Page 72: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 2013)

72 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News ? APRIL 2013 NEWSPEOPLE & COMPANIES Somerville Announces Retirement from ABS Robert D. Somerville, long serving Chairman of leading classiÞ cation so-ciety ABS, announced his retirement effective April 30, 2013. Under a care- fully planned, two-year-long, leadership transition strategy, current President and Chief Executive OfÞ cer Christopher J. Wiernicki has been selected to assume the Chairmanship of ABS subject to Þ -nal election by the Board of Directors at their next meeting on April 22, 2013. ?It is imperative that an organization of the size and complexity of ABS has a well-deÞ ned succession plan in place for all its senior executives and particu-larly so for the roles of Chairman, Chief Executive OfÞ cer, President and Chief Operating OfÞ cer,? said Somerville in announcing his decision to step down after 43 years of service with the society. ?Over the last two years we have been implementing just such a strategy to en-sure that our employees, our clients and all those who look to ABS will contin- ue to receive a seamless and consistent development and delivery of the grow-ing portfolio of safety-related services which we provide.? April 30 will mark the end of an unbro-ken 20 years with Somerville as either President or Chairman of the society, the longest ever such period of leadership in the organization?s 151 years of exis- tence. Starting as a Þ eld surveyor in 1970, Somerville rose rapidly through the management structure of ABS until his election as President and Chief Operat-ing OfÞ cer in 1993. He followed Frank J. Iarossi as Chair- man and Chief Executive OfÞ cer in 2004. In 2011 he passed the Chief Ex- ecutive OfÞ cer responsibilities to Wier- nicki, remaining as Executive Chairman until his retirement. A staunch defender of classi Þ cation and a strong proponent of ever higher safety standards for the shipping and offshore industries, Somerville leaves a lasting legacy not only at ABS but also through his participation at the International Association of ClassiÞ cation Societies (IACS). Obituary: Louis S. Meltz1961 - 2013On April 2, 2013, American Maritime Safety, Inc. (AMS) President Louis Meltz passed away, after a several-month battle with cancer. His passing was a sudden shock to friends and colleagues. Louis loved the U.S. maritime industry and the people in it. His highest praise was to describe a man or woman as loyal. And there were many whom he described in this fashion. Undoubtedly they were in-spired by Louis? own dedicated friend- ship. In keeping with this faith, a funeral service was scheduled for the morning of Thursday, April 4, 2013 at the Yorktown Funeral Home at 945 East Main Street, Shrub Oak, New York. AMS will hold a memorial service for Louis Meltz in con-junction with this year?s annual meeting. After consultation with the family, those who want to express their condo-lences are encouraged to write a para-graph or two recounting their relation-ship with Louis, to be compiled by AMS into a Maritime Memory Book.Louis is survived by three high school and middle school children. Obituary: Michael Jean MarkeyOctober 31, 1932 - March 2, 2013Michael Jean Markey died peacefully at Swedish Hospital on March 2, 2013. Mike was born in Seattle, Wash., in 1932. He graduated from West Seattle High School in June 1950, and he received a Bachelor?s Degree in Engineering from Stanford University in June 1954.In 1958, Mike joined his father, William C. Markey, at the family Þ rm, Markey Machinery Company, Inc. in Seattle. MMCo was founded in 1907 by Mike?s grandfather, Charles H. Markey. Mike was with the company until his retire-ment in 1996. For many years, Mike was an enthusiastic member of the Jaguar Drivers & Restorers Club of Northwest America. He loved hiking and backpack-ing in the Cascade and Olympic Moun-tains. Mike is survived by his wife, Norma Markey; his daughter, Jocelyn Markey; his Þ rst wife, Mel McConnell; his stepdaughter, Debra Dana; his step- son, Mark Dana; and Mark?s daughters, Rachel and Jennifer. (Source: The Seattle Times 3/10/2013) Keenan Joins TITAN Salvage as Director of Operations Patrick Keenan has joined the TITAN Salvage team as director of operations, bringing more than 20 years of world-wide, hands-on experience in naval ar-chitecture, marine engineering, salvage and marine pollution abatement. In his new position, Keenan will report to Managing Director Rich Habib and will be based in the company?s Pompano Beach, Fla., headquarters. TITAN is a Crowley Maritime Corp. subsidiary. Prior to joining TITAN, Keenan, who is a bilingual English-Spanish speaker, spent four years as the supervisor of sal-vage and diving, and director of ocean engineering for the U.S. Navy in Wash- ington, D.C. Walz & Krenzer Appoints Rising, ThemelWalz & Krenzer?s Board of Directors appointed Mr. Benjamin Rising as their new President and Mr. Tom Themel as their Vice President as of March 1, 2013. Steven Shepstone, WK?s President for the past 16 years, will retain his position on the Board of Directors and will be as-sociated with Walz & Krenzer & Mape- co Products in an engineering capacity for several more years. Sætre New MD Ulstein Verft Kristian Sætre was appointed managing director of Ulstein Verft starting June 1, 2013. Sætre has 30 years? experience in the maritime industry, working at Scana for more than 20 years, most recently as managing director for Scana Propulsion AS. Sætre is a chartered engineer from NTNU (Norwegian University of Sci-ence and Technology). MPT?s Beavers Appointed Maritime Professional Training said that Amy Beavers received a federal ap-pointment from Secretary Napolitano to serve on the Merchant Marine Person-nel Advisory Committee (MERPAC). The committee advises the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), via the Commandant and U.S. Coast Guard, on matters relating to the training, qualiÞ cation, licensing, certi Þ -cation and Þ tness of seamen in the mer- chant marine. The appointment takes ef- fect February 15, 2013, and committee members serve for three years and may be reappointed for consecutive terms. Amy is currently the Vice President of Regulatory Compliance at MPT. Annand Takes the Helm at Seaward ServicesSeaward Services, Inc., an HMS Global Maritime (HMSGM) Corporation, said that William H. Annand has taken the helm as the company?s new President. As President of Seaward Services, An- nand will head up the HMS Government Services Division of HMSGM. He will oversee and manage all contracts that in-volve the federal government, including the Department of Defense. Annand?s Þ rst big move was to relocate the Sea- ward corporate ofÞ ces from Fort Lau- derdale, Florida to New Albany, Indiana. WQIS Bolsters Executive, Support StaffThe Water Quality Insurance Syndicate welcomed new Senior Vice President, John Ryszetnyk to the team. A gradu- ate of Kings Point, The United States Merchant Marine Academy, Ryszetnyk holds a USCG 3rd Mate Unlimited Ton- nage License and is a former U.S. Naval OfÞ cer. This will be Ryszetnyk?s second term at WQIS, having previously served as an Underwriter from 1999 to 2003. Along with Ryszetnyk, two more team members are also joining the WQIS ranks: Angela Konetzni and James Q. Stevens. Konetzni, previously an As- sistant Claims Manager at WQIS, has returned after a short hiatus and will be working as a consultant in the claims department. Stevens is the former head of marine insurance for Scottsdale Insur- ance Company and is bringing his 40+ years of experience to WQIS. Vitmar Yachts Takes Space in DMC Dubai Maritime City signed a Yacht Manufacturing Workshop Lease Agree- Markey: 1932-2013Somerville to retire from ABS. RisingKeenanMeltz: 1961-2013MR #4 (66-74).indd 72MR #4 (66-74).indd 724/2/2013 5:06:32 PM4/2/2013 5:06:32 PM