Page 32: of Marine News Magazine (November 2012)

When Raymond Lord was named President of Donjon- SMIT, LLC just over one year ago, the native Houstonian brought with him more than 30 years of experience within the marine salvage industry, and he joins industry heavyweights John Witte and Douglas Martin at the joint-venture, casualty response and compliance group. Coming from his previous position as Vice President and Operations Manager for SMIT Americas in Houston, Lord now heads up one of the largest, and arguably the most visible nationwide marine service providers. Lord?s leadership in this highly technical business involves leveraging the strengths of both SMIT Salvage Americas and Donjon Marine to best serve their diverse client base. This month, Lord weighs in on a raft of subjects for MarineNews readers. You?ve been at helm of Donjon-SMIT for just over one year now. This is a good time to assess the best at- tributes of your  rm. What distinguishes Donjon-SMIT from its competitors? Donjon-SMIT?s best attributes are twofold. First, this involves the total commitment of both companies, Donjon Marine as well as SMIT Salvage Americas, to not only provide each vessel owner / operator with the documentation and administration to allow them to operate within US waters in full compliance with OPA90 regulations, but also to allow each owner operator the con dence that in the event of a true emergency incident Donjon-SMIT is fully capable of providing prompt professional service regardless the size and scope of the situation. Secondly, and as is the case with any organization, people are our greatest resource. The staff at DJS as well as both parent companies, Donjon Marine and SMIT Salvage Americas, are highly trained and dedicated to providing the highest quality service to our clients. Backed by years of hands on experience within the maritime industry they provide the key element when responding to an emergency situation. How does and will Donjon-SMIT interact with those in the U.S. government (Coast Guard, NOAA, etc.) over the next year? Donjon-SMIT interacts with governmental entities in many ways. Through personal meetings to discuss elements within the industry or full scale emergency response drills and vetting processes, DJS remains in close contact with the various agencies. Over the years, an open relationship has developed and both sides are comfortable discussing not only present state of affairs, but also mutual guidance in further developing the way forward. Working together for many years on many salvage operations has led to a level of cooperation that, today, we value highly. How has Donjon-SMIT found the promulgated marine  re ghting and salvage regulations to be in terms of an overall industry point of view? Have they helped? Could they be improved upon? How? Although the path in developing the newly founded SMFF regulations has been long and arduous, we believe that it has been a huge step forward to improving the nation?s ability to respond to any emergency salvage situation within US waters. For many years following the Exxon Valdez incident, the focus has been largely upon the oil spill response community and many salvors were able to operate with little or no resources, minimal experience and without the company structure that would INSIGHTSRaymond Lord President, Donjon-SMIT, LLC September 201232 MNMNNov2012 Layout 32-49.indd 32MNNov2012 Layout 32-49.indd 3211/6/2012 3:12:39 PM11/6/2012 3:12:39 PM