News

Magnetic North Pole Shifting Rapidly and Unpredicatably
by The Maritime Executive
Sunday, January 13, 2019

The Earth’s north magnetic pole is shifting so rapidly that steps are being taken to ensure it doesn't impact navigation in the Arctic.

Compass needles point towards the north magnetic pole, a point that has moved from Canada to the middle of the Arctic Ocean over the last century. It is currently moving towards Siberia at about 50 kilometers (30 miles) a year.

The World Magnetic Model predicts the Earth's geomagnetic field for the next five years, and it is normally produced every five years. Scientists have now recognized that the 2015 World Magnetic Model needs updating earlier than planned, but the update has been postponed from January 15 to January 30 due to the ongoing U.S. government shutdown.

Since late 2014, the core field has varied in a currently unpredictable manner. This led to the World Magnetic Model becoming less accurate, particularly at high northern latitudes, much faster than normal. The variations have been attributed to an abrupt unpredictable change in 2014/2015 and an acceleration of flow in the core in the northern hemisphere. 

The Model is produced by the British Geological Survey and NOAA, on behalf of the U.K. Defence Geographic Centre and the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. It is a model of the primary component of the geomagnetic field: the Earth’s core. The core field is generated by dynamic action in the swirling iron-rich fluid of the outer core, roughly 3,500 kilometers below the Earth's surface. The ever-changing flow of the outer core leads to an ever-changing magnetic field. 

“The magnetic poles drift, the field strengthens and weakens, and the immense magnetic field of the Sun, carried by the solar wind, constantly batters at it from the outside,” says British Geological Survey blogger, Will Brown. “The World Magnetic Model is the standard magnetic model used for navigation by organizations such as NATO, the Ministry of Defence, and the U.S.’ Department of Defense, and also by smartphone operating systems such as Android and iOS. When you open your smartphone’s map app, you may see an arrow pointing which way you’re facing, and there’s something quite clever going on underneath. Your phone contains a magnetometer that is measuring the Earth’s magnetic field. In order to make sense of this information a reference model like the World Magnetic Model is needed to correct the measurements of magnetic north made by your phone to True North.”

The next scheduled update to the World Magnetic Model is expected in December 2019.

Oil and Gas in 2019 – A time of Transition
by The Maritime Executive
Sunday, January 13, 2019

During 2018, volatility marked the global oil and gas sector. Dramatic swings in oil price - from 2015-level highs to vast one-day drops, combined with geopolitical maneuvers, changing global supply and demand trends and mountain budget pressures feed instability in the sector. 

And yet, market conditions served as a catalyst for the industry’s continued evolution and transformation, and there is now a sense of cautious optimism moving into 2019. Operators are working to adapt to major foundational shifts: the decline of hydrocarbons and the rise of renewables, the advance of digitalisation and what this means for workers and processes and new technologies to streamline operations and boost efficiency. 

Offshore operators and service providers must be aware of the key trends and opportunities to continue to successfully navigate the challenges and ensure profitability:

1. Outsourcing

Current market conditions have created an environment more keenly focused on price than ever before. Due to tightening margins, oil and gas players are under greater pressure to reduce expenditures. 

The industry is increasingly outsourcing projects and tasks that historically were managed in-house in a bid to reduce headcount and related costs and to refocus on their core competencies. 

So, they need service providers who they can rely on to provide key value-added services in support of their day-to-day operations. Not only must they have the operational maturity and capacity to handle projects, they need in-depth local knowledge of the offshore market as well as their partners’ and clients’ businesses. 

2. An industry in transition / Short-term contracts

The recent tough times for the oil and gas industry meant many big offshore infrastructure projects were not signed-off, there was a fall in maintenance calls and more rigs and other equipment was laid-up, either in warm lay-ups (better suitable for the short-term but with continued staff and maintenance costs) or cold lay-ups (more suitable for the long-term, but with higher reactivation outlay). 

