People Company News

The American Maritime Congress (AMC) announced the appointment of Elizabeth O'Connor as its new Executive Director, following a nationwide search. O'Connor succeeds Fair Kim, who has successfully led the AMC since 2021.Most recently, O'Connor served as Chief Counsel at the Maritime Administration (MARAD), where she supported agency leadership in promoting and developing the U.S. Merchant Marine and the domestic maritime industry. She officially assumed her role as AMC Executive Director on June 15, 2026.

Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) has announced the appointment of Dr. Jeffrey Guo as Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, and Maciej Lepicki as Vice President, Greater China, effective June 1, 2026.As Senior Vice President for Asia Pacific, Jeffrey succeeds Alex Gregg-Smith, who was appointed President of BV Marine & Offshore in January 2026. He will oversee the strategic development and operational management of BV's maritime business across the region, with responsibility for market growth…

SeaRenergy Offshore Holding GmbH, a service provider for the offshore wind industry, is restructuring its management team to align its leadership organization with the company’s next phase of growth.After 24 years of service to the Rickmers family and having played a defining role in SeaRenergy since its founding in 2010, Jan Boje Steffens will retire on June 30, 2026. As one of the key architects behind the establishment of SeaRenergy, he has shaped the company from its inception and helped build it into what it is today.Going forward…

BOURBON announced the appointment of Olivier Blaringhem as Chief Executive Officer, effective September 14, 2026. He is succeeding Gaël Bodénès, who has held this position since 2017.Olivier Blaringhem has more than 25 years of international experience in maritime services, engineering, and major offshore projects. He has spent most of his career at Subsea7, where he held several executive positions in Northern Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Since January 2020, he has served as Executive Vice President of Subsea and Conventional at Subsea7.

Global investment firm Carlyle announced that it has agreed to sell Flender, a global market leader in mechanical drive technology, to Triton Fund 6 advised by Triton Partners. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to close in Q4 2026.Headquartered in Bocholt, Germany, and with over 125 years of engineering heritage, Flender is a supplier of gearboxes, couplings and generators for a broad range of industrial and wind power applications.

Windward, thealeader in mission-grade Maritime AI, announced the appointment of Robert (Bob) Sharp, retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral, as Chief Maritime Intelligence Officer (CMIO). Sharp brings decades of experience at the highest levels of the U.S. defense and intelligence establishment, and will work directly with Ami Daniel, CEO and Co-Founder, to shape Windward's intelligence strategy and deepen its engagement with defense, government, commercial and national security customers worldwide.Sharp's career spans 34 years as a career Naval Intelligence Officer…

Le Groupe ALMACO is strengthening its local operations across Québec through increased hiring and expanded contracting of regional suppliers and subcontractors. The initiative supports upcoming accommodation and cabin work for vessels under construction at Chantier Davie Canada Inc. in Lévis.This was demonstrated through the completion of the mockup cabin project in March 2026, a prototype initiative aimed at validating cabin design, layout, materials, and technical solutions for the Polar Max program.As part of this mockup cabin project…

Schottel is expanding its international network with the establishment of a new subsidiary in India. With Schottel India Sales and Service Private Limited, the German propulsion company is further strengthening its presence in a rapidly developing maritime market and creating the basis to deepen collaboration with local customers and partners. Based in Pune, the new subsidiary will focus on newbuild and retrofit sales as well as after-sales service, enabling Schottelto provide responsive…

Gulf of America Logistics (GoAL), the 100% Louisiana-owned capital projects specialist, has announced the appointment of Jake Minner as Vice President of Operations - Specialized Transport and Trucking, and the opening of a new Baton Rouge office, bringing its statewide network to four locations.Minner brings 17 years of heavy-haul experience from a major industrial carrier, with expertise in Louisiana's energy and petrochemical corridor. He will lead GoAL’s asset-based heavy…

Effective July 1, Kai Schulte-Schrepping has been appointed as the new Head of Liability Global Risk at Corporate & Specialty Insurer HDI Global. Schulte-Schrepping succeeds Daniel Maurer, who has decided to gradually step out of his current leadership role as part of his transition towards retirement.With more than a decade at HDI Global, Kai Schulte-Schrepping brings technical underwriting expertise and strong leadership experience in the area of complex global Liability risks. In this role, he assumes overall responsibility for the worldwide Liability Global Risk portfolio at HDI Global.

