Executive Moves: Tugboats, towboats and barges

   Members of the American Waterways Operators, the national tugboat, towboat and barge industry association, elected Scott Merritt (pictured above left), former chief operating officer for Foss Maritime Company LLC, as chairman.
   Arthur F. Mead (pictured above center), vice president and general counsel at Crowley Maritime Corp., was elected vice chairman.
   Elections took place earlier this month during the association’s annual spring convention in Washington, D.C. Merritt succeeds Tom Marian, general counsel at Buffalo Marine Service.
   Merritt highlighted the association’s accomplishments in 2018. 
   “In addition to continuing to stave off Jones Act repeal efforts, we completed a 15-year collaboration with the United States Coast Guard to bring about Subchapter M, a regulatory doctrine designed for our industry and in partnership with our industry. We passed VIDA to move us closer to a regulatory regime that is not subject to the whim of state politics and politicians. We enacted legislation to protect our harbor services members against anticompetitive negotiation practices by ocean carrier alliances. And we developed groundbreaking safety resources to help our companies manage fatigue risk and implement best practices to prevent and respond to cyber incidents,” Merritt said.
   Jeff Stephens (pictured above right) has joined Heartland Barge Management LLC as the manager of equipment sales and leasing for the Gulf Coast and international markets.  
   Prior to joining Heartland, Stephens, who has more than 40 years of experience in the marine industry, managed both national and international marine operations, offshore construction projects, subcontract management, ISM and quality. He also worked as a licensed tankerman and towboat pilot on the Mississippi River.