Page 27: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2021)

rlan Cochran is not your typical Team Lead -

Logistics Engineering and Marine Operations.

But then again, the National Aeronautics and

Space Administration (NASA) is not your typ-

Aical marine operator.

Prior to his role at NASA to ensure the safe, ef? cient move of – among other things – the most powerful rocket on earth via barge, Cochran was a computer science major who

Cavitation worked in the automotive logistics ? eld. “I was doing a lot

Erosion of automation for logistics solutions when we were noticed by a couple of government contractors in Huntsville, Ala-

Corrosion bama,” said Cochran. “One of them invited us to NASA’s

Ultra-wear resistant manufacturing facility in New Orleans to provide the same coating systems solutions for NASA that we were providing in the commer-

Elastomeric cial world.” In 2016, Cochran was offered the opportunity

Looking for a new repair compounds to join the NASA team, and less than a year later a barge position opened up in this group, and Cochran took the helm.

challenge instead of early retirement?

THE PEGASUS BARGE

Today Cochran and his team – which includes four NASA

A remarkable German repair & coating technology is about to conquer the US! MetaLine is looking for a freelancer to engineers and three contractors – are all about utilizing the promote our innovative ideas to the maritime industry . . .

Pegasus barge to ship NASA’s cargo. “Our contractors pro-

Absorption of destructive energy instead of deflection – sounds too good to be true? vide our barge crew, our tug services, and help us stay in

It is true! Take a look at metaline.com/applications/ compliance with ABS and environmental type policies,” marine-sub-sea-technology/seagoing-vessels-offshore said Cochran. While the notion of barge transportation – low

You are in a leading position as a superintendent or similar responsibility, being involved in the maintenance and repair and slow – might seem an odd combination, Cochran said of marine or navy vessels? You are about to retire and would that NASA has a “humongous” legacy on barge operations. like to join a professional team of German experts to help them entering the local markets? You have a network of “All of the programs, the Apollo program, the Shuttle pro- people trusting your advice and experience?

gram, and now the Artemis program have all utilized ma-

Contact [email protected] to arrange a video-chat!

rine transportation and could not do those programs without Family owned & operated Different it, actually,” said Cochran. Today the Pegasus barge is the Focused Convincing barge for multiple programs. “Not many people realize it, . . . Quality Made in Germany – since 1960!

but in every aspect we have to have that barge transporta- tion, so really cool in that perspective.”

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