Page 12: of Marine News Magazine (January 2014)

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INSIGHTS

When ABS, the global provider of maritime classifi cation services, announced that James A. Watson had been named

President and Chief Operating Offi cer of their Americas

Division, it wasn’t hard to see why. Likewise, there were few if any other candidates for the job with as well round- ed a CV, and with the breadth of knowledge spanning the full range of maritime issues. Formerly the Director of the

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and before that, Watson served as the U.S. Coast Guard’s

Director of Prevention Policy for Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship, where his responsibilities included com- mercial vessel safety and security, ports and cargo safety and security and maritime investigations. Notably, he was designated as the Federal On-Scene Coordinator for the government-wide response to the Macondo oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in June 2010. Beyond this, Watson graduated in 1978 from the US Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelors of Science degree in Marine Engineering and holds Master of Science degrees from the University of Michigan in Mechanical Engineering and Naval Archi- tecture in addition to a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Based at the ABS Division’s headquarters in Houston, Watson hit the ground running in September. Listen in to see what he’s been up to since:

You’ve been on board at ABS now for 4 months and this assignment follows two other similarly high pro- fi le, c-level assignments at both BSEE and the U.S.

Coast Guard. What’s different about each of these posts, what is the same and what “take-aways” from the previous posts will you bring to ABS in your new role?

ABS’ mission is to promote the common safety, while the Coast Guard and BSEE naturally follow a regulato- ry approach. Despite the different approaches, they have similar goals and a similar heritage. They exist to serve the maritime industry and the public interest by working to reduce the likelihood of accidents and improve working conditions at sea. Each is built on a foundation of sound standards, highly competent engineers and fi eld profession-

James Watson

President and Chief

Operating Offi cer

ABS Americas Division

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