St. Pé Wins Man of the Year Management Award

The Maritime Port Council of Greater New York and Vicinity has jointly honored Philip Calian, CEO of American Classic Voyages Co. (AMCV), and Jerry St. Pé, COO of Litton Ship Systems, with the Council's Man of the Year Management Award for 1999. Calian and St. Pé were recognized for their roles in returning the construction of major, ocean-going passenger ships back to the U.S. for the first time in 40 years, and for growing the U.S.-flag cruise ship fleet through a program called "Project America." Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Miss., is building two 1,900-passenger state-of-the-art cruise ships for AMCV in the Project America program, with an option for a third vessel. The new cruise ships will sail under AMCV's new brand United States Lines, one of the most storied names in the history of ocean-going passenger transportation. The program has a total potential value of $1.4 billion. Construction of the first ship will begin in mid-2000. Calian serves as CEO of American Classic Voyages Co., the largest owner and operator of U.S.-flag passenger vessels. In addition to United States Lines, AMCV also owns The Delta Queen Steamboat Co. and American Hawaii Cruises. In 2001, the company also will launch Delta Queen Coastal Cruises, which will offer cruise vacations on 226-passenger ships along the East and West Coasts of the United States, and to selected destinations in the Carribean and Mexico. St. Pé, who served for almost 15 years as president of Litton Ingalls Shipbuilding, was recently named COO of Litton Ship Systems, and executive vice-president of Litton Industries.