Sean T Connaughton News

The idea that cargo, moved from deep draft ports to smaller, niche destinations, can be accomplished without trucks is something that has taken a backseat over the past five years. That’s because, absent the leadership necessary in Washington to move the viable concept forward, it has fallen off the intermodal Radar, replaced with flashy ideas for high speed commuter trains and further obscured by the pouring of billions of dollars of asphalt onto the nation’s highways. Shortsea shipping, however, is alive and well. In the Commonwealth of Virginia – and elsewhere – it is getting a jumpstart that is already yielding dividends. Sean T. Connaughton, Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia and the former U.S.

Sean Connaughton, Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Virginia, oversees seven state agencies with more than 9,700 employees and combined annual budgets of $5 billion. But this transportation professional is perhaps best known to MarineNews readers as the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administrator during the second Bush Administration. As U.S. Maritime Administrator, he was responsible for the daily management of that agency and its promotional programs for the marine transportation industry.

Massachusetts Maritime Academy announced Sean T. Connaughton as the keynote speaker for the Maritime Education Summit to be held April 15 -17, 2009. The summit is focused on Trends and Pedagogy for the Future and will be held at the Academy’s campus in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. Mr. Connaughton served as the U.S. Maritime Administrator until 2009 and recently joined the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) as Corporate Vice President for Government Affairs. In this role, Mr. Connaughton is the bureau’s chief connection with senior government officials and works to build relationships with those who influence policy on maritime safety and classification matters. In joining the Maritime Education Summit at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Mr.

Flying the Greek flag, the Hellas Liberty, formerly known as the Arthur M. Huddell, has safely reached the port of Piraeus in Greece after leaving Norfolk, Virginia, on December 6, 2008. Until July 2008, the World War II-era Huddell was the last Liberty ship in the Maritime Administration’s National Defense Reserve Fleet., and was moored in the James River Reserve Fleet site at Fort Eustis. The ship was cleaned at a Norfolk shipyard before being towed to Greece. American shipyards built 2,751 Liberty ships during World War II, in the largest shipbuilding effort in history. Liberty ships crewed by merchant mariners carried troops and military cargo all over the world. The building and sailing of the Liberty ships, and their successors, the Victory ships, were overseen by the U.S.

Because of the change in administration, Sean T. Connaughton’s tenure as Maritime Administrator will end on January 20, 2009.  At that time, Mr. James E. Caponiti, the agency’s Assistant Administrator, will become Acting Deputy Maritime Administrator. Mr. Caponiti is a member of the federal government’s Senior Executive Service.  He was named Assistant Administrator in May 2008; prior to that, he served as the agency’s Associate Administrator for National Security.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration has sold a ship for recycling to Bay Bridge Enterprises of Chesapeake, Va. The Milwaukee, an AOR2-class oiler built in 1969 at the General Dynamics shipyard in Quincy, Mass, brought a purchase price of $56,410. “Even with the recent drop in worldwide scrap steel prices, we continue to move obsolete ships out of the James River,” said Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton, noting that the departure of Milwaukee will bring to 78 the number of ships removed from the James River site at Fort Eustis since January 1, 2001. The purchase contract for Milwaukee means that there will soon be only 25 obsolete ships left at the site without contracts for disposal.

The Maritime Administration has issued a new study that evaluates the adequacy of current U.S. maritime policy to meet the commercial, economic, security and environmental needs of the nation over the next three decades. The report titled, ìAn Evaluation of Maritime Policy in Meeting the Commercial and Security Needs of the United States,î was researched and prepared by IHS Global Insight, Inc., of Lexington, Mass. The 72-page report finds that current U.S. maritime policy only supports Americaís domestic maritime trades and is not supportive of U.S. participation in the international trades. However, the study also advises that possible reforms in national policy may lend more support to the U.S. maritime industry. Maritime Administrator Sean T.

Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton led the U.S. Delegation in bilateral consultations with a delegation from China’s Ministry of Transport, led by Vice Minister Xu Zuyuan. The talks were held on December 15 and 16, 2008, in Memphis, Tennessee, a major maritime gateway on the Mississippi River and international shipping hub. The two governments discussed a wide range of topics covering important matters of concern to the maritime sectors of both countries. Both sides agreed that current economic conditions were having an adverse impact on the level of maritime trade between the two countries, but that the long-term outlook for the bilateral maritime trade and relations remains strong.

On Dec. 1, U.S. Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton announced a contract with Certified Coatings Company of Concord, Calif., to remove and contain exfoliating paint from ships in the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, Calif. The contract is potentially worth $3.5m over five years. Similar contracts are being prepared for the two fleet sites in Beaumont, Texas, and Fort Eustis, Va., overseen by the Maritime Administration. The contract is part of the Maritime Administration’s Environmental Excellence Initiative which focuses on strengthening environmental protections and implementing green procedures. “We are committed to being good stewards to the environment in all our fleet sites,” said Connaughton.

Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton announced a new maritime high school curriculum that will help prepare the next generation of high school graduates for the tens of thousands of maritime jobs that will be available during the next five years. At least 18 maritime high schools have begun operations in the United States in the last decade, and there are more in the planning stages. There has been no standardized curriculum for such high schools; the new document outlines courses to give all students a basic understanding of the Marine Transportation System. “To meet the growing demand for maritime jobs both at sea and ashore, we must begin to educate our next generation workforce on the benefits of a maritime career,” said Connaughton.

Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton and Robert D. Somerville, Chairman and CEO of the American Bureau of Shipping, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to coordinate research efforts on major marine transportation environmental issues and to share information to promote the development of a vital and environmentally responsible merchant marine. ABS and the Maritime Administration have agreed to coordinate portions of their respective maritime environmental research efforts undertaken for the public good, undertake to coordinate areas of research, avoid duplication of effort, and to achieve research synergies, all to promote the development of a vital and environmentally responsible maritime industry.

The National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) held its second “Shipbuilding Opportunities in Marine Highways” workshop at Advanced Technology Institute on October 21-23, 2008. Funded by the Navy and industry through NSRP, the workshop was planned and facilitated by a team led by Bender Shipbuilding & Repair of Mobile, AL. A principal workshop goal was to find ways to decrease ship construction costs by accelerating the shipbuilding opportunities associated with potential Marine Highway operations. Marine Highway operations are an alternative form of transportation that utilizes inland and coastal waterways to move commercial freight between domestic ports in lieu of road or rail. Workshop participants endeavored to leverage partnerships between U.S.

On Friday, December 5, 2008, The Chesapeake Chapter of the USMAA-AF will host the dinner and dance, “MARAD – Promoting Our U.S. The Guest of Honor and Featured Speaker will be the Honorable Sean T. Connaughton (KP ’83), Maritime Administrator, Department of Transportation, U.S. Maritime Administration. Connaughton is expected to be nominated to be Commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission and upon appointment designate Chairman, for the remainder of a five-year term expiring 06/30/12.

Only months after graduation ceremonies were held on campuses across the nation, approximately 85 percent of 2008 graduates with merchant marine licenses from the United States Merchant Marine Academy and six state maritime academies have found employment afloat in the maritime industry or in the U.S. military, according to data released by the Maritime Administration. “This data indicates that the job market for merchant marine officers remains robust. There is a growing, worldwide demand for fully-trained merchant marine officers and licensed mariners. Excellent training combined with ongoing global trade expansion will continue to make the graduates of maritime colleges among the most qualified and employable mariners in the world,” said U.S. Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton.

The Maritime Administration has launched several new initiatives that place the agency in the vanguard of federal organizations implementing policies stressing responsible environmental stewardship.n announcing these initiatives, Maritime Administrator Sean T. The Maritime Administration’s 2008 “Going Green” programs include an Environmental Excellence Initiative that focuses on strengthening environmental stewardship and developing and implementing green procedures, including establishing an Environmental Management System at the agency’s National Defense Reserve Fleet sites and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. A new Energy Efficiency and Alternative Energy effort will evaluate current agency energy applications and implement an overhaul of energy-conservation practices.