Cellula Robotics US Inc. and Metron, Inc. have signed a 10-year agreement to deliver a combined solution for the United States defense market, bringing together Cellula's commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) long-endurance autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) platforms with Metron's best-in-class adaptive mission autonomy and decades of proven undersea warfare and maritime domain expertise.Building on their successful collaboration to date, including work supporting the Defense Innovation Unit's CAMP project…

Inland Rivers, Ports & Terminals (IRPT) has announced the election of two industry leaders to its Board of Directors, representing the Great Lakes Basin. Joe Liebau of Foth and Jody Peacock of Ports of Indiana were elected to serve in these roles. Joe and Jody bring  experience in environmental policy, infrastructure funding, economic development, and port leadership to the Board. Together, they will represent and serve IRPT members across the Great Lakes Basin, supporting a diverse network of ports…

Guice Offshore, a leader in the offshore maritime mini supply vessel specialty market, announced the appointment of veteran energy finance executive Trey Stolz as Chief Financial Officer. Stolz brings more than 20 years of experience as an investment banker and equity research analyst focused on the oilfield services industry. He has spent the past nine years in senior operational roles within the sector, most recently serving as CFO for a consolidator of oilfield services companies.

The marine pump specialist, Svanehoj, has further expanded its marine service and aftersales business in the Benelux region by acquiring H&K Services B.V., a Dutch company specializing in the service and repair of marine fuel and cargo gas pumps. H&K Services will operate under the Svanehoj EPS name from its current location in Stellendam, Netherlands, close to Svanehoj’s regional service site in Oud Gastel. The transaction closed on May 1, 2026.In recent years, Svanehoj has made investments in a global service and aftersales network…

ABS and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on digital technologies to strengthen safety and performance in shipbuilding.The agreement establishes a framework for the organizations to collaborate on Digital Threads, secure and integrated flows of data, across the entire vessel value chain. Areas of focus will include digital engineering, autonomous vessel systems and integrated cybersecurity tools.The two organizations…

ABS and Seatrium Technology and Innovation Pte. Ltd, a technology subsidiary of global offshore, marine and energy engineering solutions specialist Seatrium Limited, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to advance innovation, regulatory alignment and sustainable technologies across the maritime and offshore energy sectors.The agreement establishes a framework for knowledge exchange and technical collaboration to support Seatrium's technology team, helping to shape the next…

The Transportation Institute (TI), representing U.S.-flag American shipping companies, announced the appointment of Sara Fuentes as President of the organization. Fuentes previously served as the organization’s Vice President for Government Affairs and will lead TI’s continued work to advance a strong U.S.-flag merchant marine and a resilient American maritime workforce.“I am honored by the confidence of the board and grateful for Jim Henry’s extraordinary leadership. TI has long been a leading voice for the U.S.-flag maritime industry and the American merchant marine.

Ship technology pioneer EcoNavis Solutions has appointed Neil Logan as Executive Chair, formalizing a more hands-on leadership role as the company prepares to scale up operations and expand across global maritime markets.Logan has been involved with EcoNavis since the company’s formal University spinout in August 2025. His initial advisory role has now transitioned into an executive position, reflecting both the company’s progress and the increasing operational demands associated with scaling technologies internationally.With experience in building and expanding technology-led businesses…

Express Global announces the opening of its new office in Singapore, marking a step forward in the continued expansion of the Cosulich Logistics brand across the Asia Pacific region.The new branch strengthens Express Global’s presence in one of the world’s most strategic logistics hubs, enhancing the company’s ability to support customers, partners and stakeholders across Southeast Asia. The Singapore office contributes to strengthening a more connected and integrated regional…

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) Board of Directors announced the appointment of Sang Yi as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective May 4.Most recently, Yi served as Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD), where he oversaw key programs supporting the nation’s commercial and strategic maritime infrastructure. Before his appointment to MARAD, Yi served in the U.S. House of Representatives for almost a decade and a half. Prior to his congressional career, he served in the Intelligence Community.

ABS has appointed U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral (Retired) Ronald J. Rábago as Senior Vice President of Government Services.“Admiral Rábago brings exceptional government and industry experience that will further enhance the support we provide to our government clients in the U.S. and around the world,” said John McDonald, ABS Chairman and CEO. “His leadership and deep expertise across shipbuilding, acquisition and fleet lifecycle management as well as marine safety, security and…

The Chouest Group announced it has completed the acquisition of the Alliance business from Helix Energy Solutions Group. Alliance will be integrated into Champagne Energy Solutions (CES), expanding the Group’s offshore decommissioning and plug & abandonment (P&A) platform.The transaction builds on the recent formation of CES and advances the Chouest Group’s strategy to deliver fully integrated, end-to-end offshore solutions focused on late-life asset management and decommissioning.The combined platform will provide services including P&A…

Teledyne Technologies Incorporated announced the unification of ChartWorld and Raymarine Commercial under a single commercial navigation brand, Raymarine Commercial. As part of the unification, ChartWorld’s commercial navigation solutions and services will transition fully into the Raymarine Commercial brand, further strengthening Teledyne’s position as a global leader in maritime navigation solutions and demonstrating the successful integration of acquired businesses into its core operations.The combination brings ChartWorld’s established digital navigation…