The choice of lay-up location also influences how much work is needed to bring a vessel back into service. Service providers must be ready, willing and able to adapt to unpredictable and turbulent conditions whether it might be for crewing, resupply, repair or any other job for which they are called upon.

In the current market, many offshore operators are unwilling to plan for the long-term, so a new trend is emerging for short-term contracts over three to six months to mitigate the perceived risks. 

3. Demonstrating value-add 

More than 350,000 jobs have been lost worldwide in the sector. Operators’ resources have shrunk in parallel, with a direct impact on the entire supply chain, with operators demand greater service provision for less outlay. 

That’s why it is more important than ever before to demonstrate added value. Service partners must expect a more complex and demanding tendering process to show off what extra value they offer, as well cost efficiency, coverage, experience and added solutions. 

4. Technology

Increasingly, digitalization is a driver for business change in oil and gas. Embracing the digital revolution can be the factor that makes the difference between thriving or floundering for companies serving the sector, as offshore operators seek ways to transform their operating models to achieve greater efficiency and faster turnaround. 

The benefits are clear - increased productivity, safer operations, improvements in collaborations and maintenance, and cost savings - and they’re now being increasingly recognized. Data has become a commercial driver and a commodity for the sector in its own right. For example, upstream companies are leveraging data insights to discover new oil fields or improve and optimize their processes. 

As a result, operators expect higher levels of technology adoption than ever before from their service partners. And with the focus on transparency and visibility, providers must be able to adapt to the demands of the industry in the digital space to match or surpass in-house capabilities. 

Cautious optimism for 2019

As we head into 2019, there is a growing sense of optimism in the sector, with headlines talking about slow, steady growth and stability in the market. That cautiously upbeat mood was further reflected in a recently published KPMG report which noted that 85 percent of oil and gas CEOs had confidence in the industry’s growth. 

Moody’s 2019 outlook for the sector sounds a similarly optimistic note, reporting that upstream operators are starting to increase production, in turn helping midstream businesses and service providers. Overall, Moody predicts relative stability for the integrated oil and business over the next 12-18 months. 

According to Rystad Energy, the outlook for offshore oilfield service contractors is strong. The consultancy notes that more than 100 new offshore projects are aiming for 2019 sanctions, and an expected $210 billion will be spent on offshore oilfield services globally in the coming year. 

Real differentiation will be marked by those who are able to adapt, whether on the operational or supply side. As the oil and gas industry seek different approaches to recovering their bottom line, service providers who can remain flexible and work with pace will be the ones that stand out from the competition and thrive in the years to come. 

William Hill is Executive Vice President – Oil & Gas, GAC Group.

Air Force Veteran Inspired by Moby-Dick
by The Maritime Executive
Saturday, January 12, 2019

“As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas...” ? Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

In 2014, Ger Tysk of Houston, Texas, was recently out of the U.S. Air Force and ready to take on a new career. An avid reader, she picked up a copy of Moby-Dick; or, The Whale by the American writer Herman Melville. This story of a notoriously elusive white whale that sinks the whaling ship, Pequod, pivoted Tysk's imagination towards a career at sea. Tysk was glued to the pages, yearning to see whales and wildlife while sailing the open ocean.

Soon after finishing Moby Dick, Tysk was determined to sail the high seas, so she signed up to join the crew of a tall ship. Her first sailing vessel was the last wooden whaling vessel in the world, Mystic Seaport Museum's Charles W. Morgan, built in 1841.

Tysk joined the crew of the 106-foot long Charles W. Morgan for a short trip up the East Coast. Fully-rigged, the Charles W. Morgan transited up the coastline with 7,134 square feet of sail. Down below, Tysk observed the huge try-pots used for converting blubber into whale oil and cramped quarters in which the crew lived. It was as if she had stepped into the pages of Moby Dick and on board the Pequod.

