Political Science News

Offshore wind developer Vineyard Offshore announced that Rick Musiol, Jr. has joined the company as Director of External Affairs and Community Engagement. In this newly created position, Musiol will lead community engagement and corporate citizenship programs everywhere Vineyard Offshore has a presence.“As Vineyard Offshore expands its work on the East and West Coasts, our top priority is to be an active and engaged member of the community,” said Christian Scorzoni, Chief External Affairs Officer for Vineyard Offshore.

HII announced that Peter Courtney has been promoted to corporate vice president of legislative affairs and Betsy Bina Benedict will join HII to serve as the director of legislative affairs. Courtney succeeds Carolyn Apostolou who retired in December after 10 years with the company.Courtney will be located in HII’s Arlington office and report directly to Stewart Holmes, HII’s executive vice president of government and customer relations (GCR). Benedict will report to Courtney.In Courtney’s new role…

Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld has announced Jonathan Daniels as the new executive director of the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Maryland Port Administration. Daniels comes to Maryland after serving as chief executive officer and director at Port Everglades in Broward County, Fla., and has more than 30 years of port and economic development experience.Daniels will begin in his new position February 5, taking over from Brian Miller, who has been serving…

As part of a joint military exercise with the Philippines, the U.S. Navy is slated to sink a mock warship on April 26, 2023, in the South China Sea.The live-fire drill is not a response to increased tensions with China over Taiwan, both the U.S. and the Philippines have stressed. But, either way, Beijing isn’t happy – responding by holding its own staged military event involving actual warships and fighter jets deployed around Taiwan, a self-governed island that Beijing claims as its own.The tit-for-tat war games underscore a reality that U.S.

Professor Max Mejia has been named as the next president of the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmö, Sweden.Selected following a competitive selection process, Mejia—the university's current PhD program director and associate academic dean— will succeed Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, whose term as WMU president will expire on June 29, 2023.WMU was founded by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1983, providing postgraduate maritime and ocean education, research and professional training.

Ports have long been integral to Africa’s connectivity with the rest of the world. Yet over the last 15 years, a new stage in maritime infrastructure planning and development has begun. Between 2004 and 2019, over US$50 billion was spent on this infrastructure – roughly 13 times more than was spent between 1990 and 2004.Ports reflect more than simple economic imperatives. They are crucial in creating and reinforcing social, political, and cultural systems. Infrastructure can be…

Global engineering and defense technologies provider Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced today the promotion of Edmond Hughes to executive vice president and chief human resources officer. Hughes, formerly the vice president of human resources and administration contracts at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division and at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding since 2006, will replace William “Bill” R. Ermatinger, who will retire on April 1 after 35 years of service. HII also appointed Susan Jacobs to replace Hughes as the vice president…

Max Vekich was sworn-in today as a Commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission for a term expiring June 30, 2026.First nominated by President Joseph R. Biden on June 24, 2021, and then again on January 4, 2022. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 10, 2022, and is the 43rd person to serve on the Federal Maritime Commission.“Commissioner Vekich assumes office when his lifelong experience working on the waterfront will be especially beneficial. He understands port and supply chain issues from the perspective of a worker on the frontlines of making cargo move.

The Coast Guard Foundation said Thomas A. Allegretti has been elected to the position of Chairman of the Board, effective January 7, 2021. Allegretti first joined the Coast Guard Foundation board in 2006 and has served on the Executive Committee and the Audit Committee. In 2020, he led the Foundation’s COVID Management plan.Most recently, Allegretti served as the Senior Executive Officer of the American Waterways Operators (AWO), the national trade association for the domestic tugboat, towboat and barge industry.

Mining the ocean floor for submerged minerals is a little-known, experimental industry. But soon it will take place on the deep seabed, which belongs to everyone, according to international law.Seabed mining for valuable materials like copper, zinc and lithium already takes place within countries’ marine territories. As soon as 2025, larger projects could start in international waters – areas more than 200 nautical miles from shore, beyond national jurisdictions.We study ocean policy…

We recently checked in with Tracy Zea, Waterways Council Inc.’s new President & CEO, on what’s in store for the U.S. inland waterways for the remainder of 2020.To start, give us some insight on your background and how you came to lead WCI.I was born and raised in Chandler, Ariz., and attended South Dakota State University, receiving a degree in Political Science. After college, I found my way to Washington, D.C. via an internship with Senator Thune (R-S.D.). After the internship, I was hired by the House of Representatives, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Waterways Council, Inc.’s (WCI) Board of Directors unanimously elected Tracy R. Zea as the organization’s new President and Chief Executive Officer. He will assume the new duties effective today.With a broad range of Capitol Hill, policy development and government relations expertise, Zea most recently served as WCI’s Vice President-Government Relations, advocating for WCI’s goals for authorizations and appropriations which support a modern, efficient, reliable inland waterways transportation system.