The Maritime Administration has signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense’s United States Transportation Command to use National Defense Reserve Fleet ships, particularly DOT’s Ready Reserve Force, to support government response to civil emergencies at home, as well as for defense sealift and humanitarian response overseas. The agreement, signed by Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton and General Norton A. Schwartz, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, formalizes using the ships in ways that have been tested under emergency conditions. During the hurricane season of 2005, RRF ships in , , provided the template for one use of the ships: emergency vehicles were driven on board two RRF ships berthed in…

Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton and John M. Murray, president and chief executive officer of , LLC, recently signed an agreement for cadets from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and state maritime academies to take their training voyages on Hapag-Lloyd vessels.Maritime cadets must have sailing time on working vessels in order to qualify as licensed mariners. Currently, there is a worldwide shortage of licensed mariners, and maritime academies have geared up to train more students. Students will begin to serve on the foreign-flag vessels in October.The Hapag-Lloyd group is the world’s largest liner shipping company. Its vessels…

On July 28-29, Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton led a delegation of maritime officials in consultative meetings with representatives of to discuss issues of mutual interest and challenges facing the maritime industry, both around the world and in the bilateral trades. During the two days of meetings, conducted at , delegations from the and exchanged views that reflected many of the major concerns of both countries on a range of significant maritime policy issues. The face-to-face meetings allowed the two delegations to jointly identify matters for further future cooperation between their two nations. In addition to identifying…

Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton signed a Memorandum of Understanding with representatives of the Government of Greece to pursue an agreement to transfer the ship Arthur M. Huddell to the Greek government for use as a museum. The World War II-era Huddell is the last ship in the Maritime Administration’s fleet. It is currently moored in the James River Reserve Fleet site at . "It is great to be able to save a bit of history from both our nations," said Connaughton. American shipyards built 2,751 ships during World War II, in the largest shipbuilding effort in history. ships crewed by merchant mariners carried troops and military cargo all over the world. The building and sailing of the ships, and their successors, the Victory Ships, were overseen by the U.S.

Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton and Gunther Keitel, Executive Vice President of Great American Lines, Inc., signed an agreement for cadets from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and state maritime academies to take their training voyages on Great American Lines ships. Maritime cadets must have sailing time on working vessels in order to qualify as licensed mariners. There is currently a worldwide shortage of licensed mariners, and maritime academies have geared up to train more students. The agreement was signed on graduation day at Kings Point. Keitel and Connaughton are both graduates of the academy, and Connaughton pointed out how different the employment situation is for today’s graduates than it was for him and his classmates.

Vice Admiral Joseph D. Stewart, Superintendent of the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, has announced his retirement from government service. VADM Stewart’s career spanned over 44 years of public service to the as a Marine Corps officer and member of the civilian Senior Executive Service. "After 10 years at Kings Point and over 44 years in service to our nation, Kathy and I are looking forward to retiring from public service," said VADM Stewart. "I am thankful for the opportunity the Kings Point community afforded both of us during our time here. My memories of the Regiment, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and all the friends of Kings Point will have a lasting impact on my life.

On July 24 and 25, Maritime Administrator Sean T. Connaughton led a delegation of U.S. maritime officials in meetings in Tokyo with Japanese counterparts to discuss issues of mutual interest and challenges facing the maritime industry, both around the world and in the bilateral trade. The talks reflected the major concern of both countries about the impact on the shipping sector of the rapidly expanding consumption of liquefied natural gas (LNG) around the world. With the surge of new specialized vessels to carry LNG entering service, the demand for qualified seafarers is becoming urgent.

The Department of Transportation announced that the last of ’s famous ships, the Arthur M. Huddell, will be towed from the James River Reserve Fleet site at , , to , on July 28, to prepare the World War II-era vessel for a cross-Atlantic tow to its new homeport in . Greek officials say the ship will become a merchant marine museum of that nation’s shipping industry. While in , the Huddell will be berthed at the W3 Marine facility while the cross-Atlantic tow-prep is performed by a local Hampton Roads marine services company.