Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast

The quest to rebuild the U.S. icebreaker fleet is an international affair, and part of the project centers on Jim Carr, SVP Engineering, Seaspan Shipyards, and his team that is serving as a design and expertise hinge for construction of the USCG Arctic Security Cutter (ASC) program to be built at Rauma Marine Constructions and Bollinger Shipyards. Carr has had a long and distinguished career across major U.S. Navy shipbuilding programs, and he shares with Maritime Matters insights on the promise and challenges; while Philip Lewis, Director of Research, Intelatus, provide depth and breadth to global icebreaker design, supply chain logistics and construction.

There is not a corner of the U.S. maritime industry that’s not actively searching for the ‘next generation’, young talent that will effectively power a company’s future. For multi-generational, family owned companies like 4th generation family run business J.F. Brennan Company (Brennan), the importance of effective recruitment and retention cannot beunderstated. For this edition of Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast, we visit with a trio of executives: Adam Binsfeld, President Brennan Marine Inc.; Janelle Pogodzinski, Brennan Chief Human Capital Officer; and Justin Scherf, Director, Brennan Underwater Services Group for insights on how the company invests its time and resources to attract and retain the mariners, the divers, the employees it needs to ensure Brennan is here for the fifth generation.

When if comes to energy transition, few alternative fuels tick as many boxes as propane, as propane offers much lower emissions when compared to diesel; the price of the fuel is more stable, less tied to crude oil volatility; the infrastructure to get started inside ports is simple, consisting of a storage tank, pump, and dispenser; and last but not least, renewable propane is available. Jim Bunsey from the Propane Education Research Center (PERC) discusses these advantages and more, as well as insight on the breadth of port equipment available today to run on propane, on this latest edition of Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast.

“Seeing” under the world’s waterways is a perpetual challenge, seeing what’s under the seabed surface and even bigger challenge. Seequent, the Bentley Subsurface Company, helps organisations understand what’s happening underground and under the seabed, helping to identify and mitigate risks such as unexploded ordinance (UXO), helping to ensure a more efficient and safe work environment for multiple maritime stakeholders. Matt Grove – EMEA Regional Segment Manager – Offshore, and Becky Bodger – EMEA Customer Solutions Team Lead, discuss with Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast, the array of tools available to get the job done.

Ports and terminals are at the epicenter when it comes to energy transition and emission reduction, essential cogs for industry, commerce and the U.S. economy as whole, but also a large target for environmental organizations to focus. In this edition of Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast, Jim Bunsey, Senior Manager, Business Development, Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) , discusses the value proposition of propane, discussing in depth the experience of West Basin Container Terminal (WBCT) – operated by Ports America and a major terminal at the Port of Los Angeles – which has more than two decades of experience slashing fuel costs, emissions and maintenance costs with propane-powered port tractors.

The 4th generation family run business J.F. Brennan Company (Brennan) is a waterborne marine construction powerhouse, born more than 100 years ago in the Upper Midwest, and evolving into a multi-dimensional, national marine infrastructure leader. Matt Binsfeld, President and CEO of Brennan, and his three brothers operate the business today. Binsfeld recently sat down with Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast to take a deep dive into the company, it’s rich history which was started in 1919 pouring concrete floors for local barns, with insights on a multitude of complex engineering construction and environmental mitigation projects, with a and promising future.

From inland towboats and tank barges, to oceangoing tankers and government fleets, Bergan Marine is literally everywhere you look on the waterfront. Kyle Durden, President & CEO, Bergan Marine Systems, discusses the rich history of this company; born in Norway but operating from Florida since 1980, Bergan Marine Systems offers a full family of product and services that are connected, modular solutions that reduce installation and operating costs – ultimately providing better data.

It’s trite (but true) to say that in the maritime industry’s quest to cut emissions, there is no ‘silver bullet’ solution, rather a series of small step changes that cumulatively add up over time. Maritime Matters: The Marinelink Podcast, recently hosted Giuseppe Gargiulo, Head of Newbuildings, MSC and Daniel Bischofberger, CEO, Accelleron, to specifically discuss the development and delivery of Accelleron’s FITS2 technology, and automation technology built with MSC and premised on Accelleron’s cumulative 100+ years of turbocharger experience. While the focus of the tech talk was FITS2, both leaders shared with Maritime Matters a much broader look inside MSC – its current fleet of 900 ships with 120 more on order – and how it balances and rationalizes the integration of new technology on newbuilds and existing ships to help meet ever tightening emission reduction goals.

