Page 7: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (July 2013)

Caterpillar to Acquire Berg Propulsion Caterpillar Inc. signed a deÞ nitive agreement to acquire Johan Walter Berg AB, including its core brand of Berg Propulsion, a leading manufacturer of mechanically and electrically driven pro-pulsion systems and marine controls for ships. With the acquisition, Caterpillar will transition from selling only engines and generators to providing complete marine propulsion package systems.Headquartered in Öckerö Islands, Sweden, Berg has designed and manu- factured heavy-duty marine thrusters and controllable pitch propellers since 1929. Its proprietary systems are em-ployed in maritime applications through-out the world that require precise maneu-vering and positioning. ?Berg is one of the most highly regarded brands in the marine industry,? said Tom Frake, Cat- erpillar VP with responsibility for the Marine and Petroleum Power Division. ?Our team will now be able to provide worldwide Caterpillar support to marine operators for a complete, optimized pro-pulsion package, including bow thrust-ers, gear boxes and shaft alternators.? Berg will become part of the Caterpillar Marine and Petroleum Power Division, which supplies diesel and natural gas engines for the generation, control and supply of mechanical and electric power for the marine and petroleum industries. ?This marks the beginning of an ex-citing new chapter in our company?s history and is a chance to become part of the strongest brands ? both Caterpil-lar and MaK ? in our industry,? said Håkan Svensson, Berg?s CEO. ?Berg has proudly served the marine industry for 101 years. Berg?s thrusters, propellers and control systems will be rebranded as Caterpillar soon after the close of the deal, which is expected in the Q3 2013, pending Þ nal regulatory approvals. WWW.MARINELINK.COM 7ClariÞ cationLast month we published the results of the 3rd Annual Don Sutherland Me- morial Photo Contest, and the winner in the ?Ships & Boats? category was erroneously credited. Below a ?re-play? of this stunning image with full credit details to Chris Morgan, Chief Engineer on R/V Atlantis. Ken Kostel submitted the image for the contest.Winner: Ships & Boats By Chris Morgan, Chief Engineer on R/V AtlantisPhotographed December 2012 in Charleston, S.C.Two of the nation?s global class ocean- ographic research vessels, R/V Knorr and R/V Atlantis, completed a drydock period together at the end of 2012, where they were both inspected and repainted. Both ships were built by the U.S. Navy, are funded by the National Science Foundation, and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic In- stitution on behalf of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System. Atlantis is best known as the support ship for Alvin, the country?s only deep-diving research submers-ible. Knorr was the ship on which Dr. Robert Ballard was sailing when he and his team discovered the wreck of Titanic in 1985. MR #7 (1-9).indd 7MR #7 (1-9).indd 77/1/2013 1:14:37 PM7/1/2013 1:14:37 PM