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Aker Rhymes with ?Soccer? EDITOR?S DESK In an extraordinary end to an unusually buoyant year for U.S. shipyards, a ß urry of new blue water, commercial orders ß ooded into Tier I shipbuilders in the 4th quarter of 2013. As the year comes to a close, the biggest problem facing U.S. builders was solving the quandary of how to Þ nd, train and ultimately retain qualiÞ ed shipÞ tters to toil on the vessels sitting on those fat backorder books. While these are nominally ÔgoodÕ problems to have, they are problems nonetheless. Industry is, never- theless, Þ nding imaginative ways to adapt existing human resources models as a way to cope. Within the pages of this edition, youÕll Þ nd out how and why. Small and large, brown water or blue water, East Coast, West Coast and Gulf Coast, everyone is busy. And, while the newbuild and replacement work going on in the OSV and inland sectors was perhaps easy enough to predict in a rebounding economy, the blue water commercial revival was not. U.S. yards are now accomplishing the seem- ingly unthinkable: ß ourishing in an environment that does not necessarily include a steady diet of government, Coast Guard and/or Navy hulls. Leading the charge to redeÞ ne American shipbuilding is Aker Philadelphia Ship- yard and its youthful CEO, Kristian Rokke. Riding an enviable backlog of pure com- mercial, deep draft hulls that stretches all the way to 2018, Rokke and his manage- ment team are not resting on their laurels. Nor have they forgotten from where they came: the nadir of 2011, when their total workforce shrank to just 300 employees. The completely modernized shipbuilder Ð already negotiating for more options with existing customers Ð has succeeded in this location where others could not. Utilizing innovative partnerships, public/private Þ nancing and proÞ t sharing deals, Aker gladly shares risk with closely aligned customers. Arguably the model for the market that it serves, the story of AkerÕs remarkable resurgence begins on page 32. Perhaps more interesting than the shipbuilding revival itself has been the seed from which the entire upswing has emanated. The so-called Ôshale boomÕ and the super- charged energy production of the lower 48 states has changed not only global ship- ping patterns, but also redeÞ ned demand for U.S. tonnage in any number of vessel categories. Within these pages, Barry ParkerÕs simultaneous look at energy and ship- ping explains how the equation of the energy transportation business and the count- less variables that form the sum of its whole, are changing. Finally, I canÕt look at success and the maritime markets without also noting that this edition marks our third full year of publishing Maritime Professional magazine. Our fully audited subscription list, coupled with the Web site of the same name, com- bines with our in-depth coverage to create industryÕs best business journal. As we tackle the most interesting and compelling aspects of todayÕs maritime markets, IÕm also mindful that we need to raise the bar even further. That we have the opportunity to do that is in large part due to the support and input of readers Ð like you. Join us in 2014 for more of the same. Joseph Keefe, Editor | keefe@marinelink.comDownload our AppiPhone & Android8 I Maritime Professional I 4Q 2013MP #4 1-17.indd 8MP #4 1-17.indd 812/11/2013 12:15:43 PM12/11/2013 12:15:43 PM