Listen to the full Maritime Matters: The MarinelinkPodcast featuring Randall Crutchfield, Chairman & CEO, Colonna’s Shipyard, the fifth-generation, family leader of this medium-sized shipbuilder. Founded in 1875 with a $2,000 loan from his brother, 26-year-old ship carpenter Charles J. Colonna, created a company that has not only withstood thetest of time, but today stands ready as a multi-faceted ‘blue collar industrial complex’ to help in the effort to effectively rebuild the U.S. shipbuilding base, and more specifically to help rebuild the U.S. Navy and U.S. government-owned fleet of ships. 

Propane is a fossil fuel, but it is a clean fuel that is more easily adaptable to port and maritime operations as compared to most other non-conventional future fuel. Jim Bunsey, Senior Manager, Business Development, Propane Education Research Council (PERC), discusses with Maritime Matters: The Marinelink Podcast, the operational value and environmental benefits of switching to propane. Specifically, takes a deep dive into the West Basin Container Terminal (WBCT) at the Port of Los Angeles and its 20+ years of experience in working with propane as a fuel for its fleet of port vehicles, logging a 50% savings on fuel and a 99% lower emissions by switching to propane across its fleet of 75 propane-powered port tractors.

With a 160+ year history and 18% of the world fleet under the DNV classification banner, DNV is one of the world’s leading classification societies. Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, DNV’s long-tenured CEO Maritime, weighs in on the most pressing matters of the day, from risk mitigation during a time of geopolitical upheaval, to the core technical issues driving maritime’s future, from decarbonization and fuel transition to digitalization and cyber security.

The maritime and energy industries are at a crossroads. Driven by regulation to decarbonize, the industries cumulatively search for new and emerging technologies to meet increasingly strict emission guidelines. As Cristian Corotto, President, Digital Division, Accelleron emphasizes time and again, this is will be accomplished in a series of small steps versus one giant leap. While there are many ‘tools’ in the decarbonization tool box, fully leveraging digital solutions is central to both the present and the future. Today, Accelleron is helping maritime companies to cut emission – while simultaneously helping to accelerate decarbonization efforts – via turbocharging, fuel injection and digital solutions.

Crowley—a legacy U.S. maritime and logistics powerhouse—is making waves with an innovative, people-first approach to workforce development. In a wide-ranging conversation on the Maritime Matters: The Marinelink Podcast, two of Crowley’s senior leaders — Megan Davidson, Chief People and Regulatory Officer, and Jim Bender, Program Manager of Workforce Development — unpacked how this 133-year-old company is not only adapting to change but leading the charge toward a more sustainable, inclusive and future-ready maritime workforce.

Manson Construction is a U.S. Jones Act dredging and marine construction firm, founded in 1905 and family owned until converting to an employee-owned company in 2012. Fred Paup, Chairman of the Board, EVP, discussed with Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast, to drivers for this multi-billion dollar company in 2025 and beyond, from finding and retaining the best crews, to the construction of the $200 million+ 15,000 cu. yd. hopper dredge in Brownsville, Texas – the Frederick Paup – a dredge that Paup says will be “the Cookie Monster of beach replenishment,” and including too its work with C-Job to design a next generation Cutter Suction Dredge.

This episode of Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast, delves into the critical importance of the inland waterways infrastructure in the U.S., focusing on the Chickamauga Lock Project on the Tennessee River. A trio of experts discusses with MarineNews magazine the current state of the inland waterways, the history and significance of the Chickamauga Lock, and the ongoing efforts to modernize this essential infrastructure. The conversation highlights the economic impacts, efficiency gains, and recreational benefits associated with the project, as well as the broader implications for national infrastructure improvements and lessons learned from the initiative. Join host Eric Haun, former editor of MarineNews and Tracy Zea, President & CEO of WCI,Elizabeth Burks, USACE Nashville Division Chief, and Capt. Joe Cotton, Project Manager, Chickamauga Lock Project for insights and updates on this critical inland waterways infrastructure project Takeaways • There are 12,000 navigable miles of inland waterways in the U.S. • 80% of locks are past their 50-year design life, increasing failure risk. • Chickamauga Lock is a major civil works project of national importance. • The new lock will significantly increase efficiency for barge traffic. • Barge transportation is the cleanest mode of surface transportation. • The Chickamauga Lock Project is expected to be operational by 2027. • The project will have a significant economic impact on the local community. • Recreational traffic through Chickamauga Lock is substantial, with 3,500 vessels annually. • The partnership between TVA and the Corps is crucial for navigation and flood control. • Increased funding for the Corps of Engineers is essential for modernizing infrastructure.

