newsmakers Long serving Chairman of classification society ABS, RobeRt D. SomeRville, has retired. Somerville has served 20 years as either President or Chairman of the classification society. His retirement goes into effect at the end of this month. Under a planned two-year long leadership transition strategy, current president and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki will assume the Chairmanship of ABS subject to final election by the Board of Directors at its next meeting on April 22, 2013. C hair man and C EO of Crowley Maritime Corp., tom CRowley, has been named as an honorar y alumnus of the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), Kings Point, NY. The USMMA Alumni Association and Foundation, together with its affiliated Jacksonville Chapter, recognized Crowley for his years of support of the academy and its cadets. Crowley has supported the USMMA through the establishment of the USMMA Scholarship Program, funded by the T homa s B. Crowley Sr. Memor ial Scholarship and by providing internship and job opportunities to cadets upon graduation.
Marine transportation company, Stevens Towing Co., Inc., Yonges Island, SC, has named w. JohnSon StevenS, iii, as the new company president. He succeeds his father, William J. “Bill” Stevens, Jr., who will continue to serve as Chairman of the Board and CEO. Stevens is the fourth generation of the Stevens family to head the company. AnguS R. FRew has been named the new Secretary General and CEO of BIMCO. Frew, who is the current Chief Executive of the UK Chamber of Shipping, will succeed Torben C. Skannild. The change will take effect October 2013. SheilA lAFleuR has joined Florida-based Flagship Management, LLC, as a Senior Associate at the maritime recruitment firm. KRiStiAn SætRe has been appointed managing director of Ulstein Verft. He will take over the position effective June 2013. Sætre has 30 years of maritime background experience behind him. Most recently he w a s manag ing direc tor for S c ana Propulsion AS.
Worldwide manufacturer of specialty lubricants, Klüber Lubrication, has named Ron PeRSon its Director of Business Development for Oil and Gas for it North American operations. Person will be responsible for further developing application-specific support and customer service initiatives. He has 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Prior to joining Klüber, Person was a global subsea manager for BP Lubricants. Of fshore drilling contractor Rowan Companies plc, Houston, TX, has promoted Chief Operating Officer thomAS P. buRKe to President. Burke will remain as COO, while W. Matt Ralls will continue to serve as the company’s CEO until his retirement in 2014. It is expected that Burke will succeed Ralls as CEO. The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has appointed iAn monCRieFF CBE as the new Chief Executive. Moncrieff has been acting as interim Chief Executive since 2011, since the previous Chief Executive, Mike Robinson, left the organization.
April 2013 MARINE LOG 63