Port of Gulfport (Mississippi) executive director Jonathan Daniels will move east and take the top spot as the Chief Executive & Port Director at Port Everglades, as announed by Broward County Administrator Bertha Henry. Broward’s seaport is a gateway for cargo, cruise and petroleum that is undergoing a $1.6 billion port expansion effort. Daniels comes to Port Everglades from the Port of Gulfport, Mississippi where he has been the executive director since 2013.In addition to his maritime experience in Gulfport…

Seaspan Shipyards has announced the appointment of Amy MacLeod as the organization’s new Vice President, Corporate Affairs & External Communications. Based in Ottawa, MacLeod will be responsible for developing, managing and maintaining strategic public relations and external communications plans and tactics to support Seaspan Shipyards’ business and marketing objectives.Amy MacLeod a well-known executive and community leader in the Ottawa area, MacLeod joins Seaspan with over 25 years of communications experience in the technology and defense sectors as well as with political organizations.

Navios Maritime Containers L.P. (NASDAQ: NMCI) appointed Erifili Tsironi as Chief Financial Officer of Navios Containers. Tsironi previously served as Co-Chief Financial Officer of Navios Maritime Acquisition Corporation since December of 2018 and as Chief Financial Officer of Navios Maritime Midstream Partners L.P. from its inception in 2014 until December 2018.She has more than 17 years of experience in banking focusing on ship finance. Before joining Navios Maritime Midstream Partners L.P., she was Global Dry Bulk Sector Coordinator and Senior Vice President at DVB Bank SE. Mrs.

Mansukh Lal Mandaviya took charge of the Shipping Ministry Friday as Minister of State (Independent charge).A Rajya Sabha (or Council of States is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India) member of the ruling political party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the state of Gujarat, Mandaviya has become Union minister for the second time at the age of 47.With 12 major ports, projects like Sagarmala Program, an initiative by the government of India to enhance the performance of the country's logistics sector, and 7,500 km of coastline, Mandaviya has huge task ahead that also includes converting over 100 rivers across the country as waterways.The young parliamentarian prefers to ride bicycle for going to Parliament. He travelled to the President's abode on a bicycle to take oath.

Hepburn and Sons LLC team has welcomed CAPT Timothy Crone as its newest Director. CAPT Timothy Crone, USN (Ret) will serve as Hepburn’s Director, Advisory Services.CAPT Crone, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the US Naval Academy and completed a Master of Science in Justice, Law and Society from American University. He has also received a Master of Arts in National Security Policy and Strategic Studies from the U.S.

Oceana, the largest international ocean advocacy organisation, has opened the organisation’s office in London to strengthen Oceana’s policy and research work to protect marine life and restore fish populations in the United Kingdom (UK).“Oceana is joining the marine conservation community in the UK at a turning point in public engagement and concern for the oceans. Now we need to move beyond conserving the oceans to actually restoring marine life and rebuilding fish populations,” said Lasse Gustavsson, executive director of Oceana in Europe."With Brexit around the corner, the next few years will be testing times for UK seas and fisheries.

Harvey Gulf International Marine’s parent, HGIM Corp., has announced the appointment of a new Board of Directors to serve following the company’s emergence from Chapter 11 proceedings.The seven member Board includes two current members remaining on the Board and five new members, each with expertise in individual areas particularly suited to support the company’s operation and development and collectively, creating a leadership platform that will enable Harvey Gulf to adjust and thrive in an ever-changing market. Shane Guidry. Mr. Guidry remains the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer for HGIM Corp. Mr. Guidry is the third generation in his family to lead Harvey Gulf. Mr.

Satellite images show new missiles on Woody Island; China says entitled to necessary self defence facilities. China has deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile system to one of the disputed islands it controls in the South China Sea, Taiwan and U.S. officials said, ratcheting up tensions even as U.S. President Barack Obama urged restraint in the region. Taiwan defence ministry spokesman Major General David Lo told Reuters on Wednesday the missile batteries had been set up on Woody Island. The island is part of the Paracels chain, under Chinese control for more than 40 years but also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam. A U.S. defence official also confirmed the "apparent deployment" of the missiles, first reported by Fox News.

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners is all set to name Mario Cordero, a former chairman and current member of the Federal Maritime Commission(FMC), as the Port of Long Beach’s (POLB) new Executive Director. Cordero, a Long Beach resident and attorney, served previously as president and as a longtime member of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners. “After a comprehensive international search, the Board of Harbor Commissioners recognized that Mario Cordero is an ideal choice to lead the Port of Long Beach,” said Harbor Commission President Lori Ann Guzmán. Lori added: “Mario not only has a deep understanding of the maritime industry from his leadership of the Federal Maritime Commission…

U.S. shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced today a number of changes across its leadership team. HII’s Board of Directors has elected Christopher D. Kastner to succeed Barbara A. Niland as the company’s chief financial officer and corporate vice president, business management, effective with Niland’s retirement on March 1, 2016. Furthermore Philip Luna, corporate vice president and president, UniversalPegasus International (UPI), a subsidiary of HII, has been promoted to the HII senior executive team, effective immediately.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) said it plans to establish a permanent presence in Australia by opening an office in Canberra. “Establishing a permanent presence in Australia demonstrates HII’s commitment to supporting Australia and the U.S. military forces in the Pacific,” said HII President and CEO Mike Petters. “It also facilitates our ability to conduct real-time, frequent engagement with the Royal Australian Navy and the U.S. The U.S. based shipbuilder has hired Jeff McCray as vice president…