The U.S. Coast Guard proposes to update its maritime security regulations by adding regulations specifically focused on establishing minimum cybersecurity requirements for U.S.-flagged vessels, Outer Continental Shelf facilities, and U.S. facilities subject to the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 regulations. This proposed rule would help to address current and emerging cybersecurity threats in the marine transportation system. We seek your comments on this proposed rule and whether we should: use and define the term reportable cyber incident to limit cyber incidents that trigger reporting requirements, use alternative methods of reporting such incidents, and amend the definition of hazardous condition. In this Maritime Matters: The Marinelink Podcast, we host a live panel discussion with five experts from the Coast Guard, classification, vessel owners and connectivity leaders to discuss what the rules may look like, as well as what work boat owners should do now to protect themselves, and the consequences not preparing.

You would be hard pressed to find a corporate leader more passionate about the company they lead; more dedicated to the customer they serve. In this case it’s George Whittier, CEO, Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD) and the U.S. Navy. Upon his return less than five years ago, Whittier has driven FMD to the top of the U.S. Navy supply heap, with a string of strategic acquisitions. Whittier discusses with Maritime Matters: The Marinelink Podcast, FMD’s rich history and promising future in helping the U.S. Navy rebuild its strategic edge globally with a strengthened manufacturing base.

R.W. Fernstrum & Company was founded by Robert W. Fernstrum in Menominee, Mich., 75 years ago, a quintessential U.S. manufacturing story. The company was born in the aftermath of WWII, founded on an invention developed during the war by Robert W. Fernstrum to help solve an engine overheating problem that was plaguing U.S. Navy landing craft. Family owned and operated from day one, today the company includes a fourth generation of family that aims to continue the legacy of its founder. From its’ core market of maritime and offshore energy, R.W. Fernstrum heat exchange systems can be found in a multitude of applications, from tsunami early detection buoys in the Indian Ocean to wave energy devices to underwater server farms.

When he joined the Glosten more than 26 years ago as an intern, little did Morgan Fanberg know that one day he’d be at the helm leading the largest privately owned naval architecture firm in the United States. But this USMMA-grad was well outfitted for the task, and in this Maritime Matters: The Marinelink Podcast, Fanberg candidly discusses the challenges he, his team and the maritime industry faces in meeting legislatively mandated goals; plus adopting new fuels into new designs while keeping to his mantra to “keep old boats running.”

Green Marine is an environmental certification program for North America’s maritime industry, a voluntary initiative that helps its participants to improve their environmental performance beyond regulations. But participation in the Green Marine program requires rigor in planning, executing, measuring and reporting an organization’s performance across 14 indicators, an investment in time and resources that pays dividends in transparency and credibility to the market and the population in general. In this episode of Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast, we take a deep dive with a trio of guests: Eleanor Kirtley, Green Marine’s Senior Program Manager plus a pair of members that can speak to the process and value; Stephanie Jones Stebbins, Director – Maritime, Port of Seattle and Mark Barker, President & CEO, Interlake Steamship Company.

EDR Antwerp Shipyard has undergone a complete rebrand, but the transformation is far more than skin deep. Philippe Trouillard, Commercial Manager, discusses with Maritime Matters: The Marinelink Podcast, not only the transformation of the yard and its facilities, but also too the challenges of successfully competing with much cheaper repair yards in the Far East; and insights on an exciting new electrostatically applied paint in the drydock which has shown the potential minimize overspray and save 40% in paint applied.

As the offshore wind industry grows, so too does the number of purpose-built SOVs and CSOVs needed to support this clean energy sector. Maritime Matters sits down with Siemens Energy’s Trygve Akselsen and Intelatus Global Partners’ Philip Lewis to discuss how evolving technologies are helping to drive performance and efficiency gains across the global fleet.

As emission reduction mandates sweep through maritime and hybrid solutions become the norm rather than the exception, special consideration must be paid to the drive train. Bob Lennon, with more than 40 years of maritime drivetrain experience, shares insight from Regal Rexnord on special areas to consider to ensure a long, efficient life of the propulsion machinery, cradle to grave.

Ship and boat builders globally – from the largest to the smallest shipyards – can leverage new digital tools, including digital twins, to improve productivity and reduce costs. In this episode of Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast, we welcome a trio of executives from ABS, Fincantieri and Cadmatic to discuss in granular detail the best steps to start leveraging new technology in ship design and construction.

Sea Machines is a pioneer in maritime autonomy, operating continuously since it was founded by Michael Johnson in 2015. In this episode of Maritime Matters, we visit with Johnson to discuss his take on the pace and course of true maritime autonomy, plus the rationale behind the development and technical insights on SELKIE, a new unmanned surface vessel developed by Sea Machine’s.