Known as a "lucky ship," the Charles W. Morgan's rich history spans every corner of the globe in the pursuit of whales. An 80-year whaling career consisted of 37 voyages, most lasting three years or more and filled with countless sea stories of crushing Arctic ice, rounding Cape Horn and surviving hurricanes.

Beyond the sea stories, Tysk was also surprised to hear that she too could sail on tall ships for a living. Tysk recalls that trip with excitement, noting how she was influenced by the female crew members, "I was especially inspired by all the female sailors I met on board who were working at what was for centuries seen as a man's job. Seeing women climbing the rigging, hauling on lines and navigating the vessel was really inspiring to me."

Since that first trip on board the Charles W. Morgan, Tysk has continued to sail on tall ships out of Mystic Seaport, working as a deckhand and cook. For the past four years she has acquired enough sea time to earn a USCG mate license for working on near coastal, auxiliary sailing vessels of 200 gross tons and a USCG master's license of 100 gross tons for working on auxiliary sailing vessels on inland waters and the Great Lakes.

Tysk spent the last few summers aboard the schooner Brilliant, owned and operated by Mystic Seaport Museum. Designed by legendary yacht designer Olin Stephens and built in 1932 as a private yacht by Nevins Shipyard in New York, Brilliant is a 62-foot, wooden traditional schooner.

Brilliant's history is unique, playing a large role in the local economy during the Great Depression. The legend states that she was built to sail around the world, so no expense was spared in her construction. Brilliant’s construction kept the shipyard open, employing many during this hard time in American history.

A traditional gaff topsail schooner with a bright white hull and gold lettering that graces her transom, Brilliant was built for beauty and speed. She was launched on April 23, 1932, and shortly after, set sail in the Bermuda Race.

On the first night, she lost her Genoa jib, a type of large sail that extends from the bow past the mast. Brilliant finished just behind Highland Light, a vessel that broke the course record, a loss for Brilliant that may have been a record-breaking win if it was not for losing the jib.

Brilliant also raced across oceans with record speed. In 1933, she left Nantucket Lightship to sail to Bishop Rock Light, England. She achieved the unimaginable at the time by arriving at Bishop Rock in 15 days, one hour, and 23 minutes.

In 1953, Brilliant was donated to Mystic Seaport Museum to operate as a training vessel for youth. Hosting 284,000 visitors annually, Mystic Seaport Museum is the nation’s leading maritime museum that was founded in 1929 with the intent to gather and preserve artifacts of America’s seafaring past. Since its founding, the Museum has flourished as a center for research and education. Its mission is to “inspire an enduring connection to the American maritime experience.”

During the summer months on the waters of Southern New England, Brilliant's crew takes nine teenagers per week sailing to learn seamanship, navigation and life at sea. At the end of each weekly voyage, the youth walk away with skills in teamwork, as well as a new-found discipline on the water.

At Brilliant's helm for a trip last fall stood Captain Hadley Neale, a graduate of Maine Maritime Academy. Neale filled in as a relief captain and was only the second female to take this role. The mate was Madeleine Weisman, who was finishing her second season aboard as mate. High school students with an an interest in maritime careers from the Sound School, a vocational aquaculture school based in New Haven, Connecticut, were on board for a four-day trip.

This was the first voyage for Brilliant to set sail in the hands of an all-female team. For Tysk, it was a surprise to think that Brilliant, built in 1932, had never seen a crew entirely of female sailors. A first generation American with a heritage in Hong Kong, this voyage represented even more than the disruption of gender norms. Tysk adds, “As a person of color working on the water, I think it was extra special for us to show the students, especially the minority and female students, that it is possible to break barriers in any industry.”

Since joining the fleet at Mystic Seaport Museum in 1953, 10,000 students have set sail and steered Brilliant on a course that is equivalent to circumnavigating the globe five times. This remarkable vessel is in excellent condition. Brilliant is a testament to the designers and craftsmen of Nevins' yard in 1932, as well as the maintenance and care by Mystic Seaport Museum.

