEAM Integrated Engineering, Inc., managing on-site environmental compliance, pollution prevention, hazardous materials/waste management, and environmental security support to multiple U.S. Air Force bases as well as management of several branches, staff and budgets. Allen retired as a Lt. Col. from the U.S.

Each year, Louisville Business First, a weekly business publication in Louisville, KY, releases a list of the fifty fastest growing privately-held companies in the area. The list represents a wide variety of companies who are ranked by growth percentage over the past three years. The awards luncheon takes place annually and is in its 15th year of recognizing fast growing companies. This year, HMS Global Maritime was ranked number five on the list, with a growth percentage of 146.97%. The growth percentage was largely attributed to the successful operation of the American Queen and the purchase and launch of the American Empress. “Due to our successful launch and operation of the American Queen over the past two years…

HMS Global Maritime completed the purchase of the steamboat American Queen. Built in 1995, the American Queen, at 419-feet long, is the largest, most opulent riverboat ever built and offers 222 staterooms and suites that accommodate 436 guests attended to by a crew of 160. John Waggoner, President and CEO of HMS Global Maritime state, “I am thrilled that this acquisition is finally complete. It has been a long, windy and challenging road, but we finally made it to the end. Having the American Queen ply the waters of the mighty Mississippi and its tributaries is a piece of Americana that should be returned to service. Voyage lengths will range from three nights to fourteen nights, detailed itineraries and fares will be available next month.

Hornblower Marine Services (HMS) was named the sixteenth fastest growing company in Business First of Louisville’s Greater Louisville’s Fastest-Growing Privately Held Companies publication. Companies are picked based on growth determined by their previous three-year operating sales history. Each company must average at least $1m in annual revenue for their three most recent fiscal years with the top 50 companies displaying the biggest percentage of revenue growth over the last two years making the list. “Our company’s growth was fueled by the shift in transportation from cars and airplanes to ferries,” said John Waggoner, Chief Executive Officer of Hornblower Marine Services.

Key stakeholders involved in the project to build a 192-ft. high-speed ferry for Milwaukee-based Lake Express LLC attended a ceremony on July 10 to celebrate the start of the vessel's construction at the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, AL. Chris Pemberton, Austal USA's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, welcomed the guests and explained that construction of the aluminum catamaran was actually already well underway, as was evident in the main construction hall of Austal USA's shipbuilding facilities. "MARAD's recent confirmation of loan guarantees under the Title XI program was vital to this project moving forward, and it is a great pleasure to be involved in realizing Ken's 10-year-old dream of a high speed link across Lake Michigan," Pemberton said.

Key stakeholders involved in the landmark project to build a 192-ft. high-speed ferry for Milwaukee-based Lake Express LLC attended a ceremony on July 10 to celebrate the start of the vessel’s construction at the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, AL. Chris Pemberton, Austal USA’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, welcomed the guests and explained that construction of the aluminum catamaran was actually already well underway, as was evident in the main construction hall of Austal USA’s modern shipbuilding facilities. Pemberton acknowledged the Maritime Administration’s support for the project and lauded the vision of the Director of the Port of Milwaukee, Ken Szallai.