Communicating with Tysk, she has immense pride for Brilliant and the vessel’s history. This pride fuels Tysk’s career to seek more adventures beyond the summer months in Long Island Sound. Recently, she packed up her sea bag to head offshore again. This time, she flew to the Caribbean to join the crew of a more modern vessel, the Corwith Cramer, a brigantine built in 1987 and owned by the Sea Education Association (SEA) sailing school, commonly known as SEA Semester.

Tysk will spend several months on board, working as a senior steward. While her main duties include managing galley operations, provisions and waste management, she still gains immense satisfaction each time her vessel starts making way. Beaming, she shares, "Sailing has been the most rewarding thing I've done as a career.... the physical act of setting the sails and then seeing the instant feedback as the wind propels the ship through the water brings me immense satisfaction."

The intrinsic reward of working at sea, once found on the pages of Moby Dick, has become a permanent part of Tysk's life. It is an unconventional career this U.S. Air Force veteran once thought she could only dream about.

Ally Cedeno is Founder of WomenOffshore.org

Renewable Energy to Have Far-Reaching Geopolitical Effects
by The Maritime Executive
Saturday, January 12, 2019

Political and business leaders from around the world have outlined the far-reaching geopolitical implications of an energy transformation driven by the rapid growth of renewable energy. 

In a new report launched at the Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Global Commission on the Geopolitics of Energy Transformation says the geopolitical and socio-economic consequences of a new energy age may be as profound as those which accompanied the shift from biomass to fossil fuels two centuries ago. These include changes in the relative position of states, the emergence of new energy leaders, more diverse energy actors, changed trade relationships and the emergence of new alliances.

The Commission’s report A New World suggests that the energy transformation will change energy statecraft. Unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy sources are available in one form or another in most geographic locations. This abundance will strengthen energy security and promote greater energy independence for most states. At the same time, as countries develop renewables and increasingly integrate their electricity grids with neighboring countries, new inter-dependencies and trade patterns will emerge. The analysis finds oil and gas-related conflict may decline as will the strategic importance of some maritime chokepoints such as the Straits of Hormuz. 

The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most important oil artery, which links Middle East crude producers to key global markets. At its narrowest point, it is only 21 miles wide and the shipping lane is only 2 miles wide in either direction. Each day, around 30 percent of all seaborne traded crude oil passes through it, as well as a significant volume of LNG. There have been several military incidents in the Strait. In 2018, Iran hinted it could disrupt oil flows through the Strait in response to the oil sanctions announced by the U.S.

The energy transformation will also create new energy leaders, with large investments in renewable energy technologies strengthening the influence of some countries. China, for instance, has enhanced its geopolitical standing by taking the lead in the clean energy race to become the world’s largest producer, exporter and installer of solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles. Fossil-fuel exporters may see a decline in their global reach and influence unless they adapt their economies for the new energy age.

The Commission says countries that are heavily reliant on fossil fuel imports can significantly improve their trade balance and reduce the risks associated with vulnerable energy supply lines and volatile fuel prices by developing a greater share of energy domestically. With energy at the heart of human development, renewables can help to deliver universal energy access, create jobs, power sustainable economic growth, improve food and water security and enhance sustainability, climate resilience and equity.

IRENA estimates that by 2025 the global weighted average cost of electricity could fall by 26 percent from onshore wind, by 35 percent from offshore wind, by at least 37 percent from concentrated solar power technologies, and by 59 percent from solar photovoltaics.

The report is available here. 

World Bank Gloomy About Global Economy
by The Maritime Executive
Saturday, January 12, 2019

The outlook for the global economy in 2019 has darkened, according to the World Bank's January 2019 Global Economic Prospects report.

International trade and investment have softened. Trade tensions remain elevated, and several large emerging markets underwent substantial financial pressures last year. Growth in emerging markets and developing economies is expected to remain flat in 2019 as a result. 

Risks are growing that growth could be even weaker than anticipated. The pickup in economies that rely heavily on commodity exports is likely to be much slower than hoped for, and growth in many other economies is anticipated to decelerate.

Advanced-economy central banks will continue to remove the policies that supported the protracted recovery from the global financial crisis 10 years ago. Also, simmering trade disputes could escalate. Higher debt levels have made some economies, particularly poorer countries, more vulnerable to rising global interest rates, shifts in investor sentiment or exchange rate fluctuations.

Addressing high levels of debt looms as an increasingly important concern. In recent years, many low-income countries have gained access to new sources of finance, including private sources and creditors outside the Paris Club of major creditor countries. This has allowed countries to fund important development needs. However, it has also contributed to growing public debt.

Government debt levels among low-income countries have risen from debt-to-GDP ratios of 30 percent to 50 percent over the last four years. Low income countries are using an increasing proportion of government revenues to make interest payments. Such debt service pressures will only grow further if borrowing costs rise as expected in coming years.

In addition, more frequent weather events raise the possibility of large swings in food prices, which could deepen poverty. Seeking to shield vulnerable populations from food price spikes may require a shift in policy emphasis away from trade policies. Authorities have in the past intervened with trade measures to dampen the impact of fluctuations in the prices of key food commodities, including rice, wheat and maize.

But while individual countries can succeed in the short term at buffering domestic markets from price fluctuations, collective action around the world can exacerbate food price volatility and push prices higher – hurting those with the thinnest margins of security, says the World Bank. Policies introduced in 2010-2011 may have accounted for 40 percent of the increase of the world price of wheat and one-quarter of the price rise for maize. It is estimated that the food price jump of that period pushed 8.3 million people into poverty.

While food prices have declined since peaks at the turn of the decade, world hunger and food insecurity have risen between 2014 and 2017. The number of under-nourished people rose five percent to 821 million during that period, and food security challenges have recently been recognized as an urgent priority by the G20.

Further, food price spikes of the kind experienced in 2010-11 could occur again as extreme weather events raise the possibility of disruption to food production.

The World Bank says that instead of interventions such as export bans or the reduction of import duties, effective approaches to soften the blow of higher food prices include better safety nets such as cash and food transfers, school feeding and public works programs. It is important for countries to have a strategy in place to respond to food crises and to provide adequate resources for these programs.

“At the beginning of 2018 the global economy was firing on all cylinders, but it lost speed during the year and the ride could get even bumpier in the year ahead,” said World Bank Chief Executive Officer Kristalina Georgieva. “As economic and financial headwinds intensify for emerging and developing countries, the world’s progress in reducing extreme poverty could be jeopardized. To keep the momentum, countries need to invest in people, foster inclusive growth and build resilient societies.”
 

Sanctions
by The Maritime Executive
Saturday, January 12, 2019

The reinstatement of U.S. sanctions against Iran was undoubtedly the development in the sanctions field which garnered most attention in 2018. As President Trump tweeted on November 2, “Sanctions are coming,” and indeed by November 5 the secondary sanctions (sanctions which target the behavior of non-U.S. persons) against Iran had been fully re-imposed by the U.S.

Behind the headlines and the tweets there were a number of general trends which have impacted insurers and the shipping sector, all of which have led to companies needing to allocate further resources and incur more costs to ensure that they do not inadvertently breach sanctions. In some cases, they have needed to change their trading patterns.      

The first trend is simply the growth of sanctions as the “go to” tool when a state or organization such as the U.N. or E.U. wishes to change or influence behavior or send a firm message of disapproval. It is fair to say that this is a trend that has been developing for a number of years. There are now around three times as many U.S. sanctions programs as there were in 2000. It is not just the number of programs that are relevant, however, it is the number of individuals and entities targeted under each program and the growth of different types of designation which makes compliance ever more complex.

The second trend is the pace of change. Of the 30 active sanctions programs listed by the U.S., 22 were updated in 2018. Since President Trump came to power there have been material changes to some of the most high profile sanctions programs including Russia, Venezuela, North Korea and of course Iran. Aside from Sudan, the general trend has also been to make the sanctions more stringent.

The third trend has been the divergence between the U.S. and the E.U., best reflected in their approaches to Iran, where the E.U. continues to attempt to salvage the deal that led to the relaxation of sanctions whilst the U.S. reimposes sanctions and promises more are to come. Many companies wish to trade freely worldwide, but where this is impeded, they desire certainty as to where they can trade without sanctions being imposed.  

With the U.S. sanctions having the effect that most trade by European companies with Iran risks the imposition of sanctions, and the E.U. legislating to seek to prevent European business changing their behavior to comply with U.S. sanctions, businesses are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Any weakening of E.U. and U.S. relations over the coming years may well be reflected in the sanctions sphere with further divergence in other sanctions programs such as the sanctions against Russia.

The final trend is an increased focus on shipping and insurance with both at the forefront of the minds of governments and regulators. This is reflected in, for example, the U.S. Advisory to the Maritime Petroleum Shipping Community in November which highlighted risks to the shipping industry. We can expect more sanctions to be targeted expressly at shipping and insurance in the coming years.   

All of these trends can be expected to continue during 2019, with ever more resources needed to ensure safe navigation through the sanctions maze.

Mark Church is Director (FD&D) of North P&I Club. 

Sea Shepherd Ship Attacked
by The Maritime Executive
Saturday, January 12, 2019

The Sea Shepherd Vessel M/V Farley Mowat was attacked on January 9 while conducting maritime patrols inside the Vaquita Refuge in the Upper Gulf of California.

The vessel's crew had recovered three illegal gillnets that morning and then approached approximately 35 skiffs operating inside the refuge. Sea Shepherd asserts that they saw obvious signs of illegal poaching, with many of the skiffs having gillnets and totoaba fishing gear detected being loaded into one of the skiffs.

One of the skiffs began circling the Sea Shepherd vessel, and the others soon joined in. The fishermen attacked by hurling lead weights, anchors, trash, dead fish and even Tabasco sauce at the vessel and its wheelhouse windows in addition to threatening ship’s crew with Molotov cocktails, spraying gasoline at the ship and pouring gas in the sea around the vessel.

Poachers then dropped an illegal gillnet in front of the bow of the moving Sea Shepherd vessel in an attempt to foul the ship’s propellers. Five men boarded the M/V Farley Mowat and took multiple objects from the vessel’s deck while it was temporarily immobilized. During the boarding, the Sea Shepherd crew was able to keep the poachers from entering into the ship and used an emergency firehose to repel the boarders, while waiting for naval forces to arrive. 

At this time a Mexican Naval Helicopter made several passes above the scene, and the skiffs began to disperse. Mexican Navy sailors and Gendarmeria stationed on board the Sea Shepherd vessel were under strict orders not to fire. The captain of the M/V Farley Mowat managed to restart the engines after the propeller fouling and headed to the port of San Felipe where the ship was met by the regional Navy Commander and reinforcements. 

Captain Paul Watson, Founder and CEO of Sea Shepherd, said: “Sea Shepherd will not be deterred by violence. Our mission is to prevent the extinction of the vaquita porpoise, and we will continue to seize the nets of poachers in the Vaquita Refuge. Sea Shepherd salutes the quick responsiveness of the Mexican Navy in defusing a dangerous situation.”

Sea Shepherd has been present in the Upper Gulf of California since 2015 as part of Operation Milagro, a campaign to protect the most endangered marine mammal on Earth – Mexico’s Vaquita porpoise.  Less than 30 vaquitas remain alive. The main threat to the tiny cetacean is illegal Totoaba gillnet fishing.

The Totoaba fish is another endemic endangered species to the Gulf of California, and it is poached for the trade of its swim bladder in Asian black markets. Totoaba bladders are known as “aquatic cocaine” due to their high value. It is believed that a totoaba bladder can be worth up to $100,000.

Sea Shepherd has already removed more than 780 pieces of illegal fishing gear from the Upper Gulf of California, more than 174,000 meters of illegal gear, and directly saved the lives of over 3,100 animals.

This is not the first violent incident encountered in the area. In December 2017, drones released from the Sea Shepherd vessel M/V John Paul DeJoria in the area were shot at using a handgun.

In November 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals again sided with conservationists and upheld a four-month-old ban on the U.S. importing Mexican shrimp and other seafood caught with gillnets that threaten the survival of vaquita porpoises. Rejecting a Trump administration legal challenge, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit confirmed a preliminary order implementing a federal law that requires a ban on seafood imported from Mexico’s Upper Gulf of California caught with gillnets. 

Conservation groups the Animal Welfare Institute, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Natural Resources Defense Council initially filed suit in the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York City in March and secured a preliminary ban in July. The departments of Commerce, Treasury and Homeland Security, which are charged with banning imports that are contributing to the vaquita’s extinction, have tried and failed to modify or undo the import ban three times.

The Marine Mammal Protection Act requires the U.S. government to ban seafood imports from foreign fisheries that kill or injure marine mammals, including the vaquita, at a rate above U.S. standards. 

Aground on the Silver Strand
by CW4 MICHAEL W. CARR
Saturday, January 12, 2019
By Michael Carr – He was hard aground on the Silver Strand Beach at Coronado Island CA. Well, not just himself, but also his 315-foot ship and 32 Soldier crew. They had plowed right up on the beach while making way at 1.5 knots. He could feel the LSV 3 going aground, and it felt […]

MSC Begins Container Cleanup in North Sea
by Reuters
Saturday, January 12, 2019
AMSTERDAM, Jan 12 (Reuters) – Swiss shipping line MSC has started cleaning up Dutch sea waters, ten days after it lost nearly 300 containers from one of its largest cargo vessels in a storm. “The clean up will likely take months”, Dutch water authorities spokesman Edwin de Feijter said on Saturday. “The largest part of […]

Rear Adm. Wendi Carpenter Named Director of Captain Phillips Trust
by The Maritime Executive
Saturday, January 12, 2019

Rear Adm. Wendi B. Carpenter has been named the Executive Director of the Captain Phillips and Lane Kirkland Maritime Trust. She has served as a Board Member of the Trust since shortly after its inception and has been closely involved with its administrative setup, strategic planning and governance.

Carpenter is a pioneer of women in naval aviation and was the first woman aviator to be promoted to the flag rank in the U.S. Navy. During her distinguished 34-year career, she served in leadership roles that included deputy commander of the U.S. Second Fleet and commander of the Navy’s Warfare Development Command (NWDC).

In her final assignment at NWDC, she was instrumental in warfare concept generation and development and led the Navy’s efforts in the development and integration of unmanned systems, serving in key areas that included organizational transformation and technology development.

After her retirement from the Navy in August 2011, she served as president of the State of New York Maritime College. Carpenter led the college through the 10-year reaccreditation process of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, as well as the five-year U.S. Coast Guard recertification process. During her tenure, the school set new benchmarks in graduation rates and fundraising.

Carpenter is the recipient of numerous military and civilian awards, including the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation Lifetime Community Service Award. She is a frequent speaker on the topic of leadership and particularly enjoys participating in programs designed to motivate young people.

“The Captain Phillips–Lane Kirkland Trust is pleased and honored to have Admiral Carpenter at the helm to help execute the organization’s mission of furthering awareness of the maritime industry and its opportunities as an excellent and unique career path,” said Chairman of the Board Klaus